From small molecules to complex organelles

Latest News

July 24, 2026 Dual regulation of the unfolded protein response by IGF2BP3 during ER stress Cells constantly adjust protein production to match folding capacity in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to ensure correct folding of secreted and transmembrane proteins. This is especially crucial when cellular stress impairs protein folding. A new study from the Karagöz lab (Max Perutz Labs) uncovers how the RNA-binding protein IGF2BP3 helps control this balance during ER stress. Read more →
June 1, 2026 Postdoc Position – Giant E3 Ligases as Cellular Guardians (Clausen lab) The Clausen lab at the IMP is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to investigate how giant E3 ligases act as guardians against diverse cellular stresses. Read more →
March 26, 2026 The coordinated action of UFMylation and the RQC pathways clears arrested polypeptides at the ER A new study from the Karagöz lab (Max Perutz Labs), published in EMBO Journal, reveals how ribosome-associated quality control and UFMylation machinery cooperate to resolve stalled ribosomes at the endoplasmic reticulum. Read more →

About the Program

Targeted Protein Degradation: From small molecules to complex organelles

Our Special Research Program is a collaborative research platform to unravel how proteins are targeted for degradation. We focus on the two major cellular proteolytic pathways, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy, and the crosstalk between them in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. Furthermore, we investigate how small molecules can be used to chemically reprogram the degradation systems, enabling the targeted proteolysis of selected proteins in a spatially and temporally controlled manner …

Selected Publications

2024 Tau fibrils evade autophagy by excessive p62 coating and TAX1BP1 exclusion Science Advances Ferrari L, Bauer B, Qiu Y, Schuschnig M, Klotz S, Anrather D, Juretschke T, Beli P, Gelpi E, Martens S Go to publication →
2024 Large-scale chemoproteomics expedites ligand discovery and predicts ligand behavior in cells Science Offensperger F, Tin G, Duran-Frigola M, Hahn E, Dobner S, Ende CWA, Strohbach JW, Rukavina A, Brennsteiner V, Ogilvie K, Marella N, Kladnik K, Ciuffa R, Majmudar JD, Field SD, Bensimon A, Ferrari L, Ferrada E, Ng A, Zhang Z, Degliesposti G, Boeszoermenyi A, Martens S, Stanton R, Müller AC, Hannich JT, Hepworth D, Superti-Furga G, Kubicek S, Schenone M, Winter GE Go to publication →
2023 Structural basis of how the BIRC6/SMAC complex regulates apoptosis and autophagy Science Ehrmann JF, Grabarczyk DB, Heinke M, Deszcz L, Kurzbauer R, Hudecz O, Shulkina A, Gogova R, Meinhart A, Versteeg GA, Clausen T Go to publication →

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