ChemistryNL and the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health jointly finance the ‘Directing cohesin’ project in which the mechanism behind DNA folding is studied. The knowledge resulting from this project could be a first step towards preventing genetic disorders resulting from this mechanism.
Our genome is the library of our genetic information and at the same time a biochemical macromolecule whose shape also determines important processes in our cells. The cohesin protein complex is a ‘molecular motor’ that creates loops in the DNA that in turn play a role in the regulation of genes and in the distribution of chromosomes during cell division. If errors occur, developmental disorders and cancer can occur. How exactly the cohesin protein complex works is still an important question in genome biology.
TU Delft, the Netherlands Cancer Institute and Lumicks B.V. scientists are working in the ‘Directing cohesin’ project together to unravel the operation of the complex. The research uses both biophysical experiments and a cell biology approach to study genome folding and cohesin. The insights gained from this can be a first step towards preventing disorders resulting from errors in the cohesin protein complex.
ChemistryNL has allocated €379,000 via the PPP allowance scheme to the project, which has a duration of 4 years.
