Mitarbeiter // Marcel Alavi

Scientific Interest

My main focus is the protein-biochemistry of the Opa1 gene product - the major disease causing gene of autosomal dominant optic atrophy (adOA). Therefore, different enzymatic and biochemical assays will be established to give more insight into Opa1 protein function. In parallel, the identification and characterisation of Opa1 interacting proteins is one major goal, as these proteins will also represent new candidate genes for adOA. Results obtained here can be verified immediately in our huge adOA-patients?-database including patients with and without mutations in the Opa1 gene. Gained knowledge then can be studied in vivo in our adOA-mouse model that I have characterised histologically and cell biologically. As long term goals, we do not solely want to suggest new therapeutic treatments for adOA but think that with Opa1 we hold the key to come up with a new understanding of mitochondria and their function.