Dr Anna Pérez i Ràfols has received a prestigious five-year Wellcome Early-Career Award to establish an ambitious research programme investigating the molecular signals that protect cells under stress.
Anna is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Yogesh Kulathu’s laboratory at the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC PPU). This highly competitive award will fund Anna’s salary, and other research costs in addition to providing her with a dedicated research technician. The Fellowship will provide the resources and scientific independence Anna requires to take a decisive step towards establishing her own research group.
Anna’s project will address one of the most intriguing questions in cell biology: how cells interpret the “ubiquitin code.” Ubiquitin is a small protein that can be attached to other proteins in different configurations, creating signals that determine their fate and regulate processes including protein degradation, repair and protection.
Anna will focus on rare branched ubiquitin chains within the cell nucleus. She will investigate how these complex signals help cells maintain nuclear homeostasis and protect themselves when exposed to environmental stress. As disruption of ubiquitin signalling is associated with diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegeneration, understanding these pathways could ultimately reveal new therapeutic opportunities.
“I am honoured to receive the Wellcome Early-Career Award,” said Anna. “This fellowship is a significant milestone in my career and a fantastic opportunity to explore how complex ubiquitin signals regulate nuclear homeostasis, potentially uncovering new pathways and key cellular players that protect our cells during environmental challenges.”
"Since joining my lab, I've had the pleasure of watching Anna grow into an independent scientist, and this fellowship is richly deserved. Her work on understanding how branched ubiquitin chains function in the nucleus is exciting, and I am delighted that Wellcome has recognised her potential. I'm looking forward to supporting her as she builds her own research programme” said Yogesh
Wellcome Early-Career Awards support researchers from all disciplines who are ready to develop their own research identity. Each award provides the recipient’s salary, funding for research staff and up to £400,000 in research expenses over five years. By the end of the award, recipients are expected to be ready to lead an independent research programme.
Anna and her research technician will remain based in Yogesh's laboratory at the MRC PPU while developing this exciting new programme. Learn more: Wellcome Early-Career Awards