Dr. Carola Endes specialises in elucidating hypomyelination in tRNA deficiencies

Aminoacyl t-RNA synthetases (ARSs) translate messenger RNA into proteins, one of the most fundamental processes in cellular function. Defective ARSs often lead to severe brain disease characterised by a loss of nerve insulation. One such disease – caused by mutations in the gene encoding cytoplasmic Aspartate-tRNA synthetase (DARS) – is Hypomyelination with Brain Stem involvement and Leg spasticity (HBSL). Patients with HBSL develop progressive leg spasticity, cognitive impairment and epilepsy from an early age. No effective treatment is available for HBSL patients at the moment and new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. With the help of patient derived induced pluripotent stem cells diseased key populationscan be targeted to elucidate cellular and molecular processes as important step towards future clinical trials and treatments. ​

​Currently a Postdoc position in the Stem Cell Engineering group of Prof. Ernst Wolvetang at Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Awarded SNF PostDoc Mobility Fellowship. In 2015 she was a Research assistant in the Bionanomaterials group of Prof. Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser and Prof. Alke Petri-Fink, Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Switzerland. From 2011 to 2015 she did her PhD in Nanotoxicology. An Advanced in vitro Testing Strategy for Alveolar Interactions of Cellulose Nanocrystal Aerosols. Conducted in the Bionanomaterials group of Prof. Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser and Prof. Alke Petri-Fink, Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Supervision Dr. Martin JD Clift In 2010 she was a Research Assistant in the Department of Environmental Microbiology at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ in Leipzig with Prof. Hauke Harms, University of Leipzig, Germany. Supervision Dr. Antonis Chatzinotas.

Key Publications

Endes, C., Schmid, O., Kinnear, C., Mueller, S., Camarero Espinosa, S., Vanhecke, D., Foster, E. J., Petri-Fink, A., Rothen-Rutishauser, B., Weder, C. and Clift, M. J. D. (2014); A systematic in vitro approach towards mimicking the inhalation of high aspect ratio nanoparticles. Particle and Fibre Toxicology. 11:40 IF= 8.649 ​

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation PostDoc Mobility Fellowship