Rate My Professor Heike Laman

The Laman lab investigates ubiquitin ligases, which modify proteins by attaching ubiquitin chains to control their stability, localization, trafficking, and activity. This research examines ubiquitin signalling in normal and pathological conditions to elucidate mechanisms underlying diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, cancer, male sterility, and anaemia, including the neuroprotective role of Fbxo7/PARK15 and proteasome regulation. The group develops biotherapeutic strategies exploiting ubiquitin ligase enzymology, such as PROTACs and nanobodies. Key publications include "Restoration of Fbxo7 expression in dopaminergic neurons restores tyrosine hydroxylase in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease" (2024), "Study of an FBXO7 patient mutation reveals Fbxo7 and PI31 co-regulate proteasomes and mitochondria" (2024), "Fbxo7 promotes Cdk6 activity to inhibit PFKP and glycolysis in T cells" (2022), and "Analysis of the FBXO7 promoter reveals overlapping Pax5 and c-Myb binding sites functioning in B cells" (2021). Elected Fellow of Clare College in 2014, she serves as Director of Studies for Pathology and Genetics and Postgraduate Admissions Tutor. Laman is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.