Rate My Professor Heike Laman

Laman's research centers on ubiquitin ligases, enzymes that modify proteins via ubiquitin to regulate stability, localization, activity, and interactions, enabling responses to environmental stress and infections. Her lab examines these signals in normal and pathological conditions to uncover mechanisms of diseases including Parkinson's disease, cancer, male sterility, and anaemia. Projects include neuroprotective roles of Fbxo7/PARK15 using cell lines, 3D organoids, and mouse models; Fbxo7/PI31 proteasome regulation; F-box proteins in cancer; and biotherapeutics like nanobody-based PROTACs and stapled peptides targeting ubiquitin ligases, collaborating with AstraZeneca. She holds Fellowships of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) and Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). Key publications are 'Restoration of Fbxo7 expression in dopaminergic neurons restores tyrosine hydroxylase in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease' (Al Rawi et al., bioRxiv 2024), 'Study of an FBXO7 patient mutation reveals Fbxo7 and PI31 co-regulate proteasomes and mitochondria' (Al Rawi et al., FEBS J 2024), 'Fbxo7 promotes Cdk6 activity to inhibit PFKP and glycolysis in T cells' (Harris et al., J Cell Biol 2022), and 'The FBXL family of F-box proteins: variations on a theme' (Mason & Laman, Open Biol 2020).