The Guettler Lab

Research positions available

Interested in working with us on the molecular mechanisms of Wnt/beta-catenin signalling? Following the award of a Cancer Research UK programme grant, we have three positions available: two PhD Studentships and one Postdoctoral Fellow position.

Two new papers!

Two new papers are now live. The first study, led by former PhD Student Giacomo Casale, centres on targeting TRF1 in the telomeric shelterin complex. This work arose from a collaboration with our drug discovery colleagues in the Division of Cancer Therapeutics. The second study, written by former PhD Student Ben Broadway, reports a novel potential phosphoregulatory mechanism directing effector proteins to tankyrase. Congratulations and thank you to all contributors!

Welcome, Ioanna, Charlotte and Renard!

This summer and autumn, we welcomed three new Team Members. Ioanna Stefani will pioneer in situ structural biology in the lab; Charlotte Avery started her MRC iCASE PhD studentship (jointly in the team of Swen Hoelder at the ICR and industry collaborators at Merck), working on targeting the telomeric Shelterin complex, and Renard Lewis will take on structure-function studies of tankyrase. Welcome, everyone! Exciting times ahead!

Farewell, Ben!

In October, we said thank you and farewell to Ben, who completed his PhD in our group and stayed on as a Postdoc for a bit longer to complete his main manuscript. All the best, Ben, for your next adventure!

New pre-print from the lab!

Giacomo’s PhD work, a collaboration with the teams of Ian Collins and Rob van Montfort, is now out as a preprint on bioRxiv: Discovery of first-in-class inhibitors of the TRF1-TIN2 protein-protein interaction by fragment screening. You can read it here. Congratulations to all authors!

Matt moves to new pastures (but not very far).

Matthew Jessop, Postdoctoral Fellow in the team, is moving on to ICR’s Electron Microscopy Facility, which he will join as CLEM & cryoET Scientist (Senior Scientific Officer). So, we will still get to see him and work with him. Thank you, Matt, for all your work in the lab, and see you around!

Welcome Vasundara!

In January, Dr Vasundara Srinivasan joined our group from Hamburg, Germany, as Senior Scientific Officer. Vasundara is a Biochemist, Biophysicist and Structural Biologist with experience in GPCRs, transporters, iron-sulfur clusters, nanobodies, SARS-CoV-2 proteases and membrane proteins. Welcome to the team!

Congratulations Giacomo and Ben!

Giacomo and Ben both defended their PhD theses towards the end of the year. Many congratulations on your successful PhD journeys!

Annual lab hike

Our annual lab hike can now be called a tradition. This year’s adventure took us to the autumnal Epping Forest.

Wnt Signalling Meeting in Heidelberg

This September, we enjoyed a stimulating international Wnt meeting organised by our colleagues in Germany.

New Paper

In a new perspective/review article, published in The Biochemical Journal, we put the spotlight on tankyrase (TNKS/TNKS2) and PARP1/PARP2, showing that the regulatory principles of tankyrases have a lot in common with those governing PARP1/2 function. Congratulations to authors Matt, Ben and Katy!

Thank you, Mariola!

We said thank you and farewell to Mariola Zaleska, Senior Scientific Officer in our group. Mariola has been part of our team for the past seven years, contributing to our work in many ways, from her expertise in protein biochemistry and NMR spectroscopy to a number of key roles in managing the lab’s day-to-day logistics. Thank you, Mariola, for everything, and all the best for your next adventures!

Another Successful Summer Studentship

Maria Yanygina, Biochemistry Student at University College London, spent two months of her summer in our lab, getting to know the protein crystallisation pipeline and some of our favourite proteins. Thank you Maria for joining us, Oviya and Saira for supervision, and The Lister Institute for funding!

New equipment for in situ structural biology

Our Light Microscopy and Electron Microscopy Facilities at ICR are being upgraded to include new equipment for in situ Structural Biology by cryogenic correlative light and electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography. Exciting times ahead!

Our first WntUK Meeting!

In the end of April, we enjoyed our inaugural WntUK meeting at the Francis Crick Institute. WntUK is a new initiative to bring together UK researchers working on all aspects of Wnt signalling for networking and exchange of ideas.

Our tankyrase work features in annual reports

Our recent research on tankyrase is featured in the 2022/23 annual report of the Diamond Light Source (DLS) and the Electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC). The work has also been selected amongst the featured scientific achievements of ICR in 2022/23. Enjoy the read!

Lab day out in the Surrey Hills

This year’s lab trip took us to the Surrey Hills, where we enjoyed autumn colours, beautiful views, friendly bovines and glorious mud. The best scientific ideas are not born at the desk.

Welcome Nafis and Katy!

This summer and autumn, we welcomed two new lab members: Nafiseh Chalabi Hagkarim joins us as a Postdoctoral Fellow, and Katy Miller is embarking on her PhD. Welcome Nafis and Katy!

Sebastian delivers inaugural lecture

On the 24th of November, Sebastian delivered his inaugural lecture at the ICR, titled “Encoding the Language of Signalling Proteins” – a great occasion for colleagues, team members, mentors, friends and family to convene and celebrate! Thank you to everyone who came!

Summer Science

This summer, we welcomed two students to our lab. Dylan Clements learned about the daily lives of biochemists and structural biologists during his week-long stay. Sofia Savastano spent a seven-week Lister-Institute funded Summer Studentship with us, joining forces with Matt to have fun with tankyrase.

Barcelona!

Ben, Saira and Sebastian presented the latest of the lab’s Wnt signalling work at this year’s Gordon Research Seminar and Conference in Barcelona. Ben spoke at the Gordon Research Seminar, and both Ben and Saira presented a poster at the Conference. A fantastic week of science and connecting with old and new friends in the field!

Welcome Raj!

Keerthiraju Ravichandran joins us as a Postdoctoral Fellow after completing his PhD in the Max Planck Research Group at the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology in Krakow, Poland. Welcome Raj!

Congratulations, Muhammed!

Congratulations to Muhammed Kocak, who has successfully defended his PhD thesis!

Michael launches his research lab

Last December, we said farewell to Michael Ranes, Postdoctoral Fellow in our team. Funded by Wellcome, Michael has now launched his own research lab at the University of Oxford, where he will study Wnt/beta-catenin signalling mechanisms. Congratulations Michael!

Cryo-EM reveals structural basis of tankyrase activation by polymerisation

In our latest paper, we report structure-function studies that reveal how tankyrase is turned from a sluggish to an active protein by filamentous polymerisation. You can read the open-access paper here. The paper comes with a press release by ICR. Congratulations to the team!

Welcome Shafayat!

We welcome Shafayat Azad to our team. Shaf joins us as a PhD Student and will investigate the mechanisms of telomere maintenance.

Michael speaks at “Black in Cancer”

Michael Ranes speaks at the inaugural “Black in Cancer” conference – an international collaboration between Black in Cancer and Cancer Research UK, one of our major funders.

Team Member Yexin Xie receives her PhD

Last month, we celebrated Yexin’s PhD graduation. Many congratulations Yexin on your well-deserved PhD, and all the best for your next steps!

Thank you and goodbye to Nisha!

After almost three years in the lab, Nisha is moving on. We say thank you and goodbye – all the best for the future! Stay tuned for exciting publication news coming soon.

Farewell Euan!

We say thank you and farewell to Euan Colaco Osorio, who joined us for almost two months as a Summer Student funded by the Lister Institute. All the best for your next adventure!

Iona awarded poster prize at American Chemical Society Medicinal Chemistry Symposium

PhD Student Iona Black has has been awarded the Best Poster prize at the 37th American Chemical Society Medicinal Chemistry Symposium held in New York City in June 2022. To attend the conference, Iona received a Royal Society of Chemistry researcher development grant of £500. Many congratulations Iona!

2022 Lab Retreat in Hastings

Our first lab retreat in a long time: two days of science and sunshine … and lots of food.

Destruction complex reconstitution among ten featured ICR achievements of 2021

Our reconstitution of the beta-catenin destruction complex made it to ICR’s ten featured scientific achievements of 2021. What a nice way to end the lab year and a real testament to the team’s work! You can find all research highlights on the ICR website.

#BlackinCancer: Reaching communities most affected by prostate cancer

For Black in Cancer Week, ICR’s Science Communications Officer Juanita Bawagan spoke to our team member Dr Michael Ranes about the importance of diversity in cancer research for science and society. You can read the article here.

Michael speaks at the UNC Cancer Network

Our Postdoc Michael Ranes will present his work at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Here are the seminar details:

“Molecular mechanisms of Wnt signaling: reducing complexity”.
https://unccn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2oM9nhM8Sz-xBL9QgGuXCg/
Sep 22, 2021 11:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Our latest paper hits the ICR news.

The ICR has featured our latest paper in its news stream on the ICR website.

Meet the authors: Michael and Sebastian speak with Molecular Cell about the story behind our latest paper.

We spoke with Molecular Cell about our latest paper, “Reconstitution of the destruction complex defines roles of AXIN polymers and APC in β-catenin capture, phosphorylation, and ubiquitylation,” personal experiences in science, our lab’s research and the people behind our science. Read the interview here.

New paper: biochemical reconstitution of the beta-catenin destruction complex

Our latest paper, reporting the biochemical reconstitution of the beta-catenin destruction complex, is now published online. Congratulations to Michael, Mariola, Saira and Ruth! You can find the open access article here.

ICR survey gives insight into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer research

The Institute of Cancer Research surveyed 239 of its researchers to gain insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their research, and to point to possible solutions. Read the results here.

New electron microscopy infrastructure

Exciting news: our new Glacios cryo-electron microscope has arrived and is being installed. The photo pictures Basil Greber, a new Team Leader in the Division of Structural Biology, with the microscope in its new home. A new era of Structural Biology at the ICR!