Dr. Ramona Schulz-Heddergott

• 2003-2008: PhD student, Department of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany
• 2008-2009: Postdoc, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
• 2009-2012: Postdoc, Molecular Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany
• 2013-2018: Research Fellow, Molecular Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany
• since 2018: Group leader, Molecular Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany
• since 2023: Granted by the Heisenberg Program, DFG

Major Research Interests
My research focuses on the stress-associated protein chaperone system and its suitability as actionable therapeutic target in gastrointestinal cancers. The chaperone system and its core heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90) stabilize hundreds of oncoproteins, enabling or enhancing their tumorigenic functions. Major clients of HSP90 consist in mutant versions of the tumor suppressor p53, a driver of nearly 50% of all human cancers. We are exploring the functions and therapeutic consequences of HSP90 and mutant p53 in the context of gastrointestinal tumors and their microenvironment. One topic is e.g., the identification of distinct pathway regulations by specific p53 mutants in colorectal (CRC) and pancreatic cancer (PDAC) and thus, whether specific p53 mutants might serve as predicators and/or target in cancer therapies. We use genetically engineered and chemically induced murine cancer models as well as patient-derived and murine organoid cultures to decipher mechanisms of tumor dynamics.

Homepage Department/Research Group
https://molonc.umg.eu/
https://gccc.umg.eu/kfo5002

ORCID: 0000-0002-6483-4392