During her PhD studies, Nanna Birkmose researched the potential use of small, circularized peptides to suppress nonsense mutations in yeast and human cells. Nonsense mutations are a type of DNA mutation that causes protein synthesis to stop prematurely, thus causing serious diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Nanna Birkmose developed and applied a selection system in yeast cells to identify drug candidates suppressing nonsense mutations from a large DNA-encoded library.
The new research findings provide a greater understanding of how nonsense mutations can be suppressed, and broaden the opportunities to develop therapies for treating the millions of patients that worldwide suffer from diseases caused by nonsense mutations.

The PhD study was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 3 May 2024 at 13.30
Place: Building 1870, room 716, Seminar Room 5, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C
Title of PhD thesis: Suppressors of premature translation termination – Selection of cyclic peptides from DNA-encoded libraries
Contact information: Nanna Birkmose, e-mail: na.bi@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +4523204072

Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Ali Tavassoli, School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, United Kingdom

Associate Professor Finn Kirpekar, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Associate Professor Pia Møller Martensen (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark

Main supervisor:
Associate Professor Charlotte Rohde Knudsen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark

Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS,

Jens Baggesens Vej 53, building 5221, 8200 Aarhus N.