Alexander Kanitz

Contact Info

• Alexander Kanitz
• ETH Zurich
• Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences
• Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Pharmacogenomics Unit
• Wolfgang Pauli-Strasse 10
• 8093 Zurich
• Switzerland
• Contact me here or write to alexander.kanitz@pharma.ethz.ch

Research interests

I am interested in post-transcriptional regulatory networks, particularly the regulation of mRNA translation, localization and stability by RNA-binding proteins and non-coding RNAs ("mRNP code"). In our lab we are trying to decipher sequence or structural RNA regulatory elements with a primary focus on the human and yeast 3'UTRomes.

Current position

I am a grad student in the Gerber Lab at the ETH Zurich, working on post-transcriptional gene regulation. Tentative title of the project: "Systematic Analysis of the Crosstalk between Regulatory RNA-Binding Proteins and the MicroRNA Machinery"

Previous labs

• 2006 - Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Biopolis, Singapore: "Characterization of a Putative IKK2 in Danio rerio" / Supervisor: Prof. Vinay Tergaonkar

• 2004-2005 - Lab, AMC Liver Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands: "Lentiviral Gene Transfer of Chemically Inducible Hepatocyte Growth Factor Receptor and Liver Re-Targeting of Lentiviral Particles" / Supervisors: Dr. Jurgen Seppen, Prof. Ronald P.J. Oude-Elferink

• 2004 - Lab, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Germany: "Production and characterization of the enzymatically active domain of the endolysine Ply500 isolated from Listeria monocytogenes-bacteriophage A 500" / Supervisors: Dr. Ingo P. Korndörfer, Prof. Arne Skerra

Education

• 2007-present, PhD student, ETH Zurich / Molecular Life Sciences Graduate School
• 2004-2007, MSc Medical Biochemistry, University of Amsterdam
• 2001-2004, BSc Molecular Biotechnology, Technical University of Munich

Publications

1. Markusic DM, Kanitz A, Oude-Elferink RP, and Seppen J. Preferential gene transfer of lentiviral vectors to liver-derived cells, using a hepatitis B peptide displayed on GP64. Hum Gene Ther. 2007 Jul;18(7):673-9. DOI:10.1089/hum.2007.027 |
2. Korndörfer IP, Kanitz A, Danzer J, Zimmer M, Loessner MJ, and Skerra A. Structural analysis of the L-alanoyl-D-glutamate endopeptidase domain of Listeria bacteriophage endolysin Ply500 reveals a new member of the LAS peptidase family. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2008 Jun;64(Pt 6):644-50. DOI:10.1107/S0907444908007890 |

Useful links

• Gerber Lab on OWW
• Gerber Lab @ Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• Tergaonkar Lab @ Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Biopolis, Singapore
• Seppen Lab @ AMC Liver Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Skerra Lab @ Institute of Biological Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Germany (German only)
• Life Science Zurich Graduate School