Alexander Kanitz

Contact Information

• ETH Zurich
  

     Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences
     Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Pharmacogenomics Unit
     Wolfgang Pauli-Strasse 10
     8093 Zurich
     Switzerland
     Google Maps link

• Email: alexander.kanitz@pharma.ethz.ch

Education

• Dec 2011: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• Nov 2007 – Dec 2011: Graduate studies in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• Nov 2007 – Dec 2011: Graduate studies in Molecular Life Sciences, Life Science Zurich Graduate School, Switzerland
• Mar 2007: Master of Science (M.Sc.), University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Oct 2004 – Mar 2007: Undergraduate studies in Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Jul 2004: Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Technical University of Munich, Germany
• Sep 2001 – Jul 2004: Undergraduate studies in Molecular Biotechnology, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Germany

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. In our lab we are studying the dynamics of mRNPs in yeast and human cell lines, and we hope that our work will contribute to the deciphering of the "mRNP code".

Current position

I am a grad student in the Gerber Lab at the ETH Zurich, working on post-transcriptional gene regulation, and was recruited through the Molecular Life Sciences program of the Life Science Zurich Graduate School.

Tentative title of the project: "Systematic Analysis of the Crosstalk between Regulatory RNA-Binding Proteins and the MicroRNA Machinery".

I am an initiator of the RNA Club Zurich and the (currently defunct) Zurich-based "Web Utilities and Software Seminar". Furthermore I maintain the web presence of the Gerber Lab (currently moving to the UK).

Previous labs

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

• 2004-2005 - Seppen 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 - Skerra 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

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

Publications

1. Kanitz A and Gerber AP. Circuitry of mRNA regulation. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Systems Biology and Medicine 2009 Sep 30. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.55 [Paper4]
2. Galgano A, Forrer M, Jaskiewicz L, Kanitz A, Zavolan M, and Gerber AP. . pmid:18776931. PubMed HubMed [Paper3]
3. Korndörfer IP, Kanitz A, Danzer J, Zimmer M, Loessner MJ, and Skerra A. . pmid:18560152. PubMed HubMed [Paper2]
4. Markusic DM, Kanitz A, Oude-Elferink RP, and Seppen J. . pmid:17630838. PubMed HubMed [Paper1]

Useful links

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