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Grant recipient

Eva Kummer

MiNOME - Mitochondrial Genome Maintenance from Molecules to Cells
Grant amount: DKK 9,999,941
Eva Kummer says: “Mitochondria are specialized compartments of bacterial origin present within almost every cell in our body. They generate the majority of the energy the body requires and support fundamental cellular functions. Mitochondria contain their own DNA that exists in hundreds to thousands of copies per cell. This DNA only encodes for few proteins, which are however essential for energy production. To preserve mitochondrial DNA in our cells, several hundred proteins - that are encoded in the cell nucleus - are imported into mitochondria. Mutations in these proteins decrease energy levels and cause diseases in humans. Mitochondria form an extensive network in the cell and changes in this network help to distribute mitochondrial DNA throughout the cell. Using advanced imaging methods, this project aims to visualize how different proteins and changes in the mitochondrial network contribute to the integrity of mitochondrial DNA as well as to understand the basis of human mitochondrial pathologies”.
Eva Kummer relocated from her postdoctoral position at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland in April 2021 to set up her independent research group at University of Copenhagen, where she will have access to state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure.
Eva Kummer
Eva Kummer
Group Leader, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen