EMBO Associate Member

Susan Lindquist

1949 – 2016

Whitehead Institute, Cambridge (MA)

EMBO 2011

The protein folding problem in normal biology and disease

I have made protein folding a central focus in my study of normal biology and diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration. We established that certain phenotypes in yeast are inherited through self-perpetuating protein conformations, called prions, and that chaperone proteins can affect the emergence and inheritance of new traits. We have also used yeast to create innovative model systems for studying complex diseases.

Keywords: Protein folding / heat-shock proteins / prions / chaperones / neurodegenerative disease / cancer / evolution

Subject area(s): Neuroscience | Proteins & Biochemistry