Ralf Adams
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Ralf Heinrich Adams (born 1966) is a
Biography
In the year 1996 Adams obtained a
As a postdoctoral research fellow with Dr R. Klein at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in
In 2000 Adams became head of the Vascular Development Laboratory at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute (formerly, Imperial Cancer Research Fund) and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University College London.
Since 2007 Adams is Professor for ‘Vascular Biology’ at the Westfälische Wilhelms University and Director at the MPI for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, Germany.
He is a member of the Editorial Board for Genes & Development.[2]
Research
Dr Adams and his co-workers have made significant achievements by combining genetic approaches in the mouse with a wide range of cell and molecular biology methods.
Several of their discoveries are directly relevant for human pathologies. For example, they were the first to show that the Eph receptor ligand ephrin-B1 controls skeletal morphogenesis and that defects in the human gene (EFNB1) lead to Craniofrontonasal Syndrome (CFNS). A different project has connected the cytoplasmic multi-PDZ domain protein GRIP1, an interaction partner of Eph/ephrin proteins and other molecules, with the rare but severe human congenital disease Fraser Syndrome. They also demonstrated that Junctional Adhesion Molecules (JAMs) are critical regulators of cell polarity.
After his move to the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in the year 2008, Adams found that the Notch ligand Jagged1 antagonizes the function of Dll4 and thereby acts as an important pro-angiogenic switch in endothelial cells. His team also discovered that the transmembrane protein ephrin-B2 controls endothelial cell motility and VEGF receptor endocytosis.
Although his work has addressed many important aspects of tissue and organ morphogenesis, the interaction of different cells and cell types during the formation of new blood vessels is a central research interest in the laboratory of Dr Adams.
Awards and Fellowships
- 1988: Scholarship 'Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes'
- 1996: Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society
- 1996: EMBO Long Term Fellowship
- 2000: Werner Risau Memorial Award
- 2000: EMBO Young Investigator Programme
Memberships
- British Society for Developmental Biology
- North American Vascular Biology Organization
- Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM)
- German Society for Cell Biology
References
- ^ "Ralf Adams". Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ "Genes & Development -- Genes & Development Editorial Board".