INTRODUCTION
Carbohydrate-containing biomolecules are increasingly recognized as information-bearing molecules with highly important signaling and regulatory functions within and between cells and organisms. Many of these are due to direct interactions of the respective carbohydrates with cellular proteins, such as receptors or enzymes. Molecular and biochemical aspects of such carbohydrate/protein-interactions in the cellular context are characterized in detail by our Indo-German International Research Training Group on MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR GLYCO-SCIENCES (MCGS).
The focus of our research is on structure/function-relationships, i.e. on elucidating the structural requirements responsible for the interaction of glycans with their target proteins. The German groups are focusing on the analytical and functional aspects of the carbohydrate moieties (e.g. identifying potential protein binding domains of glycans), while the Indian groups are mainly dealing with the protein aspects (e.g. identifying potential carbohydrate binding sites of specific agglutinins). Each doctoral project is jointly investigated by an Indian and a German group. This creates a basic understanding of structure/function-relationships at a molecular level and, thus, will allow us to eventually develop, validate, and apply the tools needed to exploit the biotechnological potential of glyco-structures for novel knowledge-driven applications.
(c) MCGS. 2011. Thermodynamics of Lyz-Alg interactions (ITC)
MCGS convenes a group of internationally recognized research teams from biology, chemistry, and medicine,from Münster and Hyderabad, initiating an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach for the doctoral candidates’ training and education. MCGS accepts candidates with different degrees such as Bachelor, Master, Diplom, or federal exam, in different disciplines of natural sciences, including applied sciences such as biotechnology, pharmacy, medicine, pharmacology, agriculture, veterinary, food, and material sciences, from a competitive pool of international applicants.
(c) German + Indian + International MCGS members working together.
The MCGS study programm offers a regular bi-weekly MCGS Seminar on glyco-sciences with added Master Class for close interaction of the doctoral candidates with the invited speakers, four-weeks Summer and Winter Schools in Münster and Hyderabad, respectively, each including a PI-week during which all German and Indian supervisors are discussing with the doctoral candidates their projects’ progress and plans, and including a one-to-two-days social and scientific Excursion. All MCGS groups also offer individual Technical Workshops to make the expertise and infrastructure of all groups openly and easily available to all projects. One-two-day Enabling Skills Workshops are organised based on the request of the doctoral candidates, including mandatory workshops on Good Scientific Practice and Intercultural Communication. MCGS also organises bi-annual MCGS Network Symposia to which the MCGS doctoral candidates can invited four to five research groups of their own choice from around the world to discuss with them their projects.
(c) MCGS Network Symposium in Münster, Germany. October 14th - 16th, 2011
