Congratulations to our new Doctor! We celebrate the graduation of our very first PhD Student, Deniz Pinar Savcigil, who successfully defended her PhD Thesis on the 30th of April 2024.
Under the guidance of Dr Annibaldi, her research focused on the Identification and characterisation of novel mechanisms of TNF-Induced cell death.
Main project results:
In her dedicated research, Deniz has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of TNF signalling. Most importantly, she highlighted cFLIP cleavage mediated by Caspase‑8 as a crucial secondary checkpoint that acts as a brake on TNF-induced cell death. In particular, cFLIP cleavage is essential to ensure repair programs following stress conditions, such as SARS-CoV infection, skin injury and multi-organ inflammation. This study has also been published in Science Advances in July 2023 with Deniz as the co-first author.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg2829
Outlook of the project:
Each individual research story provides answers to a variety of questions while simultaneously raising new ones. Recent literature, including our study, has revealed that the role of cFLIP in tightly regulating TNF-induced cell death by modulating the activity of cytotoxic complexes. At the same time, these studies underline the complexity and multifaceted nature of the regulatory network of cell death. Therefore, it is plausible to think that there are additional regulatory mechanisms within and beyond the known components of these cytotoxic complexes that have yet to be elucidated.
Advice to future PhDs:
Don’t be afraid of mistakes or changes in the route. They are inevitable and inherent part of the scientific process. Embrace these as great opportunities for reflection and improvement allowing you to develop and refine your skills. As scientists, our job isn't to be perfect; it's to learn, adapt and grow. You are writing your own unique story. Soon, it is your turn to shine.
Gratitude to collaborators:
We are indebted to the numerous international collaborators, including those in Cologne, Dresden, Cambridge, London, Ghent, Zaragoza and Melbourne for providing invaluable expertise. Your contributions have been of the utmost value to this endeavour. We extend our gratitude to all members of examination commitee those who made this thesis possible.
We thank Deniz for her invaluable contributions and memories within our group. We wish her the best of luck for her future career as an independent scientist. You have once again demonstrated your dedication and resilience. Congrats on your well-deserved success!
