Alexandra Lusser

Professor Alexandra Lusser serves as Professor and Deputy Head in the Department of Molecular Biology at Innsbruck Medical University, where she leads the Chromatin and Epigenetics Laboratory. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of chromatin assembly, remodeling, and epigenetic regulation at both DNA and RNA levels.

Professor Lusser completed her PhD at the University of Innsbruck in 1998, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Diego (2001-2004) in the laboratory of Professor JT Kadonaga. She joined Innsbruck Medical University as Assistant Professor in 2004, achieved her Habilitation for Molecular Biology in 2008, was promoted to Associate Professor, and became a full Professor in 2019.

Her research program investigates how eukaryotic DNA is organized in chromatin and how this organization affects DNA metabolism processes including transcription, replication, repair, and recombination. A significant portion of her work examines ATP-dependent chromatin assembly and remodeling mechanisms, variant histone assembly, and epigenetic mechanisms at the mRNA level, particularly mRNA base modifications such as 5-methylcytosine and their roles in mRNA metabolism and translation. Her publications reveal a strong focus on developing and applying innovative biochemical and genomic techniques to study RNA modifications and chromatin dynamics.

Professor Lusser's extensive publication record spanning from 1996 to the present demonstrates consistent contributions to the fields of chromatin biology and RNA epigenetics. Her recent work shows particular emphasis on developing novel sequencing methods for RNA modification analysis, exploring the functional consequences of RNA modifications, and investigating the relationship between chromatin remodeling factors and neurological functions.

• HOECHST Award (1998)
• APART 3-year postdoctoral fellowship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (2001)
• START Prize from the Ministry of Science and Research (2005)
• Member of the Young Curia of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (2008-2016)
• Research Award from the State Capital Innsbruck (2009)

As Deputy Head of the Department of Molecular Biology, Professor Lusser contributes to departmental leadership while maintaining an active research program. Her laboratory has developed several important methodologies including TUC-Seq for measuring mRNA transcription and degradation rates, bisulfite sequencing for detecting 5-methylcytosine in RNA, and other innovative approaches for studying RNA modifications. Her work bridges molecular biology, biochemistry, and genomics, with implications for understanding fundamental biological processes and potential applications in disease research.