معرفی
Professor Helen Walden is Professor of Structural Biology and Head of School (Molecular Biosciences) at the University of Glasgow, where she leads a research group focused on ubiquitin signaling mechanisms. Her laboratory investigates the structural basis of protein modification pathways with direct relevance to human diseases including Fanconi Anemia and Parkinson's disease.
- University of Bath (BSc Biochemistry, 1998)
- University of St Andrews (PhD, structural basis of protein hyperthermostability)
- St Jude's Children's Research Hospital (Postdoc, 2001-2005)
- CRUK London Research Institute (Group Leader, 2005-2013)
- University of Dundee (MRC Unit, 2013-2017)
- University of Glasgow (Professor, 2017-present)
Professor Walden's research centers on understanding how specific ubiquitin signals are produced and how the right targets are selected for modification at the right site, time, and pathway. Her team employs X-ray crystallography and other structural techniques to study two key model systems: the highly specific FANCL E3 ligase (mutated in Fanconi Anemia patients) and the broad-spectrum Parkin ligase (mutated in early onset Parkinsonism). Her work has defined molecular mechanisms of E2 selection, Parkin regulation through autoinhibition, and the basis for activation in these critical pathways. Current research aims to develop small molecules targeting these pathways and to define the structural basis for target selection.
Analysis of Professor Walden's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on the structural and mechanistic aspects of ubiquitin signaling. Her work spans DNA repair pathways (particularly Fanconi Anemia), neurodegenerative disease mechanisms (especially Parkinson's), and the fundamental biochemistry of ubiquitin transfer. The research combines structural biology approaches with biochemical and cellular assays to elucidate molecular mechanisms, with increasing emphasis on therapeutic applications including inhibitor development for USP1 and other targets in the ubiquitin pathway.
- Colworth medal from the Biochemical Society (2015)
- ERC Consolidator award (2016)
- EMBO Young Investigator Programme member (2011-2014)
Professor Walden supervises doctoral students including Dickson-Murray, Eleanor (studying palmitoylation and cardiac transient outward current regulation) and Rivers, Eilidh (CVR MRC PhD Programme). Her research is supported by substantial funding from major organizations including BBSRC, MRC, European Commission, and Wellcome Trust, totaling multiple concurrent grants from 2016 through 2030. Current major projects include investigations into S-acylation dynamics, palmitoylation targeting chimaeras, mono-ubiquitin signals in DNA, and the Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway.
As Head of School for Molecular Biosciences at the University of Glasgow, Professor Walden leads a substantial academic unit while maintaining an active research laboratory focused on the Protein Structure & Regulation research group. Her team combines structural, biochemical, and cellular approaches to investigate fundamental mechanisms of protein modification with direct relevance to human disease pathways.
