Julien Licchesi

Dr. Julien Licchesi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Bath. His research focuses on ubiquitin biology and protein degradation mechanisms, with applications in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer therapeutics.

Dr. Licchesi's research interests center on how ubiquitin regulates protein fate and function. His lab uses biochemical, structural, and cell biology techniques to study E3 ubiquitin ligases (particularly HECTD1) and deubiquitylases (particularly TRABID). His work has identified unique ubiquitin chain types (K29/K48 branched chains) and the TRABID-HECTD1 regulatory pair. His research has significant implications for Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) therapeutics, which aim to address the 'undruggable proteome' comprising 85% of proteins not targetable by conventional drugs.

Analysis of Dr. Licchesi's recent publications reveals a strong focus on HECTD1's role in cell proliferation, mitosis, and cancer (particularly glioblastoma), as well as its regulation by caspases during apoptosis. His work bridges fundamental ubiquitin biology with therapeutic applications, especially in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

Dr. Licchesi has supervised 5 PhD students, with alumni working as Patent Attorneys, Manufacturing Scientists at BioRad Laboratories, or Lecturers at Kuwait University. He currently serves as Principal Investigator for multiple research projects including 'Proteostatic regulation of Glioblastoma stemness' (MRC-funded, 2023-2027) and 'New approach to destroy disease-causing proteins in Alzheimer's disease' (Alzheimer's Research UK-funded).

His laboratory actively collaborates with institutions including Victoria University (Canada), EMBL Hamburg, University of Bristol, and Cardiff University. Current projects in his lab include structure-function studies of E3 ubiquitin ligases, developing new TPD modalities, exploring HECTD1 in cell signaling, and identifying new ubiquitin enzymes in pathogenic bacteria.