Claudia Keller Valsecchi awarded the Sibylle Kalkhof-Rose University Prize

Dr Claudia Keller Valsecchi, a Group Leader at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz, Germany, has been awarded the Sibylle Kalkhof-Rose Prize from Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz. The prize was awarded to recognise her research on sex chromosomes and the mechanisms that balance maternal and paternal gene expression and their role in disease and evolution.

The Sibylle Kalkhof-Rose Prize is awarded to young researchers at JGU under the age of 40 working on extraordinary projects with significant impact. This year, the prize was given to Claudia in recognition of her outstanding scientific achievements in the field of gene dosage compensation.

All sexually reproducing organisms inherit two copies of the genome – one from the father and one from the mother. This ensures that maternal and paternal genes are expressed in balanced, equal amounts (or ‘doses’) and is extremely important for proper function. On occasion, errors in meiosis or gene duplication mutations can cause an individual to have an abnormal number of genomes, chromosomes or genes. This disruption of gene dosage often results in developmental failure or severe disorders, such as cancer.

On the other hand, gene and chromosome duplications are also an important step in the evolution of novel genes and traits. Some chromosomes also normally occur in unequal numbers: a well-known example is the sex chromosomes, where males have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes. Therefore, it is clear that in some cases, having an unbalanced number of chromosomes or genes is actually beneficial.

Claudia’s group investigates this apparent contradiction of how cells can prevent the adverse effects of unbalanced numbers of genes, while at the same time also permitting the gene duplications that allow evolution of novel genes. They do this by studying the epigenetic mechanisms that cells use to reequilibrate gene expression on the X chromosome and using this as a model for how cells deal with unbalanced gene copy numbers. By doing this, they hope to eventually unravel the mysteries surrounding diseases caused by gene dosage alterations.

Claudia was awarded the prize at the Dies Academicus on 12 June. We warmly congratulate Claudia on her achievement.

_{Further details}

_{Further information can be found here.} 

_{Claudia Keller Valscchi is a Group Leader at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz. Further information about research in the Keller Valsecchi lab can be found at www.imb.de/keller-valsecchi.}

_{About the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH} 

_{The Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB) is a centre of excellence in the life sciences that was established in 2011 on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Research at IMB focuses on the cutting-edge fields of epigenetics, genome stability, ageing and RNA biology. The institute is a prime example of successful collaboration between a private foundation and government: The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation has committed 154 million euros to be disbursed from 2009 until 2027 to cover the operating costs of research at IMB. The State of Rhineland-Palatinate has provided approximately 50 million euros for the construction of a state-of-the-art building and is giving a further 52 million in core funding from 2020 until 2027. For more information about IMB, please visit: www.imb.de}

_{About Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz} 

_{Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is a globally recognized research-driven university with around 31,000 students from over 120 nations. Its core research areas are in particle and hadron physics, the materials sciences, and translational medicine. JGU's success in Germany's Excellence Strategy program has confirmed its academic excellence: In 2018, the research network PRISMA⁺ (Precision Physics, Fundamental Interactions and Structure of Matter) was recognized as a Cluster of Excellence – building on its forerunner, PRISMA. Moreover, excellent placings in national and international rankings as well as numerous honors and awards demonstrate the research and teaching quality of Mainz-based researchers and academics. Further information at www.uni-mainz.de}

_{Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation}

_{The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that is committed to the promotion of the medical, biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences. It was established in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht (1931–1991), a member of the shareholder family of the Boehringer Ingelheim company. Through its funding programmes Plus 3, Exploration Grants and Rise up!, the Foundation supports excellent scientists during critical stages of their careers. It also endows the international Heinrich Wieland Prize, as well as awards for up-and-coming scientists in Germany. In addition, the Foundation funds institutional projects in Germany, such as the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg. www.boehringer-ingelheim-stiftung.de/en}

_{Press contact for further information}

_{Dr Ralf Dahm, Director of Scientific Management}

_{Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB), Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany} 

_{Phone: +49 (0) 6131 39 21455, Email: press(at)imb.de}