Q: What attracted you to the field of autophagy? I got interested in the field of autophagy more than 20 years ago by following my scientific results - I had recently cloned the FYVE-domain containing protein ALFY, which turned out to co-localize with the autophagic markers LC3B and ATG5. Q: What do you consider to be the most exciting recent discovery in autophagy? This is a tough question as there are so many recent exciting discoveries. Without mentioning one specific paper, I think it is very exciting that we now, after more than 50 years, are starting to understand better how the phagoph ..read more

Q: What attracted you to the field of autophagy? I was studying cell death and observed large numbers of autophagic structures in dying cells during Drosophila development. The genome sequence of Drosophila was approaching completion, and this prompted me to study if the yeast autophagy genes were conserved in Drosophila and determine how they may function in a higher animal genetic model. Q: What do you consider to be the most exciting recent discovery in autophagy? We have recently identified a genetic relationship between the selection of either mitochondria or ER for clearance by autophag ..read more

Q: What attracted you to the field of autophagy? I was working on the molecular mechanisms of host defense related to interferon-gamma. I read a nice paper from Adi Kimchi noting the role of DAP Kinases some process called autophagy in the response to interferon-gamma. This triggered me to attend a meeting (Gordon Conference) on lysosomes. My interest in antigen presentation and intracellular proteolysis of phagocytosed materials, plus the cool science, hooked me. The international flavor of the community, and the exceptional people I met (many of whom are good friends) held my interest as we ..read more

Q: What attracted you to the field of autophagy? I think autophagy is a biologically interesting process only beginning to be explored in mammals, the dysfunction of which is directly relevant to human disease. Autophagy enables cells to degrade and recycle intracellular proteins and organelles thereby providing substrates for metabolic pathways, and how this sustains systemic mammalian metabolism is very interesting. Q: What do you consider to be the most exciting recent discovery in autophagy? The most recent exciting discovery is that autophagy can suppress inflammation by eliminating trig ..read more

Q: What attracted you to the field of autophagy? We were motivated to enter this field mainly, because of our discovery of a protein that is expressed as an acute response to disease, inducing autophagosome formation. We named this protein Vacuole Membrane Protein 1 (VMP1) because, in addition to vesicle formation, it is also part of the vesicle membrane as well. Q: What do you consider to be the most exciting recent discovery in autophagy? What fascinated me about autophagy is the ability to act as a specific cellular response to disease. Furthermore, this mechanism that is present in almost ..read more

Throughout history, women have been notably under-represented in science, and often outshone by their male colleagues. When we think ‘scientists’, our mind wanders to Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein – women who have made similarly striking scientific discoveries seldom achieve the same cut-through in the public conscience. But they are there. Ada Lovelace, Marie Curie, Katherine Johnson and Rosalind Franklin are just some of the names that ought to trip more readily off the tongue when talking about science. Their breakthrough contributions in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics were ..read more

Tau Consortium Investigators Meeting – one day with the stars The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (Tau Consortium) provided WIA with 10 fellowships to participate in their Tau Consortium Investigators meeting, where leading researchers in the field of neurodegeneration presented their most exciting findings. These new WIA Fellowships aroused huge interest among WIA members across the globe. Applicants were selected by an evaluation committee based on a personal statement and publication list to illustrate interest in tauopathies and neurodegeneration as well as consideration of underrepresent ..read more

Before we go into the detail of last week's first annual WIA symposium, we would like to direct your attention to the first WIA logo. From a range of interesting and creative designs, submitted by our WIA members, one logo stood out. That logo was designed by Marta Martinez Vicente, a member of WIA Scientific Advice Committee. She kindly agreed to answer our questions, telling us a bit about herself, her research and what lies behind that fantastic logo she designed. Q: Tell us about yourself. Marta: I am a tenured researcher at the VHIR Institute in Barcelona (Spain). I am in charge of the A ..read more

We finish our interview series with some insights from Dr Sharon Tooze, whose continuous, important contributions to our understanding of autophagy have made her a key figure in the field and a role-model to many younger (and older) scientists across the globe. Sharon's path into the field was littered with hurdles and challenges, making her story all the more fascinating and inspirational. She was kind enough to catch up with us to talk about her experiences, achievements and motivations. Q: What attracted you to the field of autophagy? Dr Sharon Tooze: Well, it was a journey, and now marked ..read more

Ahead of our 1st WIA Annual Symposium, we had the pleasure to get in touch with our keynote speakers. They will, no doubt, give yet another remarkable presentation of their work on the 30th of November, but we wanted to know more about them. What motivated them, what inspired them to be where and who they are now? How can young female scientists follow in their footsteps? Prof. Daniel Klionsky, to many known as the person who discovered the famous Cvt, or cytoplasm-to- vacuole pathway, in yeast, shares his insights into the field, provides us with a bit of background as to how he found himsel ..read more