Master Thesis Project "Peroxisome-Mitochondria interactions in the Motor Neuron"

23.06.2026, Student assistants, internships, student research projects

Master Thesis investigating real-time inter-organelle interactions in the motor neuron using microscopy

Project background

Neuronal mitochondria carry out vital tasks, being responsible for energy production, calcium regulation, fatty acid breakdown and metabolite biosynthesis, to name a few. However, they cannot do it alone; a big helper is the peroxisome, an organelle which contains enzymes responsible for catabolic processes, including the ability to break down harmful hydrogen peroxide. Peroxisomes have recently been shown to directly assist mitochondria by binding to them and taking up reactive oxygen species, which can build up and lead to oxidative stress and, eventually, neurodegeneration.

Indeed, peroxisomal disorders show neurological symptoms. Moreover, in motor neuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, peroxisomes show disrupted associations with mitochondria and a disrupted proteome. Surprisingly, neuronal peroxisomes are understudied and hence little is known even about basic properties of this important organelles, such as its distribution and dynamics in neurons

Using immunohistochemistry and in vivo imaging, we plan to characterize neuronal peroxisomes in mouse motor neurons, how they are trafficked, and how they interact with mitochondria, both in healthy and diseased mice.

What you can expect to learn
Immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, time-lapse imaging

What we hope you bring to us
Enthusiasm, hard work, fluent English, a LAS certificate

Please email lorena.olifiers@tum.de with CV and a letter of motivation (non-AI-generated content appreciated!).

Kontakt: lorena.olifiers@tum.de