Autophagy is an intracellular process to break down defective proteins, pathogens or damaged cell constituents and reuse the respective materials. It takes place in all cells of the body and helps to renew cellular components.  In the event of nutrient deficiency this process also serves for energy production. Autophagy is impaired in many diseases such as cancer, as well as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, metabolic and other diseases.  Within AURA medical students are introduced to the topic and work on doctoral projects that deal with mechanisms of autophagy and their regulation in various model systems.

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