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When the body starts to tweak and twitch, it tries to solve problems itself first. With lysosomes, for example. They remove old or damaged cells and their components. Prof. Dr. Dominic Winter is researching how this “recycling center” works – and how defects in its composition play a role in cancer. The German Research Foundation has awarded Winter a Heisenberg Professorship for his research. He holds the professorship for ‘Oncological Proteometabolomics’ at the Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr and at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
Lysosomes are small vesicles in our cells. They contain enzymes that break down harmful and unused substances such as proteins or bacteria. If this “waste disposal” no longer works, diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's can develop in addition to cancer.
Prof. Dr. Dominic Winter and his research group at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) are taking a close look at lysosomes using mass spectrometry. They measure how many proteins there are, exactly where they are located, how long they last and how they work together. Proteins are central to almost all biological processes - including the development of cancer. "The more we know about the metabolism of cancer cells, the better we can fight them. Using mass spectrometry, we analyze which proteins are overexpressed and underexpressed in the cells. Among other things, this information helps us to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie cancer," explains the 44-year-old.
In addition to mass spectrometry, UDE Professor Winter and his team carry out biochemical, cell and molecular biology experiments. "The experiments enable us to analyze lysosome-related biological questions using the latest analytical methods. We have thus become one of the world's leading groups in the mass spectrometric investigation of lysosomes."
After studying biotechnology at the Technical University of Bingen (2001-2005), Dominic Winter received his doctorate in biology from the University of Heidelberg in 2008 with the highest praise. From 2009 to 2012, he conducted research in the USA as a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Medical School, Boston. Back in Germany, he headed a research group at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Bonn from 2012, where he was appointed as a temporary Academic Councilor in 2020. His research has been recognized and funded several times, most recently with the Heisenberg Professorship.
For the editors:
A photo of Prof. Dr. Dominic Winter (© UDE / Anke Waelischmiller) is available for reporting purposes at the following link:
https://www.uni-due.de/imperia/md/images/pool-ps/downloads/2025-07-10_winter-dom...
More information:
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dominic Winter, RC One Health Ruhr und UK Essen, phone. +49 (0)201/723 7212, dominic.winter@uk-essen.de
Editor: Dr. Alexandra Nießen, phone +49 (0)203/37-91487, alexandra.niessen@uni-due.de
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dominic Winter, RC One Health Ruhr und UK Essen, phone. +49 (0)201/723 7212, dominic.winter@uk-essen.de
Cell as Recycling center: Prof. Dr. Dominic Winter researches how it works.
Copyright: © UDE / Anke Waelischmiler
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Cell as Recycling center: Prof. Dr. Dominic Winter researches how it works.
Copyright: © UDE / Anke Waelischmiler
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