Research visit at Constructor University (Bremen, Germany)

Ana Kump, a PhD student at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Structural Biology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia, visited Constructor University, Bremen, Germany, twice for a total of 5 weeks in 2025.

This collaborative research aimed to gain a better understanding of viral cellular infection mechanisms through innovative protein inhibitor design and high-resolution microscopy. At the Jožef Stefan Institute, novel protein inhibitors targeting proteases involved in viral cell entry have been developed. These inhibitors are designed to localize in specific intracellular compartments such as lysosomes, endosomes, and the endoplasmic reticulum. Their expression has been verified through several experimental methods. During her visit she used advanced confocal microscopy and image analysis tools available at Constructor University to map and quantify the subcellular distribution of these inhibitors. By combining high-resolution microscopy with knowledge of structural biology, they have developed methods for visualizing how inhibitors and proteases interact with each other and how they are organized within cells. The visit also contributed to the transfer of advanced microscopy methodologies and the expansion of structural biology expertise in Slovenia.

The visit was funded by Instruct.SI to which they thank for support.