Sandra Vidak, Ph.D.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Building 41, Room B513
- Bethesda, MD 20892
- 240-760-6737
- sandra.vidak@nih.gov
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Dr. Sandra Vidak received her Ph.D. at Max Perutz Labs, Medical University of Vienna, Austria. She joined the Cell Biology of Genomes group in 2016 and is currently a Research Fellow. Dr. Vidak’s main research focus is to understand the underlying mechanisms of premature and normal human aging with specific focus on protein quality control. Specifically, Dr. Vidak studies the role of molecular chaperones in the development of extremely rare premature aging disease Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS). In the context of this disease, Dr. Vidak discovered a novel mechanism for activating an ER stress pathway which represents an unanticipated line of communication between the nucleus and the endoplasmic reticulum. She is currently investigating a global effect of molecular chaperones on premature and normal human aging. This work will provide novel insights into the molecular disease mechanisms of HGPS and possibly other aging-related pathologies.