Verena Wimmer
Verena Wimmer
Education
09/04 „Dr. rer. nat.“ with summa cum laude
Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg
07/00 Diploma in Biology (Masters equivalent)
University of Regensburg, Germany
Subjects: Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Zoology
10/97 Intermediate Diploma in Biology
University of Regensburg, Germany
Experience
06/06- Postdoctoral Position
Group of Dr Steven Petrou, Ion Channels and disease group, Howard Florey Institute, Melbourne
09/04 – 05/06 Postdoctoral Position
Topic: “Thalamocortical connections from VPM and POm to different layers of barrels and septa in the rat somatosensory cortex”
Group of Prof. Dr. Bert Sakmann, Department of Cell Physiology
Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg
03/01 – 09/04 Doctoral thesis
Title of thesis: “Spatial distribution and dynamic organization of synaptic vesicles in the calyx of Held”
Group of PD DR. Thomas Kuner, Department of Cell Physiology, Head: Prof. Dr. med. Bert Sakmann, Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg
09/99 – 07/00 Diploma thesis
Title of thesis: ”DIP13- a novel microtubule associated protein in flagellae and basal bodies of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii”
Group of Prof. Dr. Ruediger Schmitt, Institute for Molecular Genetics, University of Regensburg
Scholarships and Awards
06/2006- 06/2008 Postdoc Fellowship of the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst); “Studying human familial epilepsies using viral gene transfer and precision stereotaxic delivery of modifying genes”, total value 70.728 AUD
07/2006 Awarded with the prestigious Otto Hahn Medal for Young Scientists by the Max Planck Society of Germany.
Since 1978, the Max Planck Society has honoured up to 40 young scientists and researches each year with the Otto Hahn Medal for outstanding scientific achievements. Since 1978, 600 scientists and researchers have been awarded the Otto Hahn Medal.
10/2004-10/2005 Postdoc Scholarship of the Max Planck Society, Germany; total value 26.660 AUD
Publications
VW7 Wimmer VC, Lester HA and Petrou S
Ion channel mutations in familial epilepsy
Chapter in the Encyclopedia of Basic Epilepsy Research
VW6 Groh A, de Kock CP, Wimmer VC, Sakmann B, Kuner T.
Driver or coincidence detector: modal switch of a corticothalamic giant synapse controlled by spontaneous activity and short-term depression.
J Neurosci. 2008 Sep 24;28(39):9652-63.
VW5 Roscic A, Moller A, Calzado MA, Renner F, Wimmer VC, Gresko E and Schmitz ML
Phosphorylation-dependent control of Pc2 SUMO E3 ligase activity by its substrate protein HIPK2. Mol Cell2006 Oct 6;24(1):77-89.
VW4 Verena C. Wimmer, Heinz Horstmann, Alexander Groh and Thomas Kuner
Donut-like topology of synaptic vesicles with a central cluster of mitochondria wrapped into membrane protrusions: a novel structure-function module of the adult calyx of Held
JNeurosci. 2006 Jan 4;26(1):109-16
VW3 Verena C. Wimmer, Thomas Nevian and Thomas Kuner
Targeted in vivo expression of proteins in the calyx of Held.
Pflugers Arch. 2004 Dec 449;3: 319 - 333
doctoral thesis: “Spatial distribution and dynamic organization of synaptic vesicles in the calyx of Held” (German), 2004
VW2 Pfannenschmid F, Wimmer VC, Rios RM, Geimer S, Krockel U, Leiherer A, Haller K, Nemcova Y, Mages W.
Chlamydomonas DIP13 and human NA14: a new class of proteins associated with microtubule structures is involved in cell division.
J Cell Sci. 2003 Apr 15;116(Pt 8):1449-6
VW1 Harald Huber, Michael J. Hohn, Reinhard Rachel, Tanja Fuchs, Verena C. Wimmer and Karl-Otto Stetter (2002) A new phylum of Archaea represented by a nanosized hyperthermophilic symbiont.
Nature. 2002 May 2;417(6884):63-7
Posters and presentations
Wimmer VC, Broser JP, Kuner T, Sakmann B and Bruno RM
Deprivation-induced anatomical plasticity of thalamocortical axons in adults
Society for Neuroscience 38th Annual Meeting, Washington
Reid CA, Wimmer VC, Hill E, Richards KL, Thomas E, Davies P, Lerche H, O’Brien T, Mulley JC, Scheffer I, Berkovic S and Petrou S
Cellular mechanism of hyperexcitability in the SCN1B (C121W) mouse model of human epilepsy
Society for Neuroscience 38th Annual Meeting, Washington; Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS) meeting 2009
Wimmer VC, Reid CA, Hill E, Richards KL, Thomas E, Davies P, Lerche H, O’Brien T, Scheffer I, Berkovic S and Petrou S (2008)
Ion channel trafficking deficits in epilepsy
Howard Florey Institute Neuroscience Seminar
Wimmer VC, Reid CA, Scheffer I, Berkovic S and Petrou S (2008)
FS – an “AISopathy”? An anatomical point of convergence for two human epilepsy mutations
Epilepsy Retreat of the Epilepsy Research Center, Marysville
Wimmer VC, Bruno RM, de Kock CPJ, Kuner T, During M and Sakmann B (2007)
Persistent experience-induced plasticity of thalamocortical axons
Howard Florey Institute Neuroscience Seminar
Wimmer VC, Bruno RM, de Kock CPJ, Kuner T, During M and Sakmann B (2005)
Columnar organization of VPM- and POm-axons throughout the whole cortex
Barrels 2005 workshop, Baltimore
Verena C. Wimmer and Thomas Kuner (2004)
Spatial distribution and dynamic organization of synaptic vesicles in the calyx of Held
Max-Planck-Institute for Physical Chemistry, Goettingen
Verena C. Wimmer, Bert Sakmann and Thomas Kuner (2004)
Vesicle trafficking in the calyx of Held probed with in vivo expression of Synaptophysin-GFP
European Journal of Physiology 447: S50
Verena C. Wimmer, Heinz Horstmann, Kurt Saetzler, Bert Sakmann and Thomas Kuner (2003)
Spatial arrangement of synaptic vesicles in the calyx of Held
European Journal of Physiology 445: S109
Verena C. Wimmer, Bert Sakmann and Thomas Kuner (2002) The calyx of Held as a model system of neurotransmitter release: virus-mediated perturbation of protein function in a giant presynaptic terminal.
European Journal of Physiology 443: S300
Verena C. Wimmer, Bert Sakmann and Thomas Kuner (2002)
Expression of engineered proteins in the calyx of Held by stereotaxic injection and virus-mediated gene-transfer
Society for Neuroscience 32nd Annual Meeting, Orlando
Past and current collaborations
2001 M. Hohn and K.-O. Stetter, University of Regensburg, Germany
High resolution confocal imaging on archae bacteria (Huber, 2002)
2002 L.G. Wu, Washington University, St Louis, USA
Targeted stereotaxic injection into the cochlear nucleus
2004 A. Moeller and M.L. Schmitz, University of Bern, Switzerland
Confocal imaging, deconvolution and colocalization analysis of nuclear proteins involved in cancer (Roscic, 2006)
2005 T. Sakaba and E. Neher, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Goettingen, Germany
Targeted stereotaxic injection into the cochlear nucleus and capacitance measurements in the calyx of Held
2006 - ongoing P. Beart, Howard Florey Institute, Melbourne
Design of viral vectors for cell-type specific infection of astrocytes
2006 - ongoing S.S. Tan, Howard Florey Institute, Melbourne
Design and production of adenoassociated viruses for genetic modification of neurons
2006 - ongoing J. Drago, Howard Florey Institute, Melbourne
Virus- mediated expression of cre-recombinase activating gene expression in “floxed” mouse models
2006 - ongoing A. Andrew, University of Melbourne
Design and production of adenoassociated viruses for genetic modification of neurons
Additional Qualifications
Course on “Laboratory Animal Science and Methods of Animal Experimentation”
Category B by the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, University of Heidelberg
Teaching and additional Activities
2002-2004 “Predoc Spokesperson”
responsible for the concerns of doctoral students at the Max-Planck-Institute, furthermore organizing seminars and talks with invited international speakers
2002-2006 Co-supervision of students during practical semesters, diploma students and PhD students, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg
2002-2006 Methodological seminars for PhD students (“Hottop seminar series”), Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg
Memberships and committees
Society for Neuroscience (SFN)
Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS)
Deutsche Physiologische Gesellschaft (DPG, German Physiological Society)
Member of the Virus Core Facility Committee, University of Melbourne
Member of the Imaging Committee, Howard Florey Institute