On July 11th, Ms. Anna Klumpp successfully defended her BSc thesis “Dynamics of HMGB1 Interaction with sRAGE and dPGS: a Spectroscopic Perspective.”

In her work, she investigated the interactions between the HMGB1 protein and the sRAGE receptor — two critical components in immune system signaling. Using EPR spectroscopy as her main technique, she demonstrated that (a) HMGB1 forms a complex with sRAGE even at a 6:1 HMGB1:sRAGE molar ratio; (b) this complex formation does not interfere with HMGB1’s interaction with dPGS; and (c) a ternary complex comprising HMGB1, sRAGE, and dPGS can indeed form in solution. These findings have already been included in a scientific publication.

What stood out in particular was her rare ability to actively listen to complex scientific feedback, internalize it, and integrate it into her interpretation of results (a quality not commonly observed at this stage of academic training). Well done!