Anne-Sophie Hafner
My lab studies the dynamic composition of synapses, the molecular basis of memory encoding in the brain. We use omics-approaches combined with FACs-based synapse purification, metabolic labelling, super-resolution, and live-imaging as well as computational modelling to elucidate changes in synapse composition associated with learning, aging and diseases. We aim for a better understanding of synaptic to help the development of innovative preventive and therapeutic approaches to brain dysfunction. In 2022, I received an ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council for my project MemCode, to investigate the mechanisms of long-term memory storage in the brain; and in 2026 an ERC Proof of Concept to test a gene therapy to stop Alzheimer’s disease progression at early stages.
Selected publications
Amyloidogenic proteolysis of APP regulates glutamatergic presynaptic function. Kapadia A, Schuhmann F, Daskin E, Walter J, Lindahl I, Rahmani N, Morrema THJ, Rozemuller AJM, Boon BDC, Pezeshkian W, Hafner AS. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.01.667924
An integrative model of AMPA Receptor Trafficking reveals the central contribution of local translation in Subtype-Specific kinetics. Wagle S, N, […] , Hafner AS, Kraynyukova N, Tchumatchenko T. BioRxiv. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.08.637220
Local protein synthesis at synapses: a driver for synapse diversification. Daskin E, Van S, Hafner AS. Journal of Neurochemistry. 2025-11-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.70308
Protocol for single-molecule analysis of synaptic protein complexes mediated vesicle recruitment. Kapadia A., Hafner AS. STAR Protocols. DOI: 1016/j.xpro.2025.104249
Local protein synthesis is a ubiquitous feature of neuronal pre- and postsynaptic compartments. Hafner AS, Donlin-Asp P, Leitch B, Herzog E, Schuman EM. Science. 2019-05-17. DOI: 10.1126/science.aau3644
How mRNA localization and protein synthesis sites influence dendritic protein distribution and dynamics. Fonkeu Y, Kraynyukova N, Hafner AS, Kochen L, Sartori F, Schuman EM, Tchumatchenko T. Neuron, 2019-07-23. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.06.022
Statistical laws of protein motion in neuronal dendritic trees. Sartori F, Hafner AS, Karimi A, Nold A, Fonkeu Y, Schuman EM, Tchumatchenko T. Cell Reports. 2020-11-17. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108391
Synaptic logistics: competing over shared resources. Hafner AS & Triesch J. Molecular & Cellular Neurobiology. 2023-05-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2023.103858