The three interdisciplinary teams in the IMB's Biophysics department are working on questions like these:
Univ.-Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Sandro Manuel Keller
Keller group
We investigate membrane proteins that are essential for cellular communication and drug discovery. We extract membrane proteins into native nanodiscs to study their structures, dynamics and interactions in a natural yet well-controlled environment using biophysical and molecular biological methods.
Assoz. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Georg Pabst
Pabst group
We are interested in biological membranes and in particular the role of lipids, proteins and membrane-active substances in (patho)physiological processes. We focus on the asymmetry of membranes and the regulation of protein functions by collective membrane properties, which we investigate using a broad spectrum of biophysical methods.
Zweytick group
We develop innovative anti-cancer agents that are derived from human defense peptides and interact specifically with lipids in cancer cell membranes. These peptides are tested and optimized in biophysical model systems, 2D cell cultures and 3D tumor models. We have already patented a particularly successful class of antitumor peptides.