Research interest
Lipid membranes are among the most fundamental structures in biology. They consist of two layers (or leaflets) of lipid molecules and form thin, flexible sheets that separate and organize biological environments. Despite their simple appearance, they possess a rich and complex internal structure. Different lipids can mix non-ideally and distribute asymmetrically between the two membrane leaflets, creating local variations that influence membrane behavior. Understanding this organization is a long-standing challenge because it occurs on extremely small length scales that are difficult to measure directly.
The Cell Membrane Biophysics Lab (CMBL) tackles this challenge by combining various computational, theoretical and experimental tools to bridge time and length scales and uncover molecular mechanisms driving observed phenomena. Our main approach thus involves identifying fundamental principles in well-designed simpler models and translating them to more complex biological environments.
We work with both cellular and synthetic membranes, primarily focusing on their biophysical properties. We study how collective lipid organization and dynamics—including lipid distributions in and between leaflets—affect membrane structure (lipid packing, thickness, curvature), elasticity (tension, bending, compression), and interactions with membrane proteins. Understanding these lipid-based structure-function relationships at different scales and contexts is essential for uncovering the often-hidden roles of lipid organization in biological phenomena.
Group members
- Frederick Heberle, Senior researcher
- Karan Sharma, Postdoctoral researcher
- Shambhavi Pandey, Postdoctoral researcher
- Julian Wagner, PhD student
- Leon Bergner, PhD student