Max Planck Institute of Biophysics

From India to Germany: Pratima Verma and Deepshikha Ghosh shared their journeys as international scientists with 30 students at Friedrich Dessauer Gymnasium and offered insights into biophysics, skills & career paths in research. 🧪 #scienceforall #scienceoutreach #biophysics #imprs2impress

In their new study, Beata Turoňová and Tomáš Majtner trained 13 neural networks to automatically detect and remove those corrupted frames, speeding up processing and saving time for tomographers 🥳

To see cells in 3D, cryo-electron tomography captures “tilt series” as the sample rotates. But some frames get distorted… and manual cleaning is slow and frustrating 😩

Automated removal of corrupted tilts in cryo-electron tomography Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) enables the visualization of macromolecular structures in their near-native cellular environment. However, acquired…

AI for Cryo-ET 🌟 Our new paper presents a deep-learning framework that cleans up faulty tilt series in a more automated, precise and powerful way! 💪 Read more here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Work led by postdocs @ahmed-noor-agip.bsky.social & @pamornelas.bsky.social (Structural Biology Dept., Kühlbrandt Lab) in collab with the @melaniemcdowell.bsky.social's lab . A new chapter in 20+ years of TOM research at MPIBP!

Full @pnas.org article here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Visualizing the Main Gate into Mitochondria

🔬 Check out our new article on the mitochondrial TOM complex! Researchers from the Structural Biology Department have resolved a high-resolution structure of the main entry point for proteins into mitochondria. 🚪 🤩
Read more: www.biophys.mpg.de/2876415/tom-main-gate-into-mitochondria?c=2011019

Proud to share our first lab pre-print: “SND3 is the membrane insertase within a fungal multipass translocon” where @tzujingyang.bsky.social solved the structure of a ribosome-associated SND3-translocon complex involved in ER membrane protein insertion ➡️ doi.org/10.1101/2025...

A diverse group of young people in running gear pose smiling next to the Euro sculpture.

Sixteen of our Institute’s colleagues, along with colleagues from the MPI for Legal History & Legal Theory, joined this year’s 5.6-kilometre #jpmcc2025, challenging themselves and encouraging others! It was great to meet colleagues in a different setting and join over 64,000 runners! #teamspirit

🏆 The SCALE-it Best PhD Award 2025 celebrated groundbreaking doctoral research shaping the future of science!
From interdisciplinary innovation to pioneering methods & major scientific contributions — we honored early-career researchers pushing the boundaries:🧵

Lea Dietrich Awarded Otto Hahn Medal for Junior Scientists

Lea’s award winning doctoral thesis has shown how certain proteins help shape our mitochondria. Read more here: www.biophys.mpg.de/2875474/lea-... #teamTOMO #cryoEM #MPG

Big congratulations to Dr. Lea Dietrich @lea-dietrich.bsky.social for receiving the Otto Hahn Medal from the @maxplanck.de for her research on mitochondrial architecture! 🏅 A brilliant young scientist and a great role model 💪

🎉 Neues @dfg.de-Graduiertenkolleg an der #GoetheUni: „Ästhetik der Demokratie“ erforscht, wie #Demokratie sinnlich erfahrbar wird. Zugleich wird das Kolleg zu Bildgebung in den #Lebenswissenschaften (iMOL) für 4,5 Jahre verlängert. | Weitere Infos: tinygu.de/dfg-graduier...

Puzzled 🧩 how glycans 🍬influence protein life?

With @rommiee.bsky.social @rocovino.bsky.social, Attilio Vargiu and Giorgio Colombo we made @cecamevents.bsky.social event that will clear things out for you!
tinyurl.com/x7ajbzn9
Deadline 30.06!
(look at the lineup...)
@ncn.gov.pl @mpibp.bsky.social

Ana García-Sáez Awarded Prestigious ERC Grant

This is Ana’s third ERC grant! We’re proud to celebrate her success and groundbreaking work here at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics. #ERCAdG Read more here 🔗 www.biophys.mpg.de/2872321/garcia-saez-awarded-erc-grant

Congratulations to our director Ana García-Sáez for receiving an ERC Advanced Grant! 📣 Her work on mitochondrial membranes continues to push the frontiers of biophysics and cell biology 🧬 #ERCAdG @erc.europa.eu @office-garcia.bsky.social

Warm congratulations to @zoliviapg.bsky.social and @huaipengxing.bsky.social for this recognition of their fantastic doctoral work 🥳

Congrats to spokespersons Inga Hänelt (‪@ihaenelt.bsky.social‬) , Michaela Müller-McNicoll (@mixmue.bsky.social‬), and Martin Beck (@becklab.bsky.social‬) for their vision and hard work! 👏

@scale-cluster-ffm.bsky.social has been selected as a @dfg.de Cluster of Excellence! We’re proud to be part of this exciting initiative to understand the architecture of life at the molecular level 🎉 #ClustersOfExcellence #SCALEcluster
📖: www.biophys.mpg.de/2868034/scale-excellence-cluster?c=2011019

🎉 We’re absolutely thrilled: SCALE has been selected as a DFG Excellence Cluster!
A huge thank you to our incredible team—this would not have been possible without your dedication and talent. 🙌 @dfg.de
#ClustersOfExcellence #SCALEcluster 🧵

Eine Eiswaffel mit einer Wolke vor blauem Hintergrund, Nacht der Wissenschaft, 13. Juni 2025.

Komm’ am 13. Juni bei uns vorbei während der #nightofscience✨! Erlebe, wie aus Stickstoff leckeres Eis🍦wird, wie unsere Zellen und unsere DNA 🧬 aussehen, und mach’ mit bei unserem Parkour des Lebens! 👉 www.biophys.mpg.de/en/night-of-... 👉: nightofscience.de #biophysik

MLKL activity requires a splicing-regulated, druggable intramolecular interaction Necroptosis is an inflammatory form of regulated cell death implicated in a range of human pathologies, whose execution depends on the poorly understo…

Congratulations on the fantastic work Prof. García Sáez and Dr. Ros (@office-garcia.bsky.social ) for your work in collaboration with the University of Cologne! Read the full publication here 🔗: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Silhouette of a hand holding an orange protein model, superimposed over a faint skull-like shape in the background. The composition evokes a Hamlet-like existential scene.

Balancing Life and Death 🧬💀 Check out our latest work on the cell’s executioner protein, MLKL! In its two forms, this protein is the switch from life to necroptotic death. Read more here 🔗: www.biophys.mpg.de/en/news

Get yourself a supervisor with whom you can laugh!
…So this happened two days ago… Incredibly grateful for all the fun and support over the years with @bjmurphylab.bsky.social and all the great people at @mpibp.bsky.social 🎓

The effect of removing a component from the nuclear pore complex

We thank all our collaboration partners at @ijmonod.bsky.social and Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg! 🔗 Learn more about Nup133 here 🧬: www.biophys.mpg.de/2859375/remo...

Nuclear pores safeguard the integrity of the nuclear envelope - Nature Cell Biology Taniguchi et al. structurally analyse nuclear pore complex architecture in situ during differentiation, which is associated with mechanical constraints on the nuclear envelope. They link nuclear pore ...

Congratulations Reiya Taniguchi on the fantastic study of nuclear pore stability linked to Nup133! 🍩 Check out this fantastic study of the @becklab.bsky.social , @vdoye.bsky.social lab and Georg-Kräusslich! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Ferroptosis spreads to neighboring cells via plasma membrane contacts - Nature Communications Roeck et al. show that ferroptosis spreads between neighboring cells via lipid peroxidation across adjacent membranes. Cell contact and extracellular iron are key factors, highlighting a potential mec...

Read the full publication in @natcomms.nature.com and learn more about Opto-GPX4Deg! 📄 www.nature.com/articles/s41... 💥

Abstract representation of a cell undergoing ferroptosis with a central blue shape, encircled by green dots, and outer red membrane resembling petals. This image was generated using AI.

Have you heard of ferroptosis? 💥 This is the iron-driven, propagating form of cell death! Our Membrane Dynamics Department (@office-garcia.bsky.social) has developed an optical tool to trigger and control it.

🔗Find out more: www.biophys.mpg.de/2857694/shining-a-new-light-on-ferroptosis?c=2011019

📣 Job alert! Our partner group, the Dioscuri Centre for Modeling of Posttranslational Modifications is seeking a talented individual in the field of #ComputationalBiophysics. Apply ✏️✅! #AssistantProfessor 👉 www.biophys.mpg.de/2858196/Post...

Three girls in lab coats and gloves work together on a DNA extraction experiment using tomatoes in a science lab. One girl is slicing a tomato while the others observe and discuss the process.

A female scientist explains a large lab instrument to a group of middle school girls during a tour. The students listen closely, surrounded by technical equipment in a lab setting.

A female scientist wearing glasses sits in front of focused middle school students and explains electron microscopy tomography displayed on a computer monitor.

A group of excited middle school students gather around a foggy experiment using liquid nitrogen. A person in orange gloves pours the liquid as the students react with excitement and take photos.

Working towards #GenderEquality 👩‍🔬🧪
20 curious students joined our Girls’ Day to explore DNA 🧬, electron microscopy 🔬, and the science behind chocolate ice cream 🍦😋 #GirlsDay #WomenInSTEM

The photo shows a smiling Noemi Iwicki in a lab coat, with the laboratory in the background. She holds a colourful printout of the African continent and points to Zimbabwe.

Congratulations to IMPRS-CBP student Noemi Iwicki on being selected for the Max Planck Society’s ARTEMIS program! 👏 It supports early-career researchers through bilateral mentorship between MPIs and African institutions. 🌍 🎓🧪 Noemi is looking forward to meeting Taona Emmah Mudhluli from Zimbabwe! 🇿🇼