News
Ramona Schlesinger and Joachim Heberle attended a Solvay Workshop
The workshop on "The Interplay of Molecules and Membranes" took place at the campus of the Université Libre de Bruxelles on 28 - 30 April 2025. The workshop brought together speakers from the fields of Chemistry, Physics, and Biology around the question how molecules and ions interact with and cross lipid membranes, addressing different aspects of natural and synthetic transport systems for active transport, the interaction between synthetic molecules and membranes, and much more. Joachim was an invited lecturer and presented the work of the two groups on “Light-driven halide pumping in protein crystals, detergent micelles, liposomes, and living cells”.
May 10, 2025
Dr. Jacek Kozuch Receives the Nernst Haber Bodenstein Award 2025
Dr. Jacek Kozuch from Freie Universität Berlin has been honored with the 2025 Nernst Haber Bodenstein Award for his outstanding contributions to physical chemistry. The award ceremony took place on March 18, 2025, as part of the Bunsen Conference in Leipzig. The laudatory speech was delivered by biophysicist and spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center 1078 Protonation Dynamics in Protein Function , Prof. Dr. Joachim Heberle. Image Credit: TROPOS/Arnhold
Apr 08, 2025
Fucsia Crea successfully defends her doctoral thesis "Light activation of mechanosensitive ion channels"
On Wednesday afternoon, 29.01.25, the examining committee, chaired by Prof. Dr. Kuch, was joined by Fucsia’s former colleagues and collaborators in AG Heberle. Fucsia delivered an excellent overview of her research into the fundamental applications of AzoPC, a photo-isomerizable lipid which allowed her to change lateral tension in a lipid bilayer using light reversibly. She neatly summarized the methods used to investigate membrane dynamics such as the Langmuir Blodgett trough, polarized ATR-FTIR, fluorescence liposome assays, and single channel electrophysiology; culminating in the light activation of the mechanosensitive channel, MscL to a sub-conducting state. Fucsia combined her experimental data with DFT analysis to identify molecular changes in both the protein and lipid, induced by photo-switching AzoPC. (doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.905306 ) A lively discussion about the methods used and the system’s potential applications in medicine followed. Fucsia is a valued alumna of AG Heberle, both scientifically and socially. Since finishing her experiments she has worked as an Editor at Wiley, and now works in the European Patent Office. We wish her every success in her future endeavors and look forward to her next visit to Berlin!
Feb 05, 2025
Science in the Mountains
This year's winter seminar took place for the 58th time in Klosters, Switzerland. From 09.01.2025 to 18.01.2025, the international participants were offered an interesting and entertaining program of lectures in biology, chemistry, physics, and combinations of disciplines in the afternoons and evenings in the traditional manner. The mornings could be used for scientific discussions or for making connections in informal settings, such as on ski slopes or cross-country ski trails. Among the highlights were two poster sessions, which gave young scientists in particular the opportunity to present their research to a high-caliber audience. There were lively discussions and a lively exchange of ideas. The posters by Saskia Heermant and María González Viegas won two of the five poster prizes awarded.
Jan 23, 2025
Farewell Party for Three Group Members
Last Thursday we celebrated the farewell of Probal Nag, Yusuke Sakiyama and Luiz Schubert with a BBQ. While Yusuke and Luiz are starting new roles in industry, Probal will continue his postdoctoral position in the newly established lab of Igor Schapiro at the TU Dortmund. We wish them all the best for their future career steps.
Sep 22, 2024
Chemical Reviews celebrates its 100th anniversary
The flagship journal of the American Chemical Society looks back on an amazing evolution of chemistry ( https://axial.acs.org/theoretical-and-computational-chemistry/celebrate-chemical-reviews-100th-anniversary ). The journal covers a broad range of chemistry topics including, but not limited to, materials, nanoscience, synthesis, biological, environmental, earth and space, physical, catalysis, and theoretical . Over the years, Chemical Reviews ranks highest among all chemical journals ( https://pubs.acs.org/journal/chreay ). Joachim Heberle has been one of the Associate Editors since 2015. There will be a celebration event at the 2024 ACS Fall National Meeting in Denver.
May 27, 2024
Symposium Honours the Legacy of Renowned Biophysicist Mårten Wikström
Ville Kaila (SFB 1078 Mercator Fellow) is organising the symposium "Mechanisms of Primary Energy Transduction in Biology" on 26 April in Helsinki, Finland. Organised to commemorate Wikström's legacy, the symposium promises to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in the field. In honour of the late Mårten Wikström, the symposium "Mechanisms of Primary Energy Transduction in Biology" offers a dynamic programme showcasing cutting-edge research in the field: From deciphering energy transduction mechanisms to exploring its molecular complexitiy in different protein models, experts will gather to celebrate Wikström's contributions to the field. Ville Kaila (Professor of Biochemistry at Stockholm University and SFB 1078 Mercator Fellow) is organising the symposium on 26 April in Helsinki, Finland. He's a former student of Mårten Wikström and a long-time research colleague. Kaila's opening remarks will set the stage for discussions on primary energy transduction, followed by Sir John Walker from the University of Cambridge, who will provide a historical perspective on Wikström's impact on oxidative phosphorylation. Notable speakers include Joachim Heberle from the FU Berlin and speaker of the SFB 1078, who will talk about ion translocation in microbial rhodopsins.
Apr 20, 2024
Dr. Kenichi Ataka secures funding for collaboration with Kyoto University
Funding for a joint research project with Kyoto University, Japan, has been officially approved. The funding comes from the "Global Frontier and Interdisciplinary Research Core for Deepening Investigations and Promoting Collaboration in Chemistry-oriented Fields" project, administered by the Institute for Chemical Research (ICR) at Kyoto University. The funds will be used to promote research collaboration with Professor Takeshi Hasegawa and his team. Professor Hasegawa is known for his advocacy of the Stratified Dipole Array (SDA) model, which provides insight into the mesoscopic nature of perfluorinated compounds. This model aptly explains our spectroscopic observations derived from fluorinated self-assembled monolayers, an important aspect of our contributions to the SFB project entitled 'CRC1349 Fluorine-Specific Interactions: Fundamentals and Applications'. Through this collaboration, we expect a deeper understanding of our research results and their implications.
Apr 02, 2024
Impressions from Jerusalem: An Interview with Joachim Heberle, who was visiting Hebrew University
Joachim Heberle traveled to Jerusalem on October 2 at the invitation of Hebrew University, with which Freie Universität has a strategic partnership, to prepare an event together with researchers there. He was in Jerusalem during Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7 and describes the situation he experienced until his return on a Lufthansa evacuation flight on October 13. Link to the interview (in German): https://www.fu-berlin.de/campusleben/forschen/2023/231013-interview-heberle/index.html
Oct 15, 2023
Five manuscripts from Experimental Biophysics were accepted for publication last month
Last month, our group got no less than 5 manuscripts ready for publication. Of these, two of the papers are already available online (Baserga et al., BBA, DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2023.149000 and Aleksanyan et al., Adv. Sci., DOI: 10.1002/advs.202304336 ) while three others have been accepted and will be published soon (Kozuch et al., Nature Rev. Meth. Primers, DOI: 10.1038/s43586-023-00253-8; Schubert et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c04100 ; Saliminasab et al, J. Phys. Chem. B). In three of these papers, we benefit from excellent collaborations within SFB 1078 ( www.sfb1078.de ) and the cluster of excellence UniSysCat ( www.unisyscat.de ).
Sep 03, 2023
Franziska Lesche receives the “Physik-Studienpreis” of the „Physikalische Gesellschaft zu Berlin E.V.“ for her excellent Master studies and thesis
Franziska Lesche studied Physics in the Master programme of our department and performed her Master thesis with the title “Imaging and spectroscopy of microbial rhodopsins in lipic and cellular environments” in our group under the supervision of Dr. Jacek Kozuch. For her excellent performance, she was now awarded the “Physik-Studienpreis” of the „Physikalische Gesellschaft zu Berlin E.V.“. We congratulate Franziska for this well-deserved award. Pictures of the award ceremony can be found using the following link https://pgzb.de/preise/physik-studienpreis .
Aug 13, 2023
Alexander von Humboldt fellow Carlos Baiz has published an editorial on authorship best practices
Prof. Carlos Baiz who spent the second half of last year in our labs as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow published an editorial on Authorship best practices in biophysics ( https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2023.03.009 ). He states that „[...] it is necessary to introduce up-to-date authorship expectations and best practices for researchers to evaluate individual contributions and clearly define the criteria for authorship. This editorial provides guidelines and resources to help junior researchers navigate the authorship process, approach potential issues and conflicts, and promote ethical authorship practices in the biophysics community.“ We cannot agree more.
May 02, 2023
Freie Universität Berlin setzt ihre naturwissenschaftliche Vortragsreihe am 3. Mai 2023, 18 Uhr, mit dem Thema „Membranproteine sind Nanomaschinen“ fort
Die öffentliche Reihe der „Dahlemer Wissenschaftsgespräche“ des Fachbereichs Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie der Freien Universität Berlin wird am 3. Mai 2023 fortgesetzt. Bei dem Vortrag von Prof. Joachim Heberle und Dr. Sabine Oldemeyer und der anschließenden Diskussion geht es um das Thema „Membranproteine sind Nanomaschinen – Wie neue physikalische Methoden deren Funktionsmechanismus auf atomarer Ebene aufklären“. Dr. Sabine Oldemeyer betont, dass „die Symbiose der scheinbar entfernten Fächer Physik und Biochemie einzigartige Einblicke in die Welt der Membranproteine erlaubt“. Zusammen mit dem Sprecher des SFB 1078, Prof. Dr. Joachim Heberle, wird anhand einiger Beispiele gezeigt, wie man einen atomaren Einblick in die Struktur dieser faszinierenden Proteine und ihrer für die Funktion unerlässlichen Strukturänderungen gewinnen kann. Die „Dahlemer Wissenschaftsgespräche“ finden alle zwei Monate jeweils am ersten Mittwoch im Monat um 18 Uhr im Forschungsbau SupraFAB in der Altensteinstraße 23 a statt. Der Eintritt ist frei, eine Anmeldung ist erwünscht unter: dahlemer.wissenschaftsgespraeche@suprafab.fu-berlin.de .
Apr 25, 2023
Nature paper on Huc has been released
The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the [NiFe]-hydrogenase Huc was obtained and refined to 1.52 Å resolution. Huc is a highly efficient, O 2 -insensitive enzyme that couples oxidation of atmospheric H 2 to the hydrogenation of the respiratory electron carrier menaquinone. Huc uses narrow hydrophobic gas channels to selectively bind atmospheric H 2 at the expense of O 2 , and 3 [3Fe–4S] clusters modulate the properties of the enzyme so that atmospheric H 2 oxidation is energetically feasible. The Huc catalytic subunits form an octameric 833 kDa complex around a membrane-associated stalk, which transports and reduces menaquinone 94 Å from the membrane. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for the biogeochemically and ecologically important process of atmospheric H 2 oxidation, uncover a mode of energy coupling dependent on long-range quinone transport, and pave the way for the development of catalysts that oxidize H 2 in ambient air.
Mar 14, 2023
ChatGPT - Der Papagei im Netz
In einem Artikel der akutellen Tagesspiegel-Beilage der Freien Universität diskutieren Forschende über die weitreichenden gesellschaftlichen Implikationen der Software
Feb 20, 2023
Sven Stripp in das Heisenberg-Programm der DFG aufgenommen
Ende 2022 hat Sven Stripp mit seiner Arbeitsgruppe die Freie Universität verlassen. Unterstützt durch das Heisenberg-Programm der DFG wird er seine Forschung von gasverarbeitenden Metallenzymen an einem anderen Ort weiterführen. Wir wünschen Sven für die Zukunft viel Erfolg und alles Gute!
Jan 19, 2023
DFG project approved for AG Kozuch - Influence of electrostatics on protein misfolding at membranes in neurodegenerative diseases
Based on a DFG-funded project, the Kozuch working group will investigate the influence of the lipid membrane - in particular its electrostatic properties - on the misfolding of proteins in neurodegenerative diseases. Methodologically, we will use surface-enhanced (SEIRA) and nano-infrared spectroscopy (based on atomic force microscopy) in combination with membrane model systems. Interested candidates for a doctoral thesis within this project can contact Dr. Contact Jacek Kozuch ( jacek.kozuch@fu-berlin.de ). Call for applications: https://www.fu-berlin.de/universitaet/beruf-karriere/jobs/wiss/20_fb-physik/PH-KO5464-5.html
Apr 29, 2022
Science paper on NmHR has been released
Chloride transport by microbial rhodopsins is an essential process for which molecular details—such as the mechanisms that convert light energy to drive ion pumping and ensure the unidirectionality of the transport—have remained elusive. We combined time-resolved serial crystallography with time-resolved spectroscopy and multiscale simulations to elucidate the molecular mechanism of a chloride pumping rhodopsin and the structural dynamics throughout the transport cycle. We traced transient anion binding sites, obtained evidence for how light energy is used in the pumping mechanism, and identified steric and electrostatic molecular gates ensuring unidirectional transport. An interaction with the π-electron system of the retinal supports transient chloride ion binding across a major bottleneck in the transport pathway. These results allow us to propose key mechanistic features enabling finely controlled chloride transport across the cell membrane in this light powered chloride ion pump. This work has been created in a collaboration between the SFB 1078 (C6 Schapiro and B3 Heberle), the ETH Zürich, and the PSI Villigen.
Feb 03, 2022
DFG project granted for AG Kozuch - Understanding Antibiotic Resistance and Enzymatic Catalysis by Combining Computational and Experimental Molecular Biophysics
As part of a DFG-third-party funded project, the Kozuch group will explore the relationship between the evolution of antibiotic resistance and the physical forces or non-covalent interactions that exist within enzymatic catalysts. Towards this goal, we will make use of a combined approach of computational and experimental vibrational spectroscopy in defined, external electric fields. Interested candidates for a doctoral thesis within this project to are invited to contact Dr. Jacek Kozuch ( jacek.kozuch@fu-berlin.de ).
Jan 03, 2022
Offener Hörsaal: Prof. Dr. Joachim Heberle - Vortrag "Verantwortung für die eigene Forschung"
Biophysiker und der Ombudsmann Prof. Dr. Joachim Heberle spricht bei einem öffentlichen Vortrag über die Verantwortung, die Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler für die eigene Forschung tragen. Hybrider Vortrag im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung "Offener Hörsaal: Ambivalenz der Wissenschaften – Nutzen und Schaden"
Nov 25, 2021
