Wiktor Szymanski partner in ERC Synergy grant (GRAIL)

GRAIL - Time-resolved imaging of membrane transporter dynamics under physiological ionic gradients

In this project (with a total funding of EUR 11.6 million), a team of researchers from the University of Hamburg and the University of Groningen will—for the first time ever—gain a real-time insight into the workings of the molecular machines (membrane proteins) that are responsible for cells taking up substances from the environment. The resulting data will lead to entirely new insights into the fundamental biophysics of membrane proteins, as well as to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that are required to, for example, better understand why mutations in membrane transporters can cause severe mental illnesses or how drugs act on a molecular level.

Within this Synergy consortium, Prof. Szymanski’s project (EUR 1.5 million), will focus on using light to synchronously release the substrates for membrane transport in the GRAIL device with unprecedented efficiency. The other partners in this project are Dirk Slotboom (GBB), Irene Fernandez-Cuesta (University of Hamburg), and Arwen Pearson (coordinator, University of Hamburg).

Link to UG news