01 Jun Top-Punt Grant for Alexandre Bonvin and Marc Baldus
Alexandre Bonvin and Marc Baldus (Utrecht Univeristy) will receive one of the TOP-PUNT grants of NWO Chemical Sciences . In total, NWO awarded four out of thirteen received research proposals. Bonvin and Baldus will receive two million euros to start a new, challenging and innovative research line.
Caught in the act: a combined magnetic resonance – modelling approach to capture cellular machines at work
Physiological processes can only rarely be attributed to individual molecules but rather involve complex interactions within molecular assemblies on different temporal and spatial scales. In the latter case, compartmentalization via membranes is a common principle in nature to control fundamental biological functions, including bioenergetics, communication, sensing, and organization. In these processes, membrane-embedded proteins (MPs) play a central role and great progress has been made in elucidating their three-dimensional atomic structures. To describe and understand these processes in situ and at the most detailed, i.e., atomic level, we propose an integrative approach that combines latest advancements in the fields of experimental cellular structural biology (in particular NMR) and computational structural biology to explicitly study membrane complexes and their workings at atomic scale.
Alexandre Bonvin recently received the following grants as well:
- Horizon 2020 project – West-Life – The West-Life consortium consists of 10 different European partners for a total budget of 4 million euros.
- Horizon 2020 project – BioExcel – The BioExcel consortium consists of 11 different European partners for a total budget of 4.8 million euros.