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Berlin Science Week 2022

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SFB1078 at the Berlin Science Week

The Berlin Science Week took place from 1.-10. November with up to 200 events in-person and online - see the full program. Young scientists from the SFB presented their research on protonation dynamics in protein function:

Visitors were able to stop by our booth at the Natural History Museum to talk to the research team in person. Using five model proteins as examples, young scientists in the SFB's Research Training Group (IGK) want to understand how proton movement controls the way proteins work: in the photosystem of plants for energy production; in cytochrome c oxidase in the power plant of our cells; in channel rhodopsin for light manipulation of nerve impulses; in phytochrome, which makes plants flower; and in viroporin, which allows viruses to replicate in their host.

Meet the Scientist with Prof. Dr. Joachim Heberle: Moleküle des Lebens in Bewegung. In the Meet the Scientist series, the renowned biophysicist Joachim Heberle and spokesperson of the SFB1078 showed how scientists investigate proteins. In the Humboldt Laboratory, he reported that their work provides important impulses for understanding diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's and contributes to the development of new drugs.

Proteins are essential building blocks of life. In fact, they are veritable "nanomachines" that need not fear comparison with the machines of our everyday life: As flexible turbines, pumps and channels, they are responsible for numerous processes in cells.

However, the biological activity of proteins only becomes apparent when they are studied in the nanometer range. Thanks to modern biophysical methods, their complex and fascinating mode of action can now be understood at the atomic level.

Since 2019 the SFB 1078 participates annually in the Berlin Science Week: a 10 day international interdisciplinary event that brings together scientific organizations to promote public awareness of science.