Philipp Schmidpeter, PhD
Assistant Professor
Our lab focuses on understanding how membrane proteins interact with cellular signaling pathways to shape protein function, structure, and dynamics. In the complex environment of the cell, proteins rarely act alone - especially in excitable tissues like the brain, where precise protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions govern signaling at the molecular level. We employ omics-driven strategies to identify previously unrecognized interactions between membrane proteins and key regulatory components. These interactions are then reconstituted from purified components in vitro, allowing direct comparisons between isolated protein activity and multi-component complexes. This reductionist approach reveals how dynamic protein assemblies fine-tune signal transduction, membrane excitability, and cellular communication. Our ultimate goal is to broaden the understanding of protein functions beyond their traditionoal roles and to establish mechanistic links between diverse cellular pathways, thereby contributing to a more integrated view of molecular physiology in complex biological systems.