Stefan Raunser

Stefan Raunser.} (born 23 June 1976 in Landau in der Pfalz, Germany) is a German scientist and structural biologist known for his contributions to the fields of membrane protein, cytoskeleton, toxin, and sarcomere structural biochemistry in which he has advanced our understanding of fundamental biological mechanisms. Since 2014, he has been a director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund. 
==Research and selected publications== 
Since its inception, the Raunser lab has contributed to various fields of structural biochemistry, employing and developing methods in CryoEM and CryoET to conduct cutting-edge research and uncover the molecular mechanisms in different aspects of cell biology. 
===Tc Toxin Complexes: Release, Assembly, Membrane Permeation, Protein Translocation, and Intoxication=== 
In the field of Tc toxins, tripartite ABC-type toxins from Photorhabdus luminescens and other bacteria that are used by the bacteria as virulence factors, his research has provided a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in toxin activation, toxin release, receptor binding, membrane permeation, protein translocation, and intoxication. This allowed his group to publish a movie of the intoxication process. His work on Tc toxins has revealed their potential as customisable molecular syringes for delivering proteins across membranes, opening up possibilities for biotechnological and biomedical applications.
===Software and Hardware Development in cryoEM/cryoET=== 
The Raunser lab has contributed to developments in cryoEM image processing and cryoET hardware development. After the development of SPHIRE (together with Pawel Penczek), which evolved later into TranSPHIRE. The program offers an easy-to-use and versatile image processing suite for the single particle analysis of protein complexes in CryoEM. The group has also developed other software tools, such as SPHIRE-crYOLO and TomoTwin, for automatic particle picking in cryoEM and cryoET. On the CryoET front, the group has developed a streamlined workflow for automated cryo-focused ion beam milling for the analysis of vitrified samples by electron cryo tomography.
===Structural Biochemistry of the Cytoskeleton and Muscle Contraction=== 
====Single Particle Approach==== 
Raunser's group has pushed the resolution limits of single particle cryoEM reconstructions of essential muscle and cytoskeletal proteins over the years, including actin filaments (F-actin), actin filaments in complex with actin-binding proteins, toxins and ligands, the actin-tropomyosin complex, and the actomyosin complex. The lab has determined the cryoEM structures of F-actin at ~2.2 Å resolution, allowing for the first time the direct visualisation of water molecules in the structure and giving atomic insight into ATP hydrolysis in F-actin
====Tomography approach==== 
Raunser's group has revealed the three-dimensional organization of the sarcomere in situ, resolving the molecular organization of myosin, alpha-actinin-1, and additional sarcomeric components. The group also determined the first structure of native nebulin bound to thin filaments within intact sarcomeres at 4.5 Å resolution. 
===Structural Biochemistry of Membrane Proteins=== 
Rzunser's group has made significant contributions to understanding the structures of key proteins involved in cell signaling, such as the rabbit ryanodine receptor 1 and the TRPC4 channel, as well as the Drosophila's Slowpoke (Slo) potassium channel. This research has provided insights into the regulatory mechanisms and revealed potential target sites for drug development. 
==Fellowships and awards (selection)== 
* Member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts (2022)
* ERC Synergy Grant (together with D. Görlich, F. Schnorrer, M. Gautel) (2020)
* German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Member (2019)
* EMBO Member (2018)
* ERC Consolidator Grant (2014)
* Einstein Professorship of the Einstein Foundation Berlin (2013)
* Member of the “Junges Kolleg” (Academy of Sciences and Arts of Northrhine-Westfalia) (2011-2014)
* Member of the Global Young Faculty; Speaker of the Health group (2009-2011)
* Emmy-Noether Fellowship German Research Foundation (DFG) (2008-2013)
* Fellow of the German Academy of Sciences “Leopoldina” (2007 – 2008) 
* Fellow of Harvard Medical School (2005-2006) 
==Personal Life== 
Growing up in Germany, Stefan Raunser has always been passionate about nature. As a kid, he dreamt of becoming a chemist and biology teacher and he was the first in his family to earn a high school degree. 
He is passionate about opera, concert and classical music. He plays the violin and during his postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School he played in the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra. 
==Full List of Publications==
The full list of Stefan Raunser's publications can be read on his ResearchGate Profile.
Category:1976 births	
Category:German people	
Category:Goethe University Frankfurt alumni
Category:Scientists	
Category:Structural biologists