June 17, 2025
Alwin Köhler awarded ERC Advanced Grant
Alwin Köhler, group leader and scientific director at the Max Perutz Labs, and member of our Special Research Program in Targeted Protein Degradation, has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant to investigate how nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) remodel nuclear membranes to form functional channels – a process he proposes is closely linked to lipid chemistry and nuclear membrane metabolism. The project seeks to uncover how cells sculpt the nucleus without rupturing it, which is a question that lies at the heart of eukaryotic life. This is Alwin Köhler’s third ERC grant, following earlier Starting and Consolidator Grants.
The nuclear pore complex is a highly selective gateway that regulates molecular traffic between the nucleus and cytoplasm. But its role goes further. NPCs are also membrane-remodeling machines: they bend, fuse, and stabilize the double membrane of the nuclear envelope to create large pores – remarkably, without compromising nuclear integrity. How they achieve this remains one of cell biology’s enduring mysteries.
With support from the ERC, Alwin Köhler and his team aim to uncover the physical and biochemical principles that enable NPCs to reshape the nuclear envelope. A key focus will be the role of nuclear lipid metabolism – specifically, how cells adjust the lipid composition of the nuclear envelope to permit sculpting by NPCs. Although still poorly understood, this process is increasingly recognized as central to nuclear organization and stability.
Read the full story in the Max Perutz Labs New here.
Read more about the research of the Köhler lab at the Max Perutz Labs and in our Special Research Program.
Max Perutz Labs Scientific Director and Group Leader Alwin Köhler. © Max Kropitz/Max Perutz Labs