Michael Ostap

Michael Ostap is a Professor of Physiology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He serves as the Director of the Pennsylvania Muscle Institute and is affiliated with graduate groups in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Cell and Molecular Biology.

Education:

• B.S. in Chemistry, Illinois State University (1988)
• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota (1993)

Research Interests focus on cellular machinery powering cell movements and shaping biological structures. His work integrates cytoskeletal motors (myosin, dynein, kinesin) with single-molecule techniques, biochemistry, and biophysics to explore force generation, motor regulation, and disease mechanisms.

Publications highlight his lab’s investigations into myosin dynamics (2025), actin network interactions (2024), mitochondrial homeostasis (2023), and force-clamp technologies (2018). Key themes include molecular motors, cell motility, and cytoskeletal mechanics.

Lab Personnel include postdoctoral researchers and graduate students in the Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, advancing interdisciplinary studies on muscle function and disease.