معرفی
Prof. Dr. Dietmar Manstein serves as Director of the Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and Director of the Division for Structural Biochemistry at Hannover Medical School (MHH) since 2002 and 2003 respectively. He also holds a position as Directorate member at the Centre for Structural Systems Biology in Hamburg since 2014, having served as Managing Director from 2018-2020. His research career spans over three decades with significant contributions to the understanding of molecular motors and cytoskeletal proteins.
Manstein earned his PhD in 1986 from Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, followed by postdoctoral work at Stanford University School of Medicine (1987-1990), Group Leader position at the National Institute for Medical Research in London (1990-1996), and Senior Group Leader at the Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg (1996-2002) before joining MHH.
His research focuses on molecular motors and proteins regulating dynamic changes in cytoskeletal and membranous structures. His laboratory integrates approaches from single-molecule techniques, protein engineering, X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, and fluorescence-based microscopy to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying motile events relevant to neurodegeneration, heart failure, skeletal muscle myopathies, immune response, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. His work particularly examines isoform-specific differences, disease-causing mutations, and drug effects across multiple levels of biological organization.
Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent focus on actin and myosin systems, with particular emphasis on how mutations in cytoskeletal proteins lead to human diseases including Baraitser-Winter syndrome, thrombocytopenia, and cardiomyopathies. His research group employs structural biology techniques combined with biochemical and biophysical approaches to characterize molecular mechanisms at atomic resolution. Recent work increasingly explores therapeutic interventions targeting molecular motors, with studies on small molecule effectors of myosin function.
Scientific Awards:
- WELLCOME TRUST UNIVERSITY AWARD (2002)
- DFG Scholarship (1988)
- DFG Scholarship (1987)
- DFG Scholarship (1985)
Professor Manstein has maintained an exceptionally productive research program with over 260 publications and nearly 35,000 reads on ResearchGate. His work has generated significant scientific impact with over 9,780 citations. His laboratory at MHH collaborates extensively with international research groups, particularly in structural biology and molecular biophysics. The Centre for Structural Systems Biology affiliation further extends his research impact into host-pathogen interactions. His current research continues to explore the molecular basis of cytoskeletal disorders while developing potential therapeutic approaches targeting molecular motors.
