Dragomir Milovanovic

Dr. Dragomir Milovanovic is a Group Leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), affiliated with Charité CrossOver Berlin. His research focuses on understanding how intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) in presynaptic proteins regulate synaptic vesicle (SV) clustering and cytosol solubility in the crowded nerve terminal environment.

• Key Themes: Phase separation, biomolecular condensates, neuronal metabolism, and implications for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

The lab investigates how IDRs balance solubility and spatial organization in nerve terminals, using techniques such as confocal imaging and single-molecule tracking. Their work has shown that synapsin 1 forms liquid-like condensates that sequester lipid vesicles, maintaining SV mobility while enabling clustering.

Notable findings include the discovery of electric potential at condensate interfaces and the development of the Dipping Contacts model for studying condensate-organelle interactions. These studies provide insights into normal synaptic function and pathological protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases.