Julian D. Langer

Dr. Julian D. Langer serves as Group Leader and Head of Mass Spectrometry at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics and Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt. His laboratory specializes in developing advanced mass spectrometry workflows and methods to address complex questions in structural biology, molecular neurobiology, and membrane protein research. Funded by both Max Planck Institutes, his lab operates eight state-of-the-art instruments from Bruker, Thermo, and Waters coupled to nano-UPLCs and analytical UPLCs.

Dr. Langer's research focuses on three primary areas: direct sequencing of membrane protein complexes, hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) for studying membrane protein dynamics, and proteome profiling in neuronal systems. His group has made significant contributions to identifying novel subunits in membrane protein complexes, characterizing ligand binding sites, and monitoring proteome remodeling in homeostatic synaptic plasticity. He is particularly known for developing specialized MALDI-TOF/TOF techniques that allow acquisition of information-rich PSD MS/MS spectra up to m/z 9000.

His recent work demonstrates significant trends toward neuroproteomics and small protein discovery, with numerous publications on synaptic proteome mapping, neuronal ribosome dynamics, and detection of novel small proteins in prokaryotes. His research bridges structural biology, neurobiology, and analytical chemistry, with applications spanning from basic membrane protein mechanisms to neurological disorders.

Dr. Langer actively collaborates with numerous research groups and is a member of DFG's SPP 2002 (Small proteins in prokaryotes) and BMBF's MOEL-SOEL program. He has developed specialized methodologies including BONCAT technology for proteome turnover studies and workflows for cell-type specific proteome analysis from living animals.

His laboratory maintains strong connections with instrument vendors and has successfully extended HDX-MS techniques to large membrane protein complexes. Current research directions include investigating protein synthesis in neuronal processes, characterizing molecular components in specialized cellular systems like Sepia chromatophores, and developing next-generation mass spectrometry approaches for biomolecular analysis.