معرفی
Prof. Dr. Lukas C. Kapitein is a leading researcher in Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics at the Faculty of Science, Utrecht University. His work bridges physics and neuroscience to understand how cells maintain their shape and intracellular organization, particularly in neurons.
- Academic Affiliation: Full Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics since 2018
- Key Collaborations: Co-manages the Gravitation project IMAGINE! with Anna Akhmanova
Research Focus: The lab investigates the neuronal cytoskeleton, emphasizing microtubule organization and motor protein dynamics. They develop advanced optical methods to map cytoskeletal architecture and design intracellular assays to probe motor-cargo interactions, linking these to neurodegenerative disease mechanisms.
Awards: ERC Consolidator Grant (2018), ERC Starting Grant (2013), NWO VIDI (2013), NWO ALW-VENI (2011), Erasmus MC Fellowship (2011).
Students: PhD students include Albert Serweta, Thijs Makaske, Jasper Schelt, and Varsha Mahapatra. The lab also features postdocs and technical staff in microscopy and protein engineering.
Methods: Combines protein engineering, super-resolution microscopy (STED, Localization, Expansion), and mathematical modeling to resolve microtubule polarity, transport rules, and dendritic spine dynamics.
