Marko Brankatschk

Dr. Marko Brankatschk is a Guest Researcher at the Technical University of Dresden (TU Dresden), leading the Brankatschk Lab focused on neural-glial membrane biology and lipid metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster. His work examines how circulating lipids regulate temperature-dependent metabolism, blood-brain barrier function, and cognitive capacity in fruit flies through dietary and structural mechanisms.

His research centers on lipid metabolism as a critical regulator of environmental adaptation, with key interests in neural-glial membrane dynamics, temperature-dependent foraging behavior, and systemic lipid signaling. The lab investigates how unsaturated lipids modulate biophysical membrane properties under thermal stress, how dietary sterols serve as metabolic cues, and how glial cells fuel neuronal metabolism via β-oxidation during metabolic challenges. This work bridges comparative physiology, membrane biophysics, and neurogenetics to understand conserved metabolic adaptation strategies.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals dominant trends in regenerative lipidology (2024), glia-neuron metabolic coupling (2020-2023), and ecological lipid signaling (2019-2021). His work consistently employs Drosophila to model fundamental processes relevant to human metabolic diseases, with increasing focus on cross-tissue lipid transport and regenerative mechanisms.

Dr. Brankatschk actively collaborates with international partners including Stefanie Schirmeier (University of Münster), Tatiana Sandoval-Guzmán (CRTD Dresden), Klaus Reinhardt (TU Dresden), Adam Dobson (University of Glasgow), and Anna Taubenberger (TU Dresden BIOTEC). His research is funded by European and German institutions, supporting investigations into lipid-driven physiological adaptations.

The Brankatschk Lab operates within TU Dresden's biotechnology ecosystem, leveraging the university's Center for Regenerative Therapies (CRTD) and BIOTEC infrastructure. Current projects explore lipid-mediated regeneration in Drosophila and Ambystoma mexicanum, neural membrane plasticity under thermal stress, and metabolic interactions in nutrient-deprived nervous systems.