Stefan Raunser

Prof. Dr. Stefan Raunser is a Director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, leading the Department of Structural Biochemistry in Dortmund, Germany. His research focuses on high-resolution structural studies of proteins and complexes using cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) and tomography (Cryo-ET), with major contributions to understanding toxin-mediated membrane permeation, actin cytoskeleton dynamics, and muscle sarcomere architecture.

• Key research areas: Cryo-EM/ET methodology, actin-myosin interactions, Tc toxin mechanisms, and in situ structural biology.
• His group developed widely used software tools like SPHIRE-crYOLO and TomoTwin for automated particle picking and structural data mining.

Recent publications highlight structural insights into Tc toxin injection mechanisms, actin filament turnover, and sarcomere organization. His work bridges molecular structure with functional biology, particularly in muscle physiology and bacterial pathogenesis. Despite extensive collaborations, no specific student names or scientific awards are explicitly mentioned in the provided text. The department emphasizes technological innovation to advance biomedical and cellular research.