Volker Kiessling

Volker Kiessling is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. His research focuses on membrane fusion mechanisms in two key contexts:

• Secretory vesicle fusion with the plasma membrane
• Viral membrane fusion during infections like HIV and Ebola

His work employs advanced techniques such as

• Planar supported membranes
• Single molecule tracking
• Fluorescence microscopy
• Cryo-electron microscopy

to study the interplay between lipids and proteins during fusion processes.

Key contributions include:

• Discovering the role of cholesterol in HIV fusion
• Elucidating synaptotagmin's mechanism in calcium-triggered exocytosis
• Identifying how lipid asymmetry affects fusion pore dynamics
• Characterizing viral entry requirements for Ebola and HIV

His publications reveal a consistent focus on SNARE proteins, lipid domains, and viral entry mechanisms across multiple high-impact journals.