BIOTEC welcomes new research group leader Dr. Marko Brankatschk

Since the beginning of 2017, Dr. Marko Brankatschk supports the BIOTEC as the leader of the research group “Neuro-glial membranes”. Using the animal model Drosophilia (fruit fly), he investigates their lipid dependent metabolism and its regulatory role on neuro-glial membranes. Recent research on Drosophilia identified dietary lipids as metabolic signal cues and showed the influence of the quality of dietary fat on the formulation of their endogenous lipidom: “I am interested in finding the origin and nature of circulating lipids that regulate metabolism in Drosophilia melanogaster. In addition, we seek for lipids that change the transport capacity of Blood Brain Barrier cells and regulate the cognitive capacity of adult fruit flies.” Answers to these and other questions help to understand complex biological processes including aging or the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.

The research group is building up right now.

In 2006, Marko Brankatschk obtained the doctoral degree at the IMP/IMBA Vienna, focusing on the topic „Axon Pathfinding at the Drosophila Midline”. From 2006-2016 he worked as a Postdoc in the lab of Suzanne Eaton at the MPI-CBG Dresden, afterwards he supported the research group of Francis Stewart at BIOTEC Dresden. From 2007-2009 his work was awarded with an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship. Since the beginning of 2017, Marko Brankatschk is now working as a group leader at BIOTEC. He is very happy to remain faithfully with the science location Dresden: “The huge interdependence of basic and clinical research and the accumulation of experts on lipid-research make Dresden a great place for scientists. Furthermore, the grants and fellowships for young researchers offered by TU Dresden are very supportive.”