Chemistry Home > Department Information > Faculty > Tobias Baumgart

		Dr. Tobias Baumgart
		OFFICE: 250N PHONE: (215) 573-7539 FAX: (215) 898-6242 E-MAIL: baumgart@sas.upenn.edu Born: 1972 EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC HISTORY: Diploma from the University of Clausthal, Germany, 1998 PhD from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 2001 Postdoctoral associate at Cornell University (2001 - 2005) ERASMUS fellowship (1996 - 1997) Fritz ter Meer fellowship, Bayer Company (1997 - 1998) Procter & Gamble award for diploma in Chemistry (2001) Fellowship from a Graduiertenkolleg of the German research foundation, DFG, 1998 - 2001 Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Keck foundation (2001 - 2004) Baumgart group lab homepage

Among the most fascinating biological structures found in nature are biomembranes that surround cellular systems and intracellular organelles. These membranes function as barriers between cellular compartments, as transport vehicles and regulators, and contain machineries important for biological functioning. Cell biology has traditionally focused on examining protein / protein interactions. However, the physical chemistry and mechanical properties of the lipid bilayer matrix are tightly coupled to the functioning of membrane associated proteins in ways that are largely unknown. This provides rich opportunities for exciting and important new insights. The focus of our research is directed towards understanding how properties of lipid bilayer membranes influence the functioning of membranes in the biological context. Closely associated with this question is to examine how lateral membrane compositional and geometrical heterogeneities arise, are controlled, and contribute to membrane trafficking and functioning. In particular, we determine molecular properties that govern the partitioning of membrane associated components between lipid domains of differing composition. Of fundamental interest are furthermore the properties of membrane compositional phase boundaries that give rise to a phenomenon called line tension . A second line of research is directed towards examining important aspects of membrane curvature on membrane functioning. We measure the redistribution of membrane components between connected regions of high and small curvature, determine curvature dependent membrane association of peripheral membrane proteins, and examine membrane protein functioning modulated by the bending of the lipid bilayer membrane. To achieve these goals, fluorescence based analytical techniques such as confocal fluorescence microscopy, single particle tracking and photobleaching recovery, combined with mechanical manipulation of membranes by micromanipulators and optical traps are being used. We study membranes in intact biological cells, membranes isolated from cellular systems, as well as model membranes assembled from key components. The interdisciplinary scope of this research lies at the interface of biological and physical chemistry, and ties to molecular biology as well as soft condensed matter physics. Starfish vesicle with two coexisting fluid phases (shown in red and blue) that redistribute between regions of high and small curvature. Bar: 5µm Selected Publications Back to faculty page