From March 2026, Kevin Jahnke will establish the Biomembrane Engineering research group at the new location of the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heilbronn . The focus is on the development of synthetic lipid nano- and microstructures to investigate the biophysical properties of cells and lipid vesicles. Kevin Jahnke is the first research group leader at this location, where departments are currently being established.

The group is funded by the Emmy Noether Program of the German Research Foundation, which promotes outstanding young scientists. In the long term, the work aims to translate biophysical findings into biotechnological applications, especially for the delivery of drugs in the body. In addition, new approaches for the treatment of lipid-associated diseases, which are mostly metabolic disorders, are to be developed.

The location in Heilbronn is ideally suited for this research, as it builds bridges between biology, physics and chemistry and promotes the transfer of scientific findings into biotechnological applications. The institute’s management sees potential in the group for collaborations and fundamental discoveries in membrane and cell biophysics. Kevin Jahnke returns to the institute from Harvard University, where he has worked since completing his doctorate in 2022.

A central component of the work is synthetic lipid vesicles, spherical structures for the transport and storage of lipids and active substances. These are similar to natural cell membranes, but can be produced in the laboratory in a variety of variants. They are used to research biophysical aspects of cell membranes, a core area of modern biology.

Other research questions include the design of lipid nanostructures for efficient drug loading, uptake at the target site and controlled release. Furthermore, the effect of asymmetric lipid sheets on the behavior and properties of membranes is investigated. The aim is to develop unconventional transport vehicles based on these principles.

Kevin Jahnke is an experimental biophysicist with a focus on lipid membranes, cellular biophysics and drug release. He studied physics in Heidelberg, worked for his master’s thesis in Cambridge and received his doctorate from the MPI for Medical Research. As a postdoctoral researcher, he conducted research with Dave Weitz at Harvard University. His work includes 30 publications and six patents, including 16 first authorships and six as a correspondence author.

The Max Planck Institute for Medical Research works on an interdisciplinary basis on molecular processes in cells, cell groups and organoids. It combines expertise from chemistry, physics, biology and materials science to develop new methods for basic biomedical research. The Heilbronn site aims to seamlessly combine basic research and applications in order to accelerate the transfer into practice.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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