Robin Klemm receives a Wellcome Discovery award

We are delighted that Associate Professor of Physiological Metabolism Robin Klemm has been awarded a Wellcome Discovery Award. The Wellcome Discovery Award scheme recognises established researchers, enabling them to pursue bold and creative research programs that are expected to deliver pathbreaking insights into our understanding of improved human life, health and wellbeing.

Robin Klemm is honoured and delighted that his work on lipids has been recognised with this prestigious grant. The Discovery Award will provide the Klemmlab with significant support to establish a cutting-edge research program investigating the functional role of lipids in cells. Robin says that 'the journey of re-imagining the biology of lipids beyond their role as nutrients has only just begun! The area has recently gained a lot of momentum and I see the skyline of an entire new research field appearing at the horizon'.

Mapping metabolic pathways onto the architecture of the cell is going to reveal a treasure trove of mechanisms by which cells determine their fate and function. Crosstalk at membrane contact sites between cellular compartments through lipids is a burgeoning area within this context. How lipids control cellular functions and participate in cell-fate determination during development or stress responses are central questions that fascinate all members in the Klemmlab. Robin and his team are most excited by the multidisciplinary nature of this work: Robin comments, 'The Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics with its neighbouring Department of Biochemistry and the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Discovery provides an ideal environment to build this vibrant research program in'.

Cutting edge mass-spectrometry methods in collaboration with the Robinson lab in the Kavli institute, state of the art AI-enhanced light and electron microscopy approaches, and structural biology together with the Newstead group will be combined with metabolome analysis to decipher the language of lipids in the control of cell fate and function.

We congratulate Robin and look forward to a stream of exciting discoveries around 'the lipid code'.