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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 12/06/2026

Thank you for spreading the word! 🙏

Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 12/06/2026

This release is the result of many months of hard work, dedication, and creativity from two brilliant members of our team, #JonathanThelen and #MelanieKönig 👏 📂 Source code: lnkd.in/ebr7UJFx 📖 Documentation: lnkd.in/ejSMtRPa @uniheidelberg.bsky.social @bzh-hd.bsky.social

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 12/06/2026

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: OpenMembraneBuilder is intended to be a community-driven project. While we have tested it, this is only the beginning. Bugs will certainly appear, and we would greatly appreciate your feedback. 🙏 If you are interested in contributing, please write to me!

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 12/06/2026

One of its major strengths is the ability to define and store complex lipid compositions in reusable template files. Instead of manually selecting dozens of lipid species every time, you can simply 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 and generate multiple membrane systems automatically!

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 12/06/2026

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 can be used: ✅ As a web application: open-builder.com ✅ Locally on your workstation: lnkd.in/ebr7UJFx ✅ Through a command-line interface for high-throughput workflows

open-builder.com

OpenMembraneBuilder

OpenMembraneBuilder: build, simulate, and reproduce MARTINI coarse-grained membrane systems.

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 12/06/2026

Rather than reinventing the wheel, it builds directly on the 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐎𝐁𝐘 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐞-𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 developed by #MikkelDahlAndreasen and #LorenaZuzic, bringing its powerful capabilities to a more accessible and reproducible workflow environment. 𝐂𝐎𝐁𝐘 Publication👉 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

pubs.acs.org

Creating Coarse-Grained Systems with COBY: Toward Higher Accuracy of Complex Biological Systems

Current trends in molecular modeling are geared toward increasingly realistic representations of the biological environments reflected in larger, more complex systems. The complexity of the system-bui...

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 12/06/2026

This release represents another step toward lowering the barrier to building and simulating advanced membrane systems. OpenMembraneBuilder is an 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧-𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 powered by 𝐂𝐎𝐁𝐘 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐞-𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 12/06/2026

As part of @sfb1638.bsky.social in 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, we are committed to developing computational tools that make complex membrane simulations more accessible, reproducible, and scalable for the scientific community. Today, we are happy to share the public release of 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 v1.2.1

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 19/05/2026

Hard to say, but that was actually our original plan with M3. The main issue is that, with the current protein model, short peptides are difficult to keep embedded in the membrane, and most of them tend to pop out. We plan to test this again using the newer protein models.

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 19/05/2026

Same here! We also have a dataset for the same peptides in POPC/Chol that we’re still analyzing. We could test a subset with SM as well. However, these simulations do not show phase separation, so we can only calculate lipid preference by amino acid and membrane position.

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 19/05/2026

Yep, nothing too groundbreaking…mostly confirming previous studies, but now with a larger sample size at the end. A bit disappointing as we were hoping to catch a few of them at Lo… We’re now focusing to interfacial peptides to see whether we can modulate the phase boundaries

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 18/05/2026

This work would not have been possible without the computational resources provided by #CSC-ITCenterforScience @bzh-hd.bsky.social @sfb1638.bsky.social @uniheidelberg.bsky.social

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 18/05/2026

Huge thanks to an amazing collaboration with @javanainenm.bsky.social and his group! #MaisaVuorte #JarkkoLiimatainen From our side, special thanks to stellar Master’s student #𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻 and brilliant postdoc #MelanieKönig for the incredible work and dedication throughout the project 🙌

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 18/05/2026

🚨 Lipid Time 🚨 New preprint out! Using high-throughput Martini 2 simulations, we studied ~5,000 transmembrane helices in a phase-separating membrane. Most helices preferred disordered environments, some localized at domain interfaces, but none in the liquid-ordered phase! doi.org/10.64898/202...

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 02/01/2026

This study is the result of a fantastic collaboration with #MarcoMaccarini’s team, featuring outstanding experimental work by PhD student #BeatriceBarletti and high-quality simulations carried out by our exceptionally talented postdoc #MelanieKönig www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

How Lipid Composition Shapes the Nanostructural Interaction of Tumor Biomarker Alpha-Fetoprotein and Bovine Serum Albumin with Model Membranes

This study systematically investigated the interactions of the tumor biomarker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) with planar lipi…

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 02/01/2026

🚨 First lipid paper of the year! 🚨 Combining neutron reflectometry and MD simulations, we show how α-fetoprotein interacts with lipid membranes, depending on composition, with implications for biomarker detection and biosensing! Great start to 2026! Congrats to the team! 🎉 @sfb1638.bsky.social

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Dr. Fiona @fionachembot.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Hi all!! At some point I passed 1K followers! Time for a re-intro! My name is Fiona! I am originally from Florida, did my postdoc at UCSD now I am a Junior Professor at the University of Freiburg in the Institute for Physical Chemistry, lets connect! I also love the ocean and halloween costumes!

picture of a woman in a plaid suit, red shirt, black pants, leaning on an industrial looking object and smiling at the camera

pictture of an old looking city in europe called freiburg germany, the picture prominently features an old catholic cathedral called the freiburg münster with hills in the background and dusky pink/blue sky

picture of a woman scuba diving on a shipwreck

picture of a woman in a halloween costume, the halloween costume is of the amino acid cysteine

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Coskun Lipid Cellar @ ZML Dresden @lipid.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Ups we did it again! Please mark your calender. EMBO Workshop “Lipid Code to Life”, taking place September 7–11, 2026, in Dresden, organized by Maria Fedorova, @lipid.bsky.social, Valerie O'Donnell, @holthuislab.bsky.social and @molcellbiophys-lab.bsky.social 🥳 Retweets = lipidlove

copyright Palina Nepachalovich of ZML Dresden

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Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center @bzh-hd.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

🚨We are hiring🚨 We’re looking for a part-time Administrative Assistant (19.75 h/week) starting 1 March 2026. You’ll support finance tasks, organise events, manage website updates, and work with a friendly team in an international environment. 👉 More information below 📩 Apply until 4 January 2026

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 01/12/2025

Most importantly, this work was carried out entirely by our shared 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝖾𝗋 star 𝖯𝖧𝖣 𝗌𝗍𝗎𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍 @manpreet0700.bsky.social , who performed 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 and contributed significantly to the 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of the project! 💫🤩 Happy holidays — and happy lipid time! 🎁

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 01/12/2025

To the best of our knowledge, this is 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. This is part of a shared @dfg.de project and it is now published on #NatureCommunication 🎉

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 01/12/2025

🎄 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞! 🎄 Thrilled to share a special pre-holiday gift to 𝗟𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼 & 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗹 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘀! 𝐏𝐈(𝟒,𝟓)𝐏𝟐 𝐚𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 is essential for the unconventional secretion of 𝐅𝐆𝐅𝟐, driving rapid formation of a lipidic membrane pore, enabling membrane translocation ⏩⏩ 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

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Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center @bzh-hd.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Thrilled to share that Dr. Jirka Peschek, one of our BZH group leaders, is receiving the Chica & Heinz Schaller Award for his RNA biology research 🧬 🏆 €100,000 research funding. Ceremony today, 26 Nov, 5:30 PM, Marsilius Kolleg (INF 130.1). Congrats, Jirka! 🎉

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 21/11/2025

@cnehls.bsky.social, Ilpo Vattulainen, and I are organizing the next Membrane Biophysics Section Meeting of @dgfb.bsky.social The meeting brings together diverse views on the roles of membranes and lipids in biology. It’ll be an exciting, interdisciplinary event — registration is now open! 👇

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Mandy Jeske @mandyjeske.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Excited to share our new @narjournal.bsky.social paper! Using ReLo and AlphaFold, we described a network of interactions between Drosophila piRNA pathway factors suggesting new links how they coordinate to ensure transposon silencing and genome integrity. academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

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Dimova Lab @dimovalab.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

🎉 Congratulations to the winners of the Best Poster Awards at #BiomembraneDays2025 sponsored by @lipotype.bsky.social 🏆Manpreet Kaur (with @fabiololicato.com &W. Nickel) 🏆Jana Kroll (@janakroll.bsky.social @mdc-berlin.bsky.social) 🏆Ha Ngoc Anh Nguyen (with @jamessaenz.bsky.social) 🚀Science rocks!

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Deutsche Gesellschaft für Biophysik e.V. (DGfB) @dgfb.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

❗Hello Bluesky World❗ 🚀 Excited to share that the German Biophysics Society (DGfB) is now on social! We bring together scientists at the interface of physics, chemistry & biology! Stay tuned for news, events & meetings! ✨

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Yasin Dagdas @plantophagy.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Now @bzh-hd.bsky.social Jonathan Friedman is talking in #mitochondria organization

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 16/09/2025

🚨 Preprint Alert 🚨 #LipidTime Excited to share our new preprint! 🎉 We propose a hypothesis for how FGF2 crosses the plasma membrane — a mechanism that may reflect a general principle of membrane remodeling. 🔑 Key idea: Non-bilayer lipid accumulation alters membrane properties, driving remodeling.

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 22/08/2025

Thrilled to have contributed to this amazing work! Thanks for having us on board 🙌 Huge shoutout to our super-talented postdoc #MelanieKönig for her outstanding efforts 💫. And big congratulations to everyone involved in this terrific team effort! 🎉 @sfb1638.bsky.social @bzh-hd.bsky.social

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 21/07/2025

A bit late—but better late than never! Honored to present my work at #EBSA2025 in Rome a few weeks ago. I first attended EBSA in 2017 in Edinburgh and haven’t missed one since. This year in Rome—my first home—was especially meaningful. 🇮🇹 Already looking forward to Berlin 2027—my new home! 🇩🇪

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Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center @bzh-hd.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Looking for a PhD position? The Schuck lab has an opening for a student interested in finding out how human cells control the size of their endoplasmic reticulum. Please visit www.bzh.uni-heidelberg.de/schuck and navigate to 'Open Positions'.

bzh.uni-heidelberg.de

Universit�t Heidelberg - BZH

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Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center @bzh-hd.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Do you want to become our colleague? We are looking to fill a part-time (50%) permanent position for a Technical Laboratory Assistant, starting September 15, 2025. See below for further details on the role and responsibilities 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 22/05/2025

It was an honor and a real pleasure to be the first speaker at the inaugural @bitsinbio.bsky.social meetup in Berlin!A fantastic opportunity to share my past work and future research directions with such an inspiring and engaged audience! Huge thanks to @instadeep.bsky.social for making it happen!

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SFB1638 @sfb1638.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Just back from the Jacques Monod Conference on Membrane Remodeling in Roscoff—an inspiring trip for Sebastian Schuck and Michael Meinecke (@meineckelab)! We had exciting science, engaged in inspiring discussions, and enjoyed the stunning setting. There’s nothing quite like membrane research.

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 07/05/2025

If you’re in vibrant Berlin next Friday, May 16, come to visit me! I’ll be giving a talk on how computer simulations help us understand lipid-driven membrane remodeling events! Plus, word has it there will be pizza and drinks after the talks! 🍕🍻 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 lu.ma/gcrpy5fg

lu.ma

Chips & Cells: Advancing discoveries in cell membrane biology through AI & physics-based computational methods · Luma

Join us for the inaugural Bits in Bio meetup in Berlin! ✨ We’re bringing together curious minds at the intersection of biology, software, and big data —…

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Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center @bzh-hd.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

The Schuck lab is looking for a PhD student or postdoc who is keen to understand how cells control organelle size and shape. For more information, please visit www.bzh.uni-heidelberg.de/schuck and have a look at 'open positions’.

bzh.uni-heidelberg.de

Universität Heidelberg - BZH

Diese Seite verwendet Frames. Frames werden von Ihrem Browser aber nicht unterstützt. Gehen Sie direkt zu https://bzh.db-engine.de/group/80/sebastian%20schuck

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 22/04/2025

This work is the result of a shared @dfg.de grant between @walter-nickel-bzh.bsky.social and me, carried out by our joint PhD student @manpreet0700.bsky.social at @uniheidelberg.bsky.social @bzh-hd.bsky.social . A great team effort! 🙌

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 22/04/2025

FGF2 secretion depends on PI(4,5)P₂ asymmetry across the plasma membrane. Disrupting this asymmetry with exogenous PI(4,5)P₂ blocks FGF2 translocation—an effect that reverses as cells restore asymmetry over time

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 22/04/2025

To quantify FGF2 translocation kinetics, we developed a new single-cell confocal assay. Following doxycycline induction, we removed surface FGF2-GFP with heparin wash and tracked its rapid reappearance—capturing a fresh wave of secretion at different incubation times

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 22/04/2025

If our hypothesis holds, disrupting PI(4,5)P₂ asymmetry in cells should slow FGF2 translocation. To test this, @manpreet0700.bsky.social introduced PI(4,5)P₂ micelles in the media—enriching the outer leaflet and disturbing the natural asymmetry. And yes, it made a difference.

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 22/04/2025

Cells vs. reconstitution systems: Asymmetric PI(4,5)P₂ distribution in living cells accelerates FGF2 translocation—something symmetric GUVs can’t replicate. But when we enzymatically introduced asymmetry into GUVs, the magic finally happened 🪄🎩🐇

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Fabio Lolicato @fabiololicato.com · 22/04/2025

FGF2 translocates in 200ms in cells—but takes ~1hr in reconstitution systems. What drives this rapid kinetics in cells? 🏃‍♂️⏩⏩ Many auxiliary factors are missing in reconstituted systems. We pinpoint transbilayer PI(4,5)P₂ asymmetry as a key contributor to efficient membrane translocation.

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