The Intelligent Infusions Speakers

Philipp Hanisch is an accomplished scientist with extensive expertise in membrane protein expression, purification, cell biology, microscopy, and product development. Currently serving as the Head of Laboratory at Cube Biotech GmbH in Monheim am Rhein, Germany, Philipp leads a dynamic team in driving innovative solutions in protein science. Prior to his current role, he held positions as a Senior Scientist and Postdoctoral Researcher, contributing significantly to the advancement of Cubes copolymer service platform.
Philipp holds a Doctor rer nat. (Ph.D.) in Biology from Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, where he graduated magna cum laude from the CRC1208 - Identity and Dynamics of Membrane Systems. Since his master thesis he worked on chlamydial polymorphic membrane proteins (Pmps), CPn0677 and the Lipid Internalization Promoting Protein (LipP), biochemically analysing the targets and identifying human interaction partners.
In addition to his scientific pursuits, Philipp has also served as a Freelance Consultant for Orientation and Personal Development, showcasing his versatility and dedication to personal growth and mentorship.

Dr. Michael Erkelenz, currently employed as a chemist at Cube Biotech, has an academic and professional background in physical chemistry, with a specialization in nano-biophotonics.
Commencing in October 2017, he initiated his doctoral research at the University of Duisburg-Essen, focusing on pioneering developments in advanced plasmonic DNA nanostructures within the NanoBioPhotonics field. Throughout this period, he conducted extensive work in the synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of gold nanoparticles for applications in immune-based theranostics, culminating in December 2021.
His academic journey commenced with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, General, from Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, graduating in 2015. This followed the successful completion of a Master of Science in Medical Biology at the the University of Duisburg-Essen from 2015 to 2017. Finally, he obtained his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the same institution between 2017 and 2021.
Throughout his academic pursuits, he actively participated in various academic societies and research initiatives, notably contributing as a member of Collaborative Research Center.
Armed with a robust understanding of physical chemistry and extensive expertise in nanoparticle synthesis and characterization, Michael Erkelenz remains dedicated to advancing biofunctionalized particle technologies at Cube Biotech.

Luis Real Hernandez obtained his master’s degree at The Ohio State University where he focused on analyzing the interfacial behavior of dairy polar lipids. He is currently a biophysics PhD candidate at the University of Virginia studying the lipid environment selectivity of membrane proteins. Currently, he is developing methods to determine the preferred surrounding lipids of membrane proteins using copolymeric nanodiscs.

Dr. Merino obtained his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine Münster working on macromolecular modelling and simulation. He later became an expert in electron cryomicroscopy through his postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology in Dortmund and as a project leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biology in Tübingen. His combined expertise in atomic modeling and cryo-EM has provided him with a unique skill set allowing him to tackle challenging structural biology problems, such as those typically presented by membrane proteins.

Dr Swainsbury’s research centres on structural and functional studies of photosynthetic protein complexes to understand the molecular mechanisms that convert light energy into useful chemical forms. The model membrane proteins that are central to his research have been invaluable to understand the mechanisms by which styrene maleic acid (SMA) copolymers produce lipid nanodiscs containing membrane protein complexes directly from cell membranes. His publications show how SMA retains the biochemical properties that are often lost when removing the protein from its membrane with detergents, how SMA can act as a probe for protein in lipid-rich or protein-rich domains, and most recently how SMA allows the structural characterisation of protein complexes that are labile in detergents to be determined by cryogenic electron microscopy.

Damiatis research is focused on bottom-up synthetic biology to construct artificial cell membranes that mimic the features and behavior of biological ones. Currently, she uses microfluidic technology to construct artificial cell models and drug delivery systems.

Schönbergers research is focused on the development of peptide-based biomolecules that can selectively recognize and separate hypocritical materials. Currently, she is interested in the selective recognition of plastic surfaces by different peptides for the recognition of nano/microplastics as well as the bio-functionalization of plastics.