Eugen Graetz Award for Heike Rampelt

The biochemist was awarded the prize for two research studies on “New organizing principles of the mitochondrial inner membrane”. The research of Dr. Heike Rampelt described an unexpected level of communication between two membrane complexes that are central to the characteristic architecture of the inner mitochondrial membrane, namely mitochondrial ATP synthase and a subunit of the MICOS complex. It was found that this newly characterized interaction plays an important role in efficient metabolic adaptation of the cell and in mitochondrial physiology. In addition, the team around Dr. Rampelt has discovered a novel, multifunctional protein-lipid complex called MIMAS, which brings together metabolite carriers, various enzymes, and assembly factors of the respiratory chain complexes. MIMAS thus represents a previously unknown organizational principle for proteins of the inner membrane and integrates functions in mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism.

The award, established by Eugen Graetz, honorary senator of the University of Freiburg, is awarded alternately for research work from the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy.

Overview of facts:

Rampelt H, Wollweber F, Licheva M, de Boer R, Perschil I, Steidle L, Becker T, Bohnert M, van der Klei I, Kraft C, van der Laan M, Pfanner N. (2022) Dual role of Mic10 in mitochondrial cristae organization and ATP synthase-linked metabolic adaptation and respiratory growth. Cell Rep. 38, 110290.

Horten P, Song K, Garlich J, Hardt R, Colina-Tenorio L, Horvath SE, Schulte U, Fakler B, van der Laan M, Becker T, Stuart RA, Pfanner N, Rampelt H (2024) Identification of MIMAS, a multifunctional mega-assembly integrating metabolic and respiratory biogenesis factors of mitochondria. Cell Rep. 43, 113772.

The studies were performed in collaboration with the University of Freiburg research groups of Prof. Dr. Claudine Kraft and Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Pfanner (Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) and Prof. Dr. Bernd Fakler and Dr. Uwe Schulte (Institute of Physiology), as well as with Prof. Dr. Rosemary A. Stuart (Marquette University), Prof. Dr. Martin van der Laan (Saarland University), Prof. Dr. Thomas Becker (Bonn University) and Prof. Dr. Ida van der Klei (University of Groningen).

The Eugen Graetz Award was presented to Dr. Rampelt by Rector Prof. Dr. Kerstin Krieglstein at the official opening of the 2025/2026 academic year.

Dr. Heike Rampelt