Mikhail Savitski
The Power List 2018
Mikhail Savitski
Team Leader and Head of Proteomics Core Facility, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany.
Early inspiration
My parents have PhDs in physics and always explained any questions I had in a fun and entertaining way. That drove me to seek out a path where conversations like this are the norm, and where the questions never stop.
Research
We study protein–drug, protein–metabolite, and protein–protein interactions, as well as regulation of disordered proteins, in the context of cellular perturbations and fundamental biological processes such as the cell cycle. To achieve that, we develop and apply novel proteomics technologies for measuring proteome-wide thermal stability and solubility.
Greatest achievement
To have developed a novel proteomics technology – thermal proteome profiling – that enables unbiased assessment of protein–drug interactions inside a living cell. Furthermore, we have shown that this technology uncovers a wealth of new biology in fundamental processes, such as the eukaryotic cell cycle.
Scientific heroes
Alexander Makarov, the inventor of the Orbitrap mass spectrometer. His work has transformed the proteomics field. He is also an incredibly good person and a great inspiration for people in the field.
Nominator comment:“Mikhail has made numerous groundbreaking contributions to the field of proteomics. In particular, thermal proteome profiling has had a significant impact on drug discovery.”
