Göttinger Graduiertenzentrum für Neurowissenschaften, Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften

Dr. Maxim Igaev *



  • 2006–2012 Student of Physics, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
  • 2012–2016 PhD Thesis in Neurobiology, Faculty of Biology/Chemistry, University of Osnabrück, Germany (with Prof. Dr. Roland Brandt)
  • 2016–2017 Postdoctoral Researcher, Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany (with Prof. Dr. Helmut Grubmüller)
  • 2017-2024 Project Group Leader, Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
  • Since 2024 Guest Scientist, Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
  • 2024-2026 Lecturer, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, UK
  • Since 2026 Senior Lecturer, School of Natural Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, UK




Major Research Interests

Organisms package their genetic material into chromosomes; faithful segregation of these structures through cell division is of vital importance. Eukaryotic chromosomes are separated in mitosis by the spindle apparatus, with a central role of microtubule filaments. Microtubule attachment to the spindle occurs through the kinetochore, a large protein structure located on the chromosomes. Mistakes in the attachment and microtubule-driven separation can occur, and if not corrected, they lead to aneuploidy – a common cause of genetic birth defects, miscarriage and infertility.
These diseases are often due to changes in the way microtubules assemble and disassemble, for example, caused by genetic mutations or pathological environment. However, by far not all molecular aspects behind microtubule assembly are understood at the moment.
My project group is interested in both cytoskeletal and computational biophysics. We use exascale atomistic and coarse-grained simulations to understand from first principles the complex self-assembly of microtubule filaments responsible for organization, transport and division in cells. The overarching question of our research is: What is the mechanochemical cycle of tubulin, the elementary building block of microtubules?




Homepage Department / Research Group

https://www.mpinat.mpg.de/grubmueller/microtubules
https://www.mpinat.mpg.de/grubmueller/densityfitting


Selected Recent Publications


  • Kalutskii, M., Wilson, C. J., Grubmüller,H., Igaev, M. (2026). Improving conformational ensembles of folded proteins in GōMartini. J. Chem. Theory Comput. 22(5): 2369-2379

  • Kalutskii, M., Grubmüller,H., Volkov, V. A., and Igaev, M. (2025). Microtubule dynamics are defined by conformations and stability of clustered protofilaments. PNAS 122(22): e2424263122

  • Bock, L. V., Igaev, M. and Grubmüller, H. (2024). Single-particle cryo-EM and molecular dynamics simulations: A perfect match. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 86: 102825

  • Igaev, M. * and Grubmüller, H.* (2022). Bending-torsional elasticity and energetics of the plus-end microtubule tip. PNAS, 119(12): e2115516119 (*co-corresponding authors)

  • Jahnke, K., Grubmüller,H., Igaev, M.* and Göpfrich, K. * (2021). Choice of fluorophore affects dynamic DNA nanostructures. Nucleic Acid Res. 49(7): 4186-4195 (*co-last, co-corresponding authors)

  • Igaev, M.* and Grubmüller, H. * (2020). Microtubule instability driven by longitudinal and lateral strain propagation. PLoS Comp. Biol. 16(9): e1008132 (*co-corresponding authors)

  • Igaev, M.*, Kutzner, C., Bock, L. V., Vaiana, A.C* and Grubmüller, H.* (2019). Automated cryo-EM structure refinement using correlation-driven molecular dynamics. eLife 8: e43542 (*co-corresponding authors)

  • Igaev, M.* and Grubmüller, H.* (2018). Microtubule assembly governed by tubulin allosteric gain in flexibility and lattice induced fit. eLife 7: e34353 (*co-corresponding authors)