Otto Warburg Medal
Targeting, Tethering, and Talking: Membranes Beyond Barriers

Maya Schuldiner

Weizmann Institute of Science, Dept. of Molecular Genetics, Meyer Bldg. Room 122, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel, maya.schuldiner@weizmann.ac.il

Organelles are the fundamental building blocks of eukaryotic life, providing specialized environments for biochemical reactions, signaling, and cellular homeostasis. Despite decades of research, many of the proteins that shape organelle structure, regulate their function, and maintain their dynamic balance remain uncharacterized. Functional genomics offers a transformative approach to this challenge by systematically linking genes to organelle biology through unbiased, large-scale analyses. By combining genetic perturbations with imaging, proteomics, and metabolic profiling, functional genomics enables the discovery of novel organelle factors and the delineation of pathways underlying their biogenesis, communication, and turnover. In my talk, I will discuss how we have utilized high-content screens to uncover new concepts in organelle function, reshaping our ability to chart the molecular landscape of organelles and providing critical insights into their integration within the cell and their impact on health and disease.

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