Professor Akihiko Nakano is a cell biologist/biochemist with a particular interest in the molecular mechanisms of protein sorting during membrane trafficking and of carrier formation in the trafficking pathways. He explores the roles of membrane trafficking in many aspects of basic biology and life sciences, as well as super-resolution live imaging microscopy and its application. His work on the Golgi cisternal maturation is viewed as a monumental milestone in the field, not least as it helped to settle a big debate about the transport mechanisms in the Golgi apparatus and led to a rewriting of major cell biology textbooks. His group works on several different model systems, using yeast, plant and animal cells.
Professor Jaakko Saraste is a cell biologist/morphologist with a long-term interest in membrane trafficking along the secretory pathway. He is famous for his discovery of the intermediate compartment (IC or ERGIC) operating between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus and is continuing his investigations on the functional organization of this still enigmatic membrane system. Based on the emerging direct connection between the IC and the endocytic recycling system, he is also interested in the new roles of this compartment in unconventional protein secretion bypassing the Golgi, as well as in cellular egress of coronaviruses.