Patrick Cramer is a chemist and structural molecular biologist. His research group studies the mechanisms of gene transcription and regulation in eukaryotic cells.
Cramer pioneered the structural analysis of eukaryotic RNA polymerases – large, multiprotein assemblies that use DNA as a template to synthesize complementary RNA chains. His team also developed experimental and computational methods for studying transcription and its regulation genome-wide, arriving at the fundamental mechanisms that cells use to express their genes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Cramer's team visualized the replication of the coronavirus genome and unraveled the mechanisms used by antiviral drugs to interfere with viral RNA polymerase function.
Patrick Cramer has received numerous awards, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, the Ernst Jung Prize, the Louis Jeantet Prize and the Shaw Prize. He is a member of the Leopoldina, the US National Academy of Sciences and the European Molecular Biology Organization.
Professional position
- President, Max Planck Society
- Director, Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Max Planck Society
Subject groups
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Chemistry
Chemistry, biological
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Molecules of Life
Biochemistry and molecular biology, Biophysics and structural biology
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Health and Human Sciences
Molecular medicine
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Other
Public engagement, Publications, Science policy, Scientific information provision
