Peptide-based pore formation and cell membrane deformation: European Biophysics Journal Prizes at EBSA 2023

The European Biophysics Journal Prizes awarded at the European Biophysical Societies Association (EBSA) Congress in Stockholm in the Summer of 2023 recognised papers published in 2020 and 2021 which made use of multiple complementing experimental, theoretical and computational approaches. One of the winning papers addressed the specific role of arginine residues within antimicrobial and cell-penetrating peptides, in promoting membrane defect stabilisation and pore formation. The other winning paper described the influence of atomic force microscopy probe geometry on the measurement of surface deformability, assessed for investigation of the differing viscoelastic properties of non-malignant and cancerous cells. These papers showcase biophysical science; the importance of combining different experimental, modelling and molecular dynamics methods; and how researchers need to understand the theoretical basis and the limitations of the techniques they use. EBSA warmly congratulates the authors on their work and its subsequent recognition. Publication of these papers also demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the European Biophysics Journal to molecular scale and to systems biophysics, and to support of the international biophysical community.