BrauchiLab · UACh Instituto de Fisiología  ·  Valdivia, Chile
Universidad Austral de Chile · Instituto de Fisiología

BrauchiLab

for Cellular Biophysics

We study how cells sense and respond to their environment at the molecular level — from temperature to pain, from membrane channels to organellar signaling.

Our work bridges electrophysiology, biophysics, and cutting-edge imaging to understand the activation and modulation of molecular sensors, the evolution of ion transport proteins, and the role of intracellular ion channels in cellular physiology.

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"Science powered by curiosity — understanding how molecular sensors detect environmental signals and how cells encode their context."

— BrauchiLab · Valdivia, Chile —

Latest from the lab

News & Highlights

All on ResearchGate ↗
GCR1 is a canonical GPCR in plants
2026 · New Publication

Canonical G-protein coupled receptors of vascular plants

Landmark paper in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry — identify GCR1 as the sole canonical GPCR in vascular plants.

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Evolutionary bioinformatics study
2025 · Publication

Evolutionary bioinformatics identifies GPR89 as LIMR superfamily member

Published in Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, this study uses structural bioinformatics to place GPR89 in a conserved protein superfamily.

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Lysosome membrane potential imaging
2024 · Publication

Optical recordings of organellar membrane potentials in lysosomes

Published in The Journal of Physiology — reveals lysosomal membrane conductance components using novel optical approaches in living cells.

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What we do

Research Areas

Our work spans molecular biophysics, electrophysiology, evolutionary biology, and advanced imaging — united by a fascination with how bioelectrical signals work in coordination.

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TRP Channel Gating and Modulation

Our work has advanced TRP channel biophysics since our original reports on their allosteric nature. Using single-molecule imaging, standard mutagenesis and genetically encoded fluorescent amino acids, we uncovered coupling between the pore and ligand binding. Recent structural analyses revealed an evolutionarily conserved signature for the TRP channel family.

TRPV1 TRPM8 TRPA1 PIP2 Gating Allosteric Activation
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Intracellular Ion Channels

Beyond the plasma membrane — we explore ion channels in lysosomes, the ER, and other organelles. We develop optical sensors to image organellar membrane potentials in living cells in real time.

Organelles Lysosomes ER Optical Sensors
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Evolution of Ion Channels and Electrical Signaling

We are interested in evolution of membrane proteins across the tree of life, from unicellular eukaryotes to mammals. We have been interested in exploring the role of electrical signals in mammalian cells, single celled eukaryotes, the root hairs of plants, and in cold-resistant insects.

Phylogenetics Structural Bio TRPV Evolution Plant Biology
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Tools for Scientific Research

Our laboratory invests efforts in providing tools and experimental protocols and making them available to the community. We have designed enzymes, probes to follow local H⁺ exiting cells, and developed imaging protocols for single molecule approaches and to image organellar voltage. The laboratory generates code for analysis and blueprints for laboratory equipment, all available through Github.

Open Source Imaging Protocols GitHub Lab Equipment
Open Positions

We need a hand — or two!

We are always looking for highly motivated PhD students and postdoctoral researchers excited about cellular biophysics, ion channels, and cutting-edge imaging techniques. Curiosity is the only prerequisite.

Get in Touch → Meet the Team →
How we work

Techniques & Approaches

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Patch-Clamp Electrophysiology
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Fluorescence Microscopy
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Molecular Biology & Mutagenesis
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Computational Bioinformatics
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Unnatural Amino Acid Encoding
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Thermodynamic Analysis
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Cell Culture & Transfection
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Optical pH & Voltage Sensors
Acknowledgements

Funding & Support

Our research is made possible by the generous support of national and international funding agencies and institutions.

Pew Charitable Trusts
Pew Charitable Trusts
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
HHMI
CORFO
CORFO
Human Frontier Science Program
HFSP
Seeding Labs
Seeding Labs
ANID – Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo
ANID
The people

Our Team

BrauchiLab brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds united by curiosity about how cells work at the molecular level.

Dr. Sebastian Brauchi
Dr. Sebastian E. Brauchi
Principal Investigator
Head of Department · PhD
PEW Fellow · HFSP Investigator
ResearchGate ↗
CQ
Camila Quercia, MSc
Evolutionary Biologyst
Lab Manager & Research Associate
FF
Deny Cabezas, PhD
Ion Channel Biophysicist
Postdoctoral Researcher
FF
Valentina Fernandez, PhD
Plant Physiologyst
Postdoctoral Researcher
LR
Luka Robeson, MSc
Single Molecule Biophysicist
Graduate Student
VV
Vicente Vega
Microscopist
Research Assistant
IC
Ignacio Castro
Informatic Engineer
Graduate Student
AN
Alvaro Navarro
Informatic Engineer
High-Performance Computing & AI development
MD
Marcelo Delgado
Lab Technician
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Open Position
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History

Lab Over the Years

Almost two decades of curiosity-driven science.

Lab Lab Lab Lab Lab Lab Lab Lab Lab Lab

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Peer-reviewed research

Featured Research

Full list and open access @ ResearchGate ↗
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Principal Investigator

Dr. Sebastian Brauchi — Principal Investigator, BrauchiLab

Quick Info

  • 🎓PhD Molecular & Cellular Biology — UACh, 2006
  • 🏛️Instituto de Fisiología, UACh, Valdivia
  • 🏆PEW Fellow
  • 🌐ANID & HFSP Investigator
  • 👤Head of Department
Universidad Austral de Chile
View ResearchGate Profile ↗

Dr. Sebastian E. Brauchi

Principal Investigator · Head of Department · Instituto de Fisiología · Universidad Austral de Chile

Dr. Brauchi received his degree in Biochemistry in 2001 from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile, where he worked on olfactory physiology with Dr. Juan G. Reyes.

In 2006, he received his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, studying the biophysics of thermoTRP channels under the supervision of Dr. Ramón Latorre.

Dr. Brauchi was awarded a PEW Fellowship and conducted his postdoctoral training with Dr. David E. Clapham at Harvard Medical School, where he worked on TRPM7's role in cholinergic vesicle fusion.

Sebastian joined the Instituto de Fisiología at Universidad Austral de Chile as an Investigator in 2008 and currently serves as Head of Department. To date his lab has produced near 80+ peer-reviewed publications with 3,000+ citations, appearing in journals such as Cell, PNAS, eLife, Science Advances, Nature Communications, and The Plant Cell.

Areas of Expertise

Electrophysiology Ion Channel Biophysics TRP Channels Intracellular Signaling Fluorescence Imaging Cell Biology Bioinformatics Molecular Biology Evolutionary Biology

Career Timeline

2008 – Present
Investigator & Head of Department
Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
2006 – 2008
Postdoctoral Fellow (PEW Fellowship)
Harvard Medical School — Laboratory of Dr. David E. Clapham
2006
Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology
Universidad Austral de Chile — Supervisor: Dr. Ramón Latorre
2001
Degree in Biochemistry
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso — Olfactory physiology, Dr. Juan G. Reyes
Let's collaborate

Contact

Interested in collaborations, student positions, or have questions about our research? We'd love to hear from you.

Laboratory Address

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BrauchiLab for Cellular Biophysics
Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina
Universidad Austral de Chile
Valdivia, Chile
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www.uach.cl
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ResearchGate Profile

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