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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Dr. Sebastian E. Brauchi
Dr. Sebastian E. Brauchi
Principal Investigator · Head of Department
PEW Fellow · ANID & HFSP Investigator
Universidad Austral de Chile

"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

We advanced TRP channel biophysics from our original reports on their allosteric nature, to the description of pore–ligand coupling and an evolutionarily conserved family signature by using a unique blend of electrophysiology, single-molecule imaging, mutagenesis, fluorescent amino acids, and bioinformatics.

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 in an attempt to unveil basic principles of organellar functional entanglement

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

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

Phylogenetics Structural Bio TRPV Evolution Plant Biology
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Tools for Scientific Research

Committed to open science, our laboratory develops and freely shares tools, protocols, and code. Our contributions include orthogonal enzymes, probes for local H⁺ exiting cells, imaging protocols for single-molecule approaches and organellar voltage, as well as analysis code and laboratory equipment blueprints—all available on 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 · ANID & 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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Brauchi-Lab & Friends

Lab Over the Years

Almost two decades of curiosity-driven science.

A Fantastic Trip

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Peer-reviewed research

Featured Research

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Principal Investigator

Dr. Sebastian Brauchi — Principal Investigator, BrauchiLab

Quick Info

  • 🎓PhD Molecular & Cellular Biology - Biophysics
  • 🏛️Instituto de Fisiología, UACh, Valdivia
  • 🏆PEW Fellow
  • 🌐ANID & HFSP Investigator
  • 👤Head of Department
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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. Since 20245 serves as Head of Department.

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 Membrane Biophysics
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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