Bayer Pharmaceuticals Promotion Prize Awarded to Verena Cmentowsk

The German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology honours MPI researcher for outstanding doctoral thesis

The German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM e.V.) has awarded Verena Cmentowski the Bayer Pharmaceuticals Promotion Prize 2026. The €1 500‑prize recognises her PhD work in Prof. Andrea Musacchio’s group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology in Dortmund, entitled “Dissecting the molecular mechanisms of corona assembly and CENP-E kinetochore recruitment”

In her doctoral research, Verena Cmentowski addressed a central question of cell division: How does the so-called kinetochore corona, a transient yet indispensable protein network required for the accurate segregation of chromosomes, arise? This structure forms only at the onset of mitosis and ensures that chromosomes are precisely aligned and subsequently separated correctly. Verena Cmentowski demonstrated that the motor protein CENP-E, which moves along spindle fibers, plays a far more fundamental role than previously assumed. Rather than merely influencing chromosome alignment, CENP-E actively contributes to the assembly of the corona—an insight that significantly advances the current understanding of this structure.
 

Additionally, she showed that the assembly of the corona is governed by only two central initiation sites within the kinetochore. Of particular importance is the enzyme BUB1, previously known primarily for its role in cell cycle control and also recognized for its involvement in cancer development. Verena Cmentowski was able to demonstrate that several key protein complexes—including components of the corona as well as proteins of the mitotic checkpoint—compete for the same binding site on BUB1. This competition constitutes a crucial mechanism for preventing errors in chromosome segregation. Her findings provide a clearer understanding of how cell division is safeguarded and how disruptions in this process can lead to severe developmental defects or cancer.
 

Verena Cmentowski studied Medical Biology at the University of Duisburg-Essen (B.Sc. and M.Sc.). Following a research stay at the University of California, Berkeley, she completed her doctorate in the group of Andrea Musacchio at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund. Since 2025, she has been working as a scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge, UK.