The Centre for Membrane Pumps in Cells and Disease - PUMPKIN is a highly interdisciplinary research centre funded by the Danish National Research Foundation.

Under the direction of Professor Poul Nissen, the centre analyses the structure and function of P-type ATPases, a family of ion pumps that are found in all cells of various bacteria, plants and animals. These enzymes serve a wide range of functions. They pump acid into the stomach, they maintain the salt balance, and they are the wall plugs that allow nerve cells to communicate with electric currents. In short, they are of vital importance for cell function. Even a partial reduction of activity can lead to diseases and termination makes life impossible.

In 2007 researchers at the centre published the structures of three P-type ATPases: A sodium potassium pump, a proton pump, and a calcium pump (Nature, 13 December).

Many drugs act on these pumps, e.g. some types of heart and ulcer drugs. The research at the PUMPKIN centre will lead to greater knowledge of the pumps, which will allow new and better drugs to be developed. PUMPKIN covers the life science spectrum from protein crystallography where the position of the individual atoms in the pumps are determined, to mouse models where the pump genes are manipulated in order to study the significance of the pumps in live animals.