PoL – Physics of Life | Vision and Research Avenues
We break down the complex task of understanding the principles of dynamic organization of the living state of matter into seven Research Avenues (RAs) that focus on distinct scientific goals, and that support and stimulate each other.
Our research is organized into seven interwoven Research Avenues (RAs), illustrated as a horizontal and vertical meshwork. In each RA, we explore a key biological question and reveal how physical principles enable biological function and robustness. The first three RAs (RA 1–3) investigate the spatiotemporal organization of living matter at multicellular, cellular, and molecular scales. We also focus on a greater understanding of the “Physics of Life” by identifying the physical principles underlying structure and function, creating new experimental techniques for physical measurements, and building synthetic systems to understand self-organization and reconstitute function (RA 4–6). Finally, computational approaches will be implemented across the RAs, to complement experimental and theoretical methods (RA7).
Tissue and organ formation is governed by hierarchical processes that depend on morphology, topology, and various physical and chemical characteristics, with collective cellular behaviors often driving qualitative changes in tissue states. We aim to reveal the physical principles behind the emergence of functional structures in living tissues.
Cells form membraneless compartments, like biological condensates, often through liquid-liquid phase separation, but the link between these physical principles and molecular mechanisms remains unclear. We aim to understand the physical basis of membraneless compartment formation in cells, revealing how distinct biomolecular condensates are robustly generated and controlled through the physics of active droplets and soft matter.
Cellular functions rely on subcellular structures like the nucleus and mitotic spindle, which arise from the collective interactions of numerous molecular components. We aim to uncover the physical principles of molecular self-organization that lead to the emergence of active and functional cytoskeletal and chromatin structures.
Living matter is defined by robust emergence of biological structure and function, arising from coordinated fluxes of mass, energy, and information all operating far from thermodynamic equilibrium. We aim to reveal the physical principles underpinning the emergent dynamic organization of the living state of matter by developing a theoretical framework that integrates metabolism, information processing, and cross-scale feedback into active matter theory.
Understanding self-organization in living systems requires quantitative measurements of physical quantities, but current methods are limited in their accuracy, control, and invasiveness within living systems. We aim to develop or extend technologies for measuring previously unquantifiable physical quantities within intact living systems, including electrical fields, and material properties, alongside smart robotic microscopy and AI-based methods.
Studying intact living systems can be complemented by an engineering approach that reconstitutes and controls fundamental biological modules in vitro, allowing for the exploration of diverse dynamical states and emergent properties. We aim to build synthetic or reconstituted systems that reproduce functional modules of living systems at molecular, cellular, and tissue scales to reveal the physical principles of life.
Data analysis and computational modeling are crucial for connecting theory and experiments to understand living systems, particularly for generating hypotheses, interpreting data, and testing physical theories. We aim to develop novel data analysis, machine learning, and scientific computing methods, to study the complexity of living systems by integrating theory-driven numerical simulations with data-driven inference.