Research Avenue 2

Compartmentalization of Living Matter

RA2 wants to understand the extent to which the principles of phase separation and phase transitions help in understanding how cells modulate their biochemistry. We aim to have a general understanding of the ways in which phase separation and cellular compartments emerge from physical chemistry and the interaction of individual molecules. How are cellular compartments organized in space and time? How is phase separation and phase transitions controlled inside the cell? How does the cytoskeleton guide compartment formation inside cells? How do protein drops wet cytoskeletal filaments and cell membranes? How do single molecules behave as they form protein droplets? How can active matter physics contribute to our understanding of phase separation of biological molecules? To answer these questions, we will strengthen the current approaches in Dresden by establishing a program in physical chemistry to study the molecular grammar driving phase separation and compositional specificity of cellular condensates.

Research Avenue Leader

Anthony A. Hyman

MPI-CBG | Director of MPI-CBG, Professor for Molecular Cell Biology

Organization of Cytoplasm

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PoL Groups

Ellen Adams

Research Group Leader

Physical Chemistry of Biomolecular Condensates

hired by PoL

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Jan Brugués

Chair of Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures

Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures

hired by PoL

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Stefan Diez

TUD B CUBE | Professor for BioNano Tools

Molecular transport in cell biology and nanotechnology

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Benjamin Friedrich

Heisenberg Professor for Biological Algorithms

Biological Algorithms: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Cells and Tissues

hired by PoL

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Stephan W. Grill

MPI-CBG | Director of MPI-CBG, Professor for Physics of Life

Physics of Life

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Anthony A. Hyman

MPI-CBG | Director of MPI-CBG, Professor for Molecular Cell Biology

Organization of Cytoplasm

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Marcus Jahnel

Research Group Leader

Dynamics of Biomolecules

hired by PoL

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Nils Kröger

TUD B CUBE | Professor for Biomimetic Materials

From Molecular Mechanisms of Biomineralization and Bioadhesion to Applications in Nanobiotechnology

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Michael Schlierf

TUD B CUBE | Professor for Molecular Biophysics

Conformational changes in biomolecules and enzymes

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Jens-Uwe Sommer

IPF | Professor for Theory of Polymers at Interfaces

Theoretical Polymer Physics

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Dora Tang

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Dynamic protocellular systems

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Marc Timme

TUD | Professor for Network Dynamics

Network Dynamics

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Ágnes Tóth-Petróczy

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Protein plasticity and evolution

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Associates and Affiliates

Simon Alberti

TUD BIOTEC | Professor for Cellular Biochemistry

Organization of cytoplasm across space and time

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Karim Fahmy

HZDR | Head of the Biophysics Division

Structural basis of biological switches and biomolecular recognition

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Alf O. Honigmann

TUD BIOTEC | Professor for Biophysics

Membrane Organization of Cells and Tissues

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Arash Nikoubashman

IPF, TUD Faculty of Physics | Heisenberg Professor for Theory of Biologically Inspired Polymers

Theory of Bio-inspired polymers

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Anna Poetsch

TUD BIOTEC, NCT, CSBD | Research Group Leader

Biomedical Genomics

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Yael Politi

TUD B CUBE, TUD Faculty of Biology | Professor for Bioprospecting

Chitin-based biological materials and biomineralization

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Michele Solimena

TUD PLID, HMGU | Professor for Molecular Diabetology

Cell Biology of Pancreatic Beta Cells

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Axel Voigt

TUD | Professor for Scientific Computing and Applied Mathematics

Mathematical Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Cells and Systems

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Alexander von Appen

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Structural Self-Organization of Membranous Organelles

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Christoph Zechner

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Adaptive Biosystems

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Yixin Zhang

TUD B CUBE | Professor for Biomolecular Interaction

Drug design and screening: from biochemical methods to 3D model system

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