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

›› open the website of Anthony A. Hyman in a new tab

PoL Groups

Ellen Adams

Research Group Leader

Physical Chemistry of Biomolecular Condensates

hired by PoL

›› visit the website of Ellen Adams Group

Simon Alberti

TUD BIOTEC | Professor for Cellular Biochemistry

Organization of cytoplasm across space and time

›› open the website of Simon Alberti Group in a new tab

Jan Brugués

Chair of Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures

Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures

hired by PoL

›› visit the website of Jan Brugués Group

Stefan Diez

TUD B CUBE | Professor for BioNano Tools

Molecular transport in cell biology and nanotechnology

›› open the website of Stefan Diez Group in a new tab

Benjamin Friedrich

Heisenberg Professor for Biological Algorithms

Biological Algorithms: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Cells and Tissues

hired by PoL

›› visit the website of Benjamin Friedrich Group

Stephan W. Grill

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

Physics of Life

›› open the website of Stephan W. Grill Group in a new tab

Alf O. Honigmann

TUD BIOTEC | Professor for Biophysics

Membrane Organization of Cells and Tissues

›› open the website of Alf O. Honigmann Group in a new tab

Anthony A. Hyman

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

Organization of Cytoplasm

›› open the website of Anthony A. Hyman Group in a new tab

Marcus Jahnel

Research Group Leader

Dynamics of Biomolecules

hired by PoL

›› visit the website of Marcus Jahnel Group

Nils Kröger

TUD B CUBE | Professor for Biomimetic Materials

From Molecular Mechanisms of Biomineralization and Bioadhesion to Applications in Nanobiotechnology

›› open the website of Nils Kröger Group in a new tab

Michael Schlierf

TUD B CUBE | Professor for Molecular Biophysics

Conformational changes in biomolecules and enzymes

›› open the website of Michael Schlierf Group in a new tab

Jens-Uwe Sommer

IPF | Professor for Theory of Polymers at Interfaces

Theoretical Polymer Physics

›› open the website of Jens-Uwe Sommer Group in a new tab

Dora Tang

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Dynamic protocellular systems

›› open the website of Dora Tang Group in a new tab

Marc Timme

TUD | Professor for Network Dynamics

Network Dynamics

›› open the website of Marc Timme Group in a new tab

Ágnes Tóth-Petróczy

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Protein plasticity and evolution

›› open the website of Ágnes Tóth-Petróczy Group in a new tab

Associates and Affiliates

Karim Fahmy

HZDR | Head of the Biophysics Division

Structural basis of biological switches and biomolecular recognition

›› open the website of Karim Fahmy Group in a new tab

Arash Nikoubashman

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

Theory of Bio-inspired polymers

›› open the website of Arash Nikoubashman Group in a new tab

Anna Poetsch

TUD BIOTEC, NCT, CSBD | Research Group Leader

Biomedical Genomics

›› open the website of Anna Poetsch Group in a new tab

Yael Politi

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

Chitin-based biological materials and biomineralization

›› open the website of Yael Politi Group in a new tab

Michele Solimena

TUD PLID, HMGU | Professor for Molecular Diabetology

Cell Biology of Pancreatic Beta Cells

›› open the website of Michele Solimena Group in a new tab

Axel Voigt

TUD | Professor for Scientific Computing and Applied Mathematics

Mathematical Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Cells and Systems

›› open the website of Axel Voigt Group in a new tab

Alexander von Appen

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Structural Self-Organization of Membranous Organelles

›› open the website of Alexander von Appen Group in a new tab

Christoph Zechner

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Adaptive Biosystems

›› open the website of Christoph Zechner Group in a new tab

Yixin Zhang

TUD B CUBE | Professor for Biomolecular Interaction

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

›› open the website of Yixin Zhang Group in a new tab