Research Avenue 3

Active Molecular Systems

RA3 objective is to elucidate collective spatiotemporal behaviors of active molecular systems, and to reveal the principles by which active molecular assemblies give rise to dynamic intracellular processes. We aim to obtain a general understanding of the principles by which collectives of active molecules generate intracellular dynamics. How are small molecular changes amplified to cause large-scale events? How does bidirectional transport on cytoskeletal filaments arise from collective molecular processes? What are the collective dynamic behaviors of active intracellular systems that use polymer collapse for force generaion? How do molecular components organize mesoscale cytoskeletal structures like the mitotic spindle and the actomyosin cortex? How does the response of active molecular systems to external forces emerge from the dynamics of their molecular components? How do the dynamics of active molecular systems relate to their supramolecular structure? By combining in vivo and in vitro high-resolution imaging and force manipulation techniques with statistical physics approaches we will close the gap between molecular properties and dynamic mesoscale behaviors in biological processes.

Research Avenue Leader

Stefan Diez

TUD B CUBE | Professor for BioNano Tools

Molecular transport in cell biology and nanotechnology

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

PoL Groups

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

Elias Barriga

Research Group Leader

Biophysical Mechanisms of Morphogenesis

hired by PoL

›› visit the website of Elias Barriga Group

Jan Brugués

Chair of Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures

Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures

hired by PoL

›› visit the website of Jan Brugués Group

Otger Campàs

Chair of Tissue Dynamics

Physics of Embryonic Self-Organization and Morphogenesis

hired by PoL

›› visit the website of Otger Campàs Group

Christian Dahmann

TUD | Professor for Systems Biology and Genetics

Signals and mechanics in epithelial morphogenesis

›› open the website of Christian Dahmann Group in a new tab

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

Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich

Heisenberg Professor for Mechanics of Active Biomaterials

Mechanics of Active Biomaterials

hired by PoL

›› visit the website of Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich Group

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

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

Christina Kurzthaler

MPI-PKS, CSBD | Research Group Leader

Transport and Flows in Complex Environments

›› open the website of Christina Kurzthaler 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

Francis Stewart

TUD BIOTEC | Professor for Genomics

Epigenetic regulation and genomic engineering

›› open the website of Francis Stewart 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

Ágnes Tóth-Petróczy

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Protein plasticity and evolution

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

Xingbo Yang

Research Group Leader

Bioenergetics of Self-Organization

hired by PoL

›› visit the website of Xingbo Yang Group

Marino Zerial

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

Principles of cell and tissue organization: from endocytosis to a systems understanding of liver structure and function

›› open the website of Marino Zerial Group in a new tab

Associates and Affiliates

Ünal Coskun

TUD PLID, TUD Medical Faculty, HMGU | Professor for Membrane Biochemistry and Lipid Research

Membrane Biochemistry of Cell Signaling

›› open the website of Ünal Coskun Group in a new tab

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

Marko Popović

MPI-PKS, CSBD | Research Group Leader

Order and disorder in driven systems

›› open the website of Marko Popović 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

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