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

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PoL Groups

Elias Barriga

Research Group Leader

Biophysical Mechanisms of Morphogenesis

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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Otger Campàs

Chair of Tissue Dynamics

Physics of Embryonic Self-Organization and Morphogenesis

hired by PoL

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Christian Dahmann

TUD | Professor for Systems Biology and Genetics

Signals and mechanics in epithelial morphogenesis

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Stefan Diez

TUD B CUBE | Professor for BioNano Tools

Molecular transport in cell biology and nanotechnology

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Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich

Heisenberg Professor for Mechanics of Active Biomaterials

Mechanics of Active Biomaterials

hired by PoL

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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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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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Francis Stewart

TUD BIOTEC | Professor for Genomics

Epigenetic regulation and genomic engineering

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Dora Tang

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Dynamic protocellular systems

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Ágnes Tóth-Petróczy

MPI-CBG | Research Group Leader

Protein plasticity and evolution

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Xingbo Yang

Research Group Leader

Bioenergetics of Self-Organization

hired by PoL

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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

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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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Ünal Coskun

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

Membrane Biochemistry of Cell Signaling

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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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Christina Kurzthaler

MPI-PKS, CSBD | Research Group Leader

Transport and Flows in Complex Environments

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Marko Popović

MPI-PKS, CSBD | Research Group Leader

Order and disorder in driven systems

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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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Yixin Zhang

TUD B CUBE | Professor for Biomolecular Interaction

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

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