A living cell is a complex system in which a large number of different molecules combine and interact to generate complex structures and functions. One of the main sub-cellular systems that organize the cell interior is the microtubule cytoskeleton. With the help of other molecules, microtubules self-organize into complex (and often very beautiful) dynamic structures, such as the mitotic spindle and roads for intracellular traffic. The key molecules involved include tubulin and proteins that can nucleate, crosslink, bundle, move, slide, stabilize, and destabilize microtubules. Although their basic properties are known, it is not understood how they assemble to generate diverse supra-molecular architectures and functions at different times during the cell cycle.

We are a team of biologists and (bio)physicists investigating the dynamics of spatial order inside the cell. We use the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a model system because it has a simple symmetrical cell shape, a small number of microtubules, and highly developed genetics. We combine experimental methods (confocal and two-photon microscopy, laser ablations, optical tweezers, yeast genetics) and theoretical research at the interface of physics and biology. We collaborate closely with the theory groups of Frank Jülicher and Thilo Gross at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS) in Dresden.

In 2009, Marcus Anhäuser received the Dresden Journalist in Residence Fellowship of the three Dresden Max Planck Institutes. At the MPI-CBG, he was hosted by the lab of Iva Tolic-Nørrelykke and wrote a daily online science blog about their work entitled Lab Diary.