MPI-CBG News-Feed https://mpi-cbg.de/ Latest News of the MPI-CBG en TYPO3 News Mon, 02 Dec 2024 12:29:19 +0100 Mon, 02 Dec 2024 12:29:19 +0100 TYPO3 EXT:news news-1479 Wed, 27 Nov 2024 10:27:43 +0100 New research division to combine AI and biomedicine in Dresden https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/new-research-division-to-combine-ai-and-biomedicine-in-dresden Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, Max Planck Society, TU Dresden and the Free State of Saxony agree on joint financing of EUR 40 million. Dresden (November 27, 2024) – In the presence of Minister President Michael Kretschmer and Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow, representatives of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, the Max Planck Society, and TUD Dresden University of Technology gathered at the Saxon State Chancellery to sign a contract for the establishment of the innovative research program Biomedical Artificial Intelligence (AI) – BioAI Dresden. 

The non-profit Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is supporting the project with EUR 20 million over a period of ten years, thereby providing half of the EUR 40 million total. The Max Planck Society, TU Dresden and the Free State of Saxony are financing the other half of the project, which aims to facilitate research in the field of biological and biomedical AI. To this end, a new division with two research groups is being established at the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD), an inter-institutional center jointly run by the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPIPKS) and TUD Dresden University of Technology

The new research division will also work in close partnership with the AITHYRA Institute in Vienna, which was established in September 2024 and is also funded by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation. DeepMind Professor Michael Bronstein has been recruited as Founding Director for this unique European Institute devoted to artificial intelligence in the field of biomedicine.  

BioAI Dresden combines innovative AI methods with knowledge from biochemistry and physics across the entire spectrum of biology, with the aim of making a decisive contribution to a new scientific understanding of our health. The selection and appointment of directors and research group leaders will follow the excellence criteria and procedures of the Max Planck Society.  

The combination of biomedicine and artificial intelligence holds enormous potential – potential that can only be realized through comprehensive and interdisciplinary collaboration. This is why BioAI Dresden and the AITHYRA Institute are seeking out partnerships with outstanding research institutions such as the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) with its six sites in Europe, EPFL – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the University of Oxford, and the Broad Institute in the USA. The new research project will enable Dresden to fully use and develop its potential.

Michael Kretschmer,  
Minister President of the Free State of Saxony
“When it comes to medical and biotechnology, Saxony is a world-renowned hub of expertise. In recent years, significant progress has been made in this area thanks to research and development, enabling diseases to be identified and treated more effectively. With this new research program, we are setting the course for the future. Artificial intelligence will increasingly become an integral part of our daily lives in the years to come. We also want to exploit these opportunities for biomedicine. I would like to thank the non-profit Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, the Max Planck Society and TU Dresden for their tremendous dedication, and I wish the researchers every success.” 

Sebastian Gemkow,  
Minister of Science of the Free State of Saxony  
“With BioAI Dresden, another unique and outstanding field of research is emerging in the science hub of Saxony. The Max Planck Society and TU Dresden are joining forces with the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation to combine their expertise in biomedicine and artificial intelligence, thus breaking into a new field of research. This has the potential to yield completely new approaches for biological systems across different levels, to explain the underlying principles of how biological systems function, and to predict their response to disruption. As a result, it paves the way for new forms of treatment in medicine and pharmaceutics. I am convinced that this new research division will very quickly gain an international reputation as an institute for cutting-edge research and be perpetuated as a university alliance.” 

Christoph Boehringer,  
Chairman of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation  
“The recent Nobel Prize awards have emphasized the huge potential of AI and biomedicine for human health. The non-profit Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is committed to creating the best possible conditions for independent research in this field in Europe. Our commitment is also intended to inspire the European ideas of scientific freedom and international collaboration. An outstanding collaboration that serves the well-being of all people in Europe and beyond.” 

Dr. Stephan Formella,  
Managing Director at the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation 
“If we are to establish a relevant European focus from a global perspective in the field of AI and biomedicine, we need strong collaboration between different stakeholders. As a non-profit, independent foundation, we see it as our mission to build bridges between these groups. This means that every site we support can act as an individual pillar in the future, with the resulting bridges creating an even greater impact. In addition to our support in Vienna, we have now also laid the foundations for this in Dresden.”  

Prof. Patrick Cramer,  
President of the Max Planck Society 
“The MPG has long been a European driving force in the field of AI. The journal NATURE lists us in 7th place among the top 10 “Rising Institutions in Artificial Intelligence”. In collaboration with the Austrian Academy of Sciences and with the support of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, we now want to join forces further in this area of research. After all, there are many good reasons not to leave this field to the big tech companies alone. Basic research can and will address questions that profit-driven companies do not take up, but which can be of great benefit to the general public.” 

Prof. Ursula Staudinger,  
Rector of TUD Dresden University of Technology  
“By signing this agreement today, we are building another bridge between disciplines, stakeholders and locations. Thanks to the support from the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, the Max Planck Society, and the Free State of Saxony, two new research groups can now be established and an inaugural director appointed at the Center for Systems Biology at TUD, with the aim of developing an innovative branch of research at the interface between AI and biomedicine. This project strengthens the ties between TUD and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, which are jointly conducting research in the CSBD – including in the team of Ivo Sbalzarini, who is also a Professor and Dean at TUD's Faculty of Computer Science. What's more, this project is a good complement to our core research areas in the field of digital sciences. As one of nine national high-performance computing centers and with lighthouses such as CIDS and SCADS.AI, TUD offers excellent infrastructure and paves the way to additional cooperation opportunities.” 

Prof. Stephan Grill, 
Director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics  
“Living systems are incredibly complex. AI will be key to unraveling this complexity and understanding how living systems work. This exciting joint project will allow us to develop a new generation of physics-informed biomedical AI algorithms for identifying the principles and mechanisms that make up living systems. We are therefore ideally positioned here to drive the next revolution in the life sciences.” 

Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow; Prof. Stefan Bornstein, UKDD; Marc Wittstock, Managing Director BIS; Prof. Heather Harrington, Director MPI-CBG; Prof. Stephan Grill, Director MPI-CBG; Minister President Michael Kretschmer; Prof. Patrick Cramer, President of the MPG; Prof. Ursula Staudinger, Rector of TUD Dresden University of Technology; Dr. Dr. Michel Pairet, Member of the Board of the BIS; Dr. Stephan Formella, Managing Director at the BIS; Christoph Boehringer, Chairman of the BIS; Minister of State Dr. Andreas Handschuh (v.l.). © Pawel Sosnowski

 

Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation 
The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization committed to the promotion of the medical, biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences. It was founded in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht, a member of the Boehringer family, co-owners of Boehringer Ingelheim. With its “Plus 3,” “Exploration Grants” and “Rise up!” funding programs, it supports excellent researchers in crucial phases of their careers. It also funds the international Heinrich Wieland Prize and awards for emerging scientific talent, and supports projects at various institutions such as the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, and the AITHYRA Institute in Vienna. https://boehringer-ingelheim-stiftung.de/en/index.html

TUD Dresden University of Technology 
As a University of Excellence, TUD Dresden University of Technology is one of the leading and most dynamic research institutions in Germany. With around 8,300 staff and 29,000 students in 17 faculties, it is one of the largest technically-oriented universities in Europe. Founded in 1828, today it is a globally oriented, regionally anchored top university that develops innovative solutions to the world's most pressing issues. In research and teaching, the university unites the natural and engineering sciences with the humanities, social sciences and medicine. This wide range of disciplines is an outstanding feature that facilitates interdisciplinarity and the transfer of science to society. 

MPI-CBG 
The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), located in Dresden, is one of more than 80 institutes of the Max Planck Society, an independent, non-profit organization in Germany. 550 curiosity-driven scientists from over 50 countries ask: How do cells form tissues? The basic research programs of the MPI-CBG span multiple scales of magnitude, from molecular assemblies to organelles, cells, tissues, organs, and organisms. The MPI-CBG invests extensively in Services and Facilities to allow research scientists shared access to sophisticated technologies.  

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2024 Institute News Press Releases
news-1477 Tue, 26 Nov 2024 10:14:51 +0100 New Research group for nanoscale optical bioimaging https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/new-research-group-for-nanoscale-optical-bioimaging Physicist Michael Weber starts his group at the MPI-CBG Michael Weber joined the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) as a new research group leader. His research group, “Nanoscale Optical Bioimaging,” has the goal of observing biological processes in real time with high-speed optical microscopy and by using a multidisciplinary approach encompassing biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering.

“The field of fluorescent microscopy is very multidisciplinary. This multidisciplinarity is what fascinates me about this field. Optical microscopy has the unique ability to look inside living cells and visualize biological processes as they are taking place. The fundamental challenge of optical resolution has been overcome in recent decades; however, these developments have come at the cost of a reduced acquisition speed. In most cases, to such a low level that the methods are limited to fixed samples. My goal at the MPI-CBG is to push the speed of high-resolution microscopy techniques to uncover and understand fundamental biological processes.

Welcome to the institute, Michael!

Michael studied physics at the Technical University of Munich. In 2016, he started his Ph.D. work at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in the research group of Stefan W. Hell with a focus on Nano-Biophotonics. For his Ph.D. thesis he was awarded with the Otto Haxel Award for Physics in 2021 and with the Otto Hahn Medal in 2022. Michael continued his postdoctoral work in the group of Stefan W. Hell until 2024, when he became a research group leader at the MPI-CBG.

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2024 Institute News
news-1474 Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:13:41 +0100 Otto Bayer Award for Meritxell Huch https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/otto-bayer-award-for-meritxell-huch Bayer Foundation announces Science Awards winners of 2024 Meritxell Huch, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Dresden, Germany, receives this year's prestigious Otto Bayer Award from the Bayer Foundation for her pioneering research on human organoids. In addition, four early career scientists are honored with the Early Excellence in Science Awards for their boundary-breaking research in the fields of biology, chemistry, data science and medical science

Meritxell Huch is receiving the award in recognition for her pioneering research on human organoids. Her work has significantly advanced the use of organoid models in drug discovery, screening, and disease modeling for personalized medicine. Organoids are small, in vitro organ-like structures derived from stem cells. Meritxell and her team have studied the growth and regeneration of animal and human liver and pancreas organoids. Her research is of great importance for the development of new therapies to combat life-threatening cancer in these organs without the need for animal testing. For her scientific work, Meritxell has already received several awards, including the EMBO Young Investigator Award and the German Stem Cell Network Award. In 2023, she was elected to become a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. Since May 2024, Meritxell Huch has been an honorary professor for stem cell research and tissue regeneration at the Medical Faculty of the TU Dresden.

The Otto Bayer Award is presented alternating with the Hansen Family Award every second year. It recognizes leading scientists working in German-speaking countries for ground-breaking research in chemistry or biochemistry. It was established in 1984 by a provision in the will of Professor Otto Bayer, a former Director of Research at Bayer.

Press Release of the Bayer Foundation: https://www.bayer-foundation.com/winners-announcement-otto-bayer-award-and-early-excellence-science-awards-2024

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2024 Institute News
news-1472 Mon, 04 Nov 2024 14:29:45 +0100 Rotating miniature pancreas https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/rotating-miniature-pancreas Dresden researchers explain the mechanism behind rotating asymmetric tissue in organoids of the pancreas. Collective cell dynamics, when groups of cells move together, are crucial in many biological systems. The way these cells move, align with each other, and interact mechanically creates new patterns and behaviors that are essential for their function. While much is known about how cells migrate in two dimensions (2D), the effects of three-dimensional (3D) environments on collective cell behavior are less understood.

The research groups of Anne Grapin-Botton at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and of Frank Jülicher and Marko Popović, both at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, set out to investigate the rotation of spherical cell clusters. The researchers looked at lab-grown mouse pancreas organoids—models of an organ in three dimensions. Tissue rotation is quite common and is also observed in other organoid systems or in embryos.

“We found that many of these cell clusters rotate continuously, with the direction of rotation sometimes drifting or stopping entirely,” says Tzer Han Tan, one of the three lead authors of the study. He continues, “We asked ourselves why the cell clusters (or organoids) are rotating and reached out to our physicist colleagues Frank Jülicher and Marko Popović.” The researchers built a three-dimensional physical model to understand the collective cell behavior. Those 3D vertex models are usually used to describe other things, but here, the researchers added a polarity vector for cells to the system and set up the model on a round sphere. “By running a simulation and then comparing it with experimental data for rotation speed and the stability of the rotation axis, we were able to show that the interplay of traction forces and cell polarity can explain these rotational behaviors,” say Frank Jülicher and Marko Popović.

Spherical tissue rotates solidly most of the time, like the earth, but the sphere can sometimes transition to a flowing state and spontaneously break symmetry. The collective cell behavior can give rise to this chiral asymmetry in three dimensions. An object or a system can be described as chiral if it is distinguishable from its mirror image. Both rotational motion and turbulent flows are necessary to achieve chiral asymmetry.  

Anne Grapin-Botton, one of the three supervising authors, summarizes, “The robust mechanism for chiral symmetry breaking that we have discovered may have implications to understand the development of left-right asymmetry in biological systems. Our results most likely apply to rotating spheres composed of many cell types and in the pancreas may be deployed on other geometries such as tubes. This may be essential for understanding how cells behave on complex three-dimensional surfaces.”

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2024 Scientific News
news-1470 Wed, 30 Oct 2024 13:56:14 +0100 Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony awarded to Eugene Myers https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/order-of-merit-of-the-free-state-of-saxony-awarded-to-eugene-myers Minister President awards highest state honor of Saxony to pioneer in the field of bioinformatics. The renowned US scientist Eugene Myers has been honored with the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony. Myers was founding director of the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD) in 2012 and was director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG). Under his leadership, the CSBD – an initiative of the Max Planck Society together with the TU Dresden – developed into a world-leading center for systems biology in just a few years. Myers was also involved in academic teaching and research at the TU Dresden, where he was closely involved in one of the clusters of excellence and established the DRESDEN-concept Genome Center, a technology platform in the field of genome research.

Michael Kretschmer, Minister President of Saxony, presented the award to the 70-year-old at the MPI-CBG during a symposium on October 29.

The mathematician is one of the pioneers in the field of bioinformatics, and his scientific work and the BLAST algorithm, which he co-developed, were crucial to the decoding of the human genome.

In his laudatory speech, Kretschmer also referred to Prof. Myers' special achievements in strengthening Saxony as a center of science and research, and in particular the biotechnology cluster in the Free State of Saxony. “You have made groundbreaking achievements and shown outstanding commitment to Saxony as a center of biotechnology.” All of this is invaluable, he said.

The Saxon Order of Merit is the highest state honor in Saxony. With this award, the Free State honors people who have shown outstanding commitment in the political, economic, cultural, social, societal, or voluntary sectors. The order was established in 1996 and first awarded on October 27, 1997. It can be awarded to individuals from Germany and abroad who have made a particular contribution to the Free State of Saxony and the people who live here. So far, the Saxon Order of Merit has been awarded 402 times.

Prof. Dr. Ivo Sbalzarini, Prof. Dr. Stephan Grill, Saxon Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow, Prof. Dr. Heather Harrington, Daphne Myers, Prof. Dr. Eugene Myers, Dr. Anne Grapin-Botton, Saxon Minister President Michael Kretschmer, and Prof. Dr. Anthony Hyman (from left to right) © Katrin Boes / MPI-CBG

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2024 Institute News
news-1468 Tue, 22 Oct 2024 10:28:03 +0200 New research group leader with expertise in algebraic geometry https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/new-research-group-leader-with-expertise-in-algebraic-geometry Aida Maraj starts her research group at the MPI-CBG and the CSBD. In September, Aida Maraj, a mathematician, started at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) as a new research group leader. She will be located at the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD), leading the “Algebra in Data Analysis” research group. With her research group, Aida will  investigate statistical questions through the lens of algebra, geometry and combinatorics, and develop new math motivated by this perspective.

“My work is in an interdisciplinary area called algebraic statistics. Some models arrive from phylogenetics or can be used to model data from biology.” says Aida Maraj. “Mathematics is a new part at the MPI-CBG and CSBD.  I see it as a privilege to build new things here together with my colleagues. ”

Welcome to the institute, Aida!

Aida studied mathematics at the University of Tirana in Albania and moved in 2015 to the University of Kentucky, USA, for her PhD in Mathematics with a thesis on Algebraic and Geometric properties of Hierarchical Models. In 2020 she went to Leipzig as a postdoctoral researcher at the Max-Planck-Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences. After a year, she  moved back to the USA with postdoctoral positions at the University of Michigan and Harvard University before starting her position as research group leader in Dresden. Her research has been supported with grants by the American Mathematical Society and the National Science Foundation.

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2024 Institute News
news-1464 Wed, 16 Oct 2024 11:47:24 +0200 SHARK – Mastering disordered protein regions https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/shark-mastering-disordered-protein-regions Researchers develop new algorithm to compare structurally disordered protein segments. A key goal in biology is to decipher the function of all proteins. By studying the relationship between protein sequences and function, we can understand which parts of a protein’s sequence or region give the protein certain functions. However, because there are more than 250 million proteins known to date (uniprot.org), it is not practical to experimentally test every one of them for function. In recent years, scientists have developed methods (alignment algorithms) that compare similar protein sequences, wherein the conserved regions—the most significant portions of proteins—are arranged into groups. Proteins belonging to the same group are thought to have similar functions. Nevertheless, many protein parts, such as intrinsically disordered regions, are difficult to compare since they don't fall within these groups. These intrinsically disordered regions are structurally flexible protein segments that play regulatory roles, such as helping form biomolecular condensates. These disordered regions tend to accumulate many sequence changes (mutations) over evolutionary time. The more differences in the sequence there are, the more unaligned or disordered they are, and the harder it is to compare them and determine their function.
 
Scientists from the research group of Agnes Toth-Petroczy at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, Germany, and the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD) have now developed a new algorithm that can compare these intrinsically disordered regions. SHARK (Similarity/Homology Assessment by Relating K-mers), the new algorithm, has been added to SHARK-dive, a machine learning tool that outperforms traditional alignment methods in finding evolutionary similarities in sequences that can't be aligned. “Intrinsically disordered regions are involved in many functions of an organism, and they evolve faster than the structured parts of proteins, making it hard to find similarities between them with the current methods. It has been difficult to study their functions and their evolution, even though they make up about 21% of all proteins,” explains Chi Fung Willis Chow, doctoral student in the Toth-Petroczy group and first author of the study. He adds, “With SHARK-dive, we have now a tool that can identify intrinsically disordered regions that are different in their sequence but similar in function, something that the current alignment methods struggle with.”
 
“SHARK-dive not only identifies intrinsically disordered regions with similar functions, but it also uncovers hidden sequence patterns that explain distant similarities and functional connections. This helps generate hypotheses about the factors that drive these relationships, making SHARK-dive a valuable tool for studying and understanding disordered proteins,” explains Agnes Toth-Petroczy, who oversaw this study. “We hope that SHARK-dive will help create a collection of functions for intrinsically disordered regions. Researchers would be better able to look into the relationship between the functions and sequences in these disordered, difficult-to-align areas.”

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2024 Scientific News Frontpage News
news-1461 Thu, 10 Oct 2024 10:14:15 +0200 Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Südhof at the MPI-CBG https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/nobel-prize-laureate-thomas-suedhof-at-the-mpi-cbg New series of events “TUneD into Medical Science” brings Nobel Prize laureate to Dresden campus. The Faculty of Medicine at the TU Dresden launched a new series of events called “TUneD into Medical Science,” aiming to invite renowned medical prize winners to the faculty. In addition to providing scientists and young researchers with a forum to discuss their own research, the events will also provide insights into current research topics.

The series will be kicked off by Nobel Prize Laureate Thomas C. Südhof, a German-American biochemist and neuroscientist. His research focuses on synapses as fundamental switching points of the nervous system. Together with his colleagues Randy W. Schekman and James E. Rothman, Südhof was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2013 for his discoveries of transport processes in cells. From October 9 to 11, there are several opportunities to get to know him and his work better and to exchange ideas with him.

During the public session “Next Generation: Speed talks with young scientists” on October 9th at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), four young scientists, among them MPI-CBG research group leader Sandra Scharaw, presented their current research in exciting power pitches. The presentations were followed by a discussion with Thomas Südhof, who provided valuable feedback to the scientists.

On October 10 at 4p.m. there will be a public lecture at the Medical Faculty with Thomas Süfhof in English with the title “Mechanisms mediating long-term memory formation – Memory network: Neuronal circuits and the art of the long-term memory.”

Sandra Scharaw in conversation with Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Südhof. © Franziska Friedrich / MPI-CBG

Sandra Scharaw in conversation with Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Südhof. © Franziska Friedrich / MPI-CBG

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2024 Institute News
news-1457 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 14:18:57 +0200 Alice Spadea receives Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/alice-spadea-receives-marie-sklodowska-curie-postdoctoral-fellowship Prestigious fellowship to study the molecular mechanism of intracellular RNA delivery, mediated by lipid nanoparticles. For her project "Molecular mechanism of LNP-mediated intracellular delivery of RNA," postdoctoral researcher Alice Spadea from the research group of Marino Zerial at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship. The MSCA fellowship is a component of Horizon Europe, the European Union’s flagship funding program for research and innovation.

Alice explains: “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my research on the endosomal escape of RNA nano-carriers here at the MPI-CBG. My project focuses on improving how lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) deliver RNA into cells, which is important for treatments like gene therapy. One major issue is that after LNPs enter cells, they often get trapped inside tiny compartments called endosomes, limiting their effectiveness. With my project, I want to better understand and solve this problem by studying how LNPs interact with endosomal membranes by testing different LNP formulations and pH levels. With the help of advanced microscopy techniques, I also aim to recreate the process where RNA moves across endosomal membranes using giant vesicles that mimic endosomes. Finally, I plan to introduce new types of phospholipids to LNPs to see how they fuse with real endosomes in live cells. This will allow tracking of RNA release and whether it successfully leads to protein production in the cells.”

By recapitulating the mechanisms of endosomal escape, the project aims to gain novel insights that will contribute to the development of more effective RNA delivery systems.

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD and wishing to acquire new skills through advanced training and international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral mobility. The funding supports researchers ready to pursue frontier research and innovation projects in Europe and worldwide, including in the non-academic sector.

Congratulations, Alice!

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2024 Institute News
news-1455 Mon, 30 Sep 2024 14:42:11 +0200 How the zebra got its stripes https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/how-the-zebra-got-its-stripes Mathematical model shows that the shape of an animal can influence pattern formation. Many animals have patterned fur, feathers, or scales, such as the stripes of a zebra. The orientation of stripes can be crucial in ensuring effective functionality. Often the orientation depends on the location on the body. For a standing tiger or zebra, stripes are aligned vertically around the torso and horizontally around the legs. For zebras, the stripes' width may differ too. How the orientation of the patterns is arranged and structured during development is yet unknown, though.

Postdoctoral researcher Michael Staddon from the research group of Carl Modes at the Max Planck Institut of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden and the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD) now developed a new mathematical model based on the classic Turing model, where the orientation of the pattern is influenced by the shape of the surface.

The mathematical model known as a Turing model, named after the mathematician Alan Turing, explains how patterns can arise naturally in biological systems. It was proposed in 1952 as a way to describe how interacting chemicals, called “morphogens,” diffuse and react with each other to create patterns. However, standard Turing models generate patterns without any particular direction, while in nature these patterns are often aligned in specific directions.

“Our theory suggests how Turing patterns, like the stripes on tigers and zebras, align with the form and curves of the body. Their stripes go around the legs and torso, which is in the direction of highest curvature. In the mathematical model we developed, the pattern alignment of the stripes is coupled to the curvature of the surface,” explains Michael Staddon.

The model proposes that the curvature of an animal’s surface can influence the rate of diffusion in a pattern and help explain the correct orientation of patterns, like zebra stripes, through simulations. During early development in embryos, the surface curvatures are much more pronounced than in adults, so the effects of curvature on pattern formation can be stronger.

“Our model suggests that the shape of an animal can influence pattern formation without needing complex spatial signals. It introduces a new way of linking reaction-diffusion models, such as the Turing model, with local curvature information instead of large-scale signals,” explains Michael Staddon. “The model could also be extended to more curved areas, such as in early embryonic development when animals have bean-like shapes. I can imagine that the difference in fur color between the stomach and back in many mammals could be modeled using this curvature-based approach to pattern formation.”

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2024 Scientific News
news-1453 Fri, 27 Sep 2024 15:52:34 +0200 "Physical Biology of the Cell" Summer School https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/quantitative-biology-takes-center-stage-at-the-physical-biology-of-the-cell-summer-school Over 100 researchers from Pol and MPI-CBG attended the interdisciplinary course taught by renowned biophysicist Rob Phillips. From September 23rd to 27th, the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (PoL) at the TU Dresden welcomed researchers to the Dresden Summer School on Physical Biology of the Cell. This event, hosted in the MPI-CBG, brought together 108 participants from across the Dresden scientific community.  It marks the second iteration of the course, previously being held in October 2022. Organized jointly by the International Max Planck Research School for Cell, Developmental, and Systems Biology and TU Dresden, the focus was on leveraging the use of quantitative thinking to query the nature of the living.

Quantitative methods are necessary to fortify the life sciences. With the rise of computational data analysis, modeling and simulation, this is more accessible than ever. To broach this topic, the course was led by two leading biophysicists: Rob Phillips, the Fred and Nancy Morris Professor of Biophysics, Biology, and Physics at the California Institute of Technology, and Jané Kondev, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics at Brandeis University. The summer school aimed to teach scientists how to use quantitative frameworks and computational tools to make predictive statements about cellular behavior. Participants introduced to this new wave of thinking ranged from PhD students to research group leaders. Through lectures and hands-on training, participants explored real-world case studies that highlight fundamental physical principles at work within biological systems.

A key feature of the course was its emphasis on demystifying the mathematics and models that often seem daunting. Instead of field-specific jargon, Phillips and Kondev together with teaching assistants Ana Duarte and Kian Faizi focused on intuitive, conceptual teaching that allows researchers from diverse backgrounds to grasp and apply these concepts to their work. Known for his innovative and philosophical teaching style, Rob Phillips broke down complex topics into manageable pieces that left the audience with key takeaways, not just on how to approach quantitative biology but why it is crucial to their research. Phillips has earned an international reputation as a teacher and has traveled extensively to give the course in various institutes. These lectures were complemented by interactive sessions where participants developed models and simulations, gaining practical experience with tools that are becoming indispensable to modern biological research.

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2024 Institute News Frontpage News
news-1448 Mon, 23 Sep 2024 09:41:00 +0200 Marino Zerial Awarded Mercurio Prize for Excellence in Research https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/marino-zerial-awarded-mercurio-prize-for-excellence-in-research Award for research and development Marino Zerial, a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, one of the founding directors of the institute and now director at the Human Technopole in Milan, Italy, has been awarded the 2024 Mercurio Prize in the “Research and Development” category in recognition of the excellence of his research in the field of cell biology. Zerial, renowned for his studies on the mechanisms of endocytosis and cellular transport, has made significant contributions to the understanding of cellular dynamics, with potential therapeutic applications for diseases such as liver conditions.
 
Premio Mercurio—the German-Italian Premio Mercurio business award has been awarded since 1999 for significant initiatives in the field of economic and cultural exchange between Germany and Italy. The jury's decisions are based on a total of seven criteria, such as creation/securing of jobs, growth, sustainability, and transfer of know-how. The award ceremony took place on 18 September 2024 in Frankfurt am Main, with the attendance of German and Italian entrepreneurs, important personalities from public life, and representatives of the press.
 
The prize jury, made up of prominent figures from the Italian-German economic and academic world, praised the winners for their contributions to innovation, sustainability, and economic growth.

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2024 Institute News
news-1446 Tue, 17 Sep 2024 09:14:12 +0200 Bruno Vellutini wins the 14th Annual Nikon Small World in Motion Competition https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/bruno-vellutini-wins-the-14th-annual-nikon-small-world-in-motion-competition Video of mitotic waves in the embryo of a fruit fly of Dresden MPI-CBG researcher is the 2024 winner of photomicrography competition. Nikon Instruments Inc. announced the winners of the 14th annual Nikon Small World in Motion Video Competition today. This year’s first place prize was awarded to a video from Bruno C. Vellutini, a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Pavel Tomancak at the Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, Germany.

The video reveals the dynamic processes of fly embryogenesis, crucial for uncovering genetic pathways that mirror those in humans and other mammals, with applications for cancer research, birth defects, and potential treatment development. This year, the video competition received 370 video entries from 40 countries.

The 30-second video shows an early embryo of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster going through the first nuclei divisions and gastrulation – a process in which animal embryos undergo tissue flows and folding events that transform a simple monolayer of cells into a complex multi-layered structure called gastrula. The movie starts at the tenth mitotic cycle, when the nuclei are already at the surface of the embryo, and continue to divide in synchronized waves. At the fourteenth cycle, at about 11 seconds into the movie, the embryo cellularizes, with each nucleus being encapsulated by cell membranes. When this happens, the process of gastrulation begins. Disruptions in these processes, such as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition—a process normal in embryogenesis but problematic when occurring unexpectedly—are known to contribute to the invasiveness of lung, liver, and breast cancer.

Bruno C. Vellutini explains, “I am honored that my video is the winner in the Nikon Small World in Motion Competition. The potential of microscopes to see beyond the limitations of our human eyes amazes me. My passion for photomicrography was sparked by the ability of microscopes to capture and observe stunning microscopic phenomena through pictures or movies, to make new discoveries, and to share this captivating world with others. I think my video can be interesting for everyone, as fruit fly embryos can be found in our homes. This video reveals that the fascinating dynamics of cells and tissues are happening every day in the most mundane living beings around us.”

“The beauty of basic research in biology,” says Dr. Vellutini, “is that what we learn in one organism is often applicable to others and has the potential to contribute to the understanding of human diseases.”

Bruno C. Vellutini is a biologist and researcher working in the field of evolutionary developmental biology. He studies how different embryos build their body parts to understand the evolution of animal diversity. Before working at the MPI-CBG, Bruno graduated from the University of São Paulo. He did his MSc in Zoology at the Center for Marine Biology (CEBIMar/USP) and his PhD in Molecular and Computational Biology at the Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology of the University of Bergen.

Second place was awarded to Jay McClellan for his video of water droplets evaporating from the wing scales of a peacock butterfly (Aglais io). The final product used image stacking and a custom CNC motion control system to handle evaporating droplets and ensure smooth, rapid image capture.

Third place was awarded to Dr. Jiaxing Li for his video of an oligodendrocyte precursor cell in the spinal cord of a zebrafish.

Nikon's Small World in Motion encompasses any movie or digital time-lapse photography taken through the microscope. Entries are judged by an independent panel of experts who are recognized authorities in the area of photomicrography and photography. These entries are judged on the basis of originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact.

Press Release from Nikon

For additional information, please visit www.nikonsmallworld.com

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2024 Institute News
news-1444 Tue, 10 Sep 2024 13:01:53 +0200 8th edition of the Banquet “Dresden is(s)t bunt” https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/8th-edition-of-the-banquet-dresden-isst-bunt MPI-CBG participates in festival for diversity and tolerance On September 9th, the banquet “Dresden is(s)t bunt” took place on Dresden’s Augustus Bridge and the Schloßplatz. The initiators, with the Cellex Foundation as the lead partner, invited people for the 8th time to join this festival of diversity, tolerance, and encounters. The banquet was launched in 2015 as a reaction to increasing racism.
 
As an international institute, the MPI-CBG participated with its own table. International scientists brought their local specialties and shared them with the visitors. Many visitors came to play a game and guessed national flags. This year and the previous year, technicians from the institute organized the table and the games for the MPI-CBG.
 
Covered with delicacies from all over the world, 288 tables formed a 600-meter-long row on the Augustus Bridge, which connects Dresden's old town with Dresden's new town. Around 200 organizations, 111 cultural institutions, and almost 100 sponsors prepared the event. As in previous years, the guests shared food, crafts, chats, and games.
 
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to a special afternoon of bringing people together!

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2024 Institute News
news-1442 Thu, 05 Sep 2024 16:03:54 +0200 Humboldt Research Fellowship for Ian Seim https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/humboldt-research-fellowship-for-ian-seim Studying short-lived condensates in the cell cortex, a fine network of filaments below the cell membrane. Postdoctoral researcher Ian Seim, in the research group of Stephan Grill at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), received a Humboldt Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In Dresden, Ian will study condensates in the cell cortex of oocytes and embryos of the roundworm C.elegans. During the development of an embryo, one component is especially important: the cell cortex. It is a fine network of hair-like filament structures (called actin) just below the cell membrane, orchestrating cell shape changes, cell movement, and cell division. Within the cortex are droplet-like condensates made up of actin filaments and actin regulators. Just before an unfertilized egg cell becomes an embryo following fertilization, they regulate the formation of the first cortex. Ian Seim will investigate those condensates to identify the molecular mechanisms underpinning the activation of the cortex during development. He will do this using experiments and fluctuation analysis in addition to physical modeling.
 
Ian obtained his PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and did one year of postdoctoral research with Amy Gladfelter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Ian, who came to the MPI-CBG one year ago, will now continue his research here for the upcoming two years.
 
Ian says, “I am excited to continue being a part of the thriving biophysics community in Dresden. The opportunity to explore basic biological questions with rigorous physical approaches is very special, and I've already learned so much during my time here. I'm eager to continue my research and experience life abroad!”
 
Congratulations, Ian!
 
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supports researchers from all over the world through the Humboldt Research Fellowship. It enables postdoctoral researchers to conduct long-term research in Germany for 6 to 24 months.
https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/

 

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news-1438 Fri, 30 Aug 2024 10:21:50 +0200 Understanding the smallest elevators in the world https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/understanding-the-smallest-elevators-in-the-world Dresden researchers discover new function of overlooked structural element in the membrane transport protein family. Biological membranes surround all cells of all living organisms. Many molecules cannot freely pass through these membranes, even though cells need them. To survive, cells therefore make use of complex membrane transport machinery to take up, for example, nutrients from their environment. These machines are membrane transport proteins. The largest family of membrane transport proteins are called solute carriers (SLCs). Several members of this family use a mechanism of transport that resembles an elevator: a mobile part of the protein slides along a static part of the protein from the outside of the membrane to the inside of the cell, transporting various essential molecules. But how this movement was coordinated had remained unclear until now. A team of researchers, led by Eric Geertsma at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology (MPI-CBG) in Dresden and previously at the Goethe University Frankfurt, together with collaborators from the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, and the Institute of Medical Microbiology at the University of Zurich, now describe an overlooked structural element in these elevators that functions as a hinge between the mobile and static part. This hinge regulates the elevator’s movements and thereby its function. This uncovers another aspect of the underlying mechanism of the protein family of elevator transporters.

Elevator dynamics
The team’s attention was drawn to this part of the protein because it had always been overlooked. “We noticed that no one ever studied the relevance of this part of the protein, though nearly all elevator proteins carry it. That made it interesting for us,” explains Benedikt Kuhn, the first author of the study. They performed their studies on the SLC23 family, whose human members transport Vitamin C. To understand how the hinge affects the transporter’s dynamics, the researchers created single amino acid variations, so-called mutations. They then compared the behavior of the altered proteins with the original protein, using probes that indicate whether the elevator is up or down. They found that single mutations in the hinge region could change the resting position of the elevator from ‘down’, accessing the inside of the cell, to ‘up’, accessing the outside of the cell, or to a position in between. Importantly, these mutations dramatically affected the transport function as well.

Wedging the door
To determine whether an elevator that is up can still go down, the researchers used a nanobody, which is a small piece of camelid antibodies, that specifically binds to the ‘elevator down’ state and locks it in place, much like a wedge in a door. Indeed, the elevators that were mostly up due to the hinge mutation could be trapped by the nanobody in the down state. This is important, as while the previous experiments only showed the position of the elevator, this experiment confirmed it could still move down. The elevator with the other mutation, that remains in the middle, was not trapped by the nanobody and thus does not move fully down. Different mutations in the hinge can therefore completely change the elevator’s movements, underscoring the importance of the hinge.

Eric Geertsma, who supervised the study, concludes: “The discovery not only provides important fundamental knowledge on how transport dynamics of this family of membrane proteins are organized. It provides new leads that could aid in the re-activation of defective proteins in disease.”

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2024 Scientific News
news-1432 Thu, 22 Aug 2024 09:18:31 +0200 GSCN 2024 Young Investigator Award for Claudia Gerri https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/gscn-2024-young-investigator-award-for-claudia-gerri The 2024 Awards of the German Stem Cell Network recognize outstanding stem cell researchers. The German Stem Cell Network (GSCN) announced the GSCN Awards 2024. With the GSCN Awards, the German Stem Cell Network recognizes outstanding stem cell researchers on their way to expanding basic research and opening up new avenues for therapeutic options. One of the awardees is Claudia Gerri, research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, who received the GSCN 2024 Young Investigator Award for her research at the interface between fetus and mother in various species.

Claudia Gerri wants to investigate a mysterious process of reproduction in mammals: the development of the placenta. In her laboratory at the MPI-CBG, the young Italian scientist is investigating how cell lines are formed and how they communicate with each other and with the surrounding microenvironment in order to build an organ. Gerri is driven by the interest in understanding how the environment and neighboring tissues influence early cell fate decisions and how progenitor cells interpret and respond to these signals. Studying the formation of fetal placental progenitor cells and their interactions with maternal tissues will shed light on the interaction of two tissues and organisms and understand their development. Gerri wants to shed light on a still unknown biological phenomenon: the principles of robust organ morphogenesis, the placenta, during development.

The "GSCN 2024 Hilde Mangold Award" goes to Mina Gouti from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin. The "GSCN Publication of the Year Award 2024" is awarded  to Jorge Lázaro, Miki Ebisuya and the other authors for the publication "A stem cell zoo uncovers intracellular scaling of developmental tempo across mammals", 2023, Lázaro J, Costanzo M, Sanaki-Matsumiya M, Girardot C, Hayashi M, Hayashi K, Diecke S, Hildebrandt TB, Lazzari G, Wu J, Petkov S, Behr R, Trivedi V, Matsuda M, Ebisuya M., Cell Stem Cell, 30: 938-949. The research group of Miki Ebisuya is also located in Dresden at the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life at the TU Dresden.

The three GSCN awards are endowed with 1,500 Euros each and the winners will give a lecture at the Presidential Symposium on Thursday, 26 September 2024, at the GSCN Conference in Jena.

Since 2013, the GSCN has been networking stem cell researchers working in Germany both nationally and internationally and communicating their results and research to a broad public. The promotion of young scientists and the presentation of outstanding female scientists receive special attention at the GSCN with the “GSCN Hilde Mangold Award.” Since 2021, the GSCN has been cooperating closely with the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) in the jointly founded “Dialogue Platform Stem Cell Research.”

Congratulations to all awardees!

Press release of the German Stem Cell Network: https://www.gscn.org/scientific-resources/german-stem-cell-network-awards

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2024 Institute News Grants
news-1430 Mon, 19 Aug 2024 14:30:46 +0200 How Cells Use Condensation to Seal Tissues Tight https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/how-cells-use-condensation-to-seal-tissues-tight Dresden researchers discover proteins that form tissue barriers to protect the body from unwanted substances Our bodies and organs are shielded from the external environment by tissue barriers like the skin. These barriers must be tightly sealed to prevent unwanted substances from entering. This sealing is achieved through structures called tight junctions. However, how these tight junctions form has long been a mystery. Now, an interdisciplinary team of researchers, led by Prof. Alf Honigmann at the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of Dresden University of Technology and former research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), has uncovered that the proteins responsible for these seals form a liquid-like material on the cell surface much like the water that condenses on a cold window. Their findings were published in the journal Nature.

Our skin acts as a protective shield against the outside world, and like a well-built brick wall, it must be tightly sealed to prevent breaches. Similarly, our organs like lungs or intestines must be sealed to make sure that the contents are not spilling to other body compartments. The outermost layer of our organs achieves this with specialized seals between the cells known as tight junctions.

Tight junctions are much like a joint between floor or wall tiles. They are belts that surround the top of each cell and attach to the neighboring cells to form a tight seal between them.

“Unlike the joint between the tiles or mortar in the brick wall, tight junctions are dynamic. Our skin or organs are soft and the cells change their shape constantly. Tight junctions must be able to adapt to cell shape change and still be able to seal the gaps,” explains Prof. Honigmann, chair of Biophysics and research group leader at the BIOTEC. “How tight junctions are able to form such a robust yet flexible material around the cell perimeter was an intriguing scientific question.”

Condensation on a Surface

To understand how these seals form, Prof. Honigmann’s team used advanced biophysical methods to observe the process in real-time. They developed a way to chemically switch the formation of tight junctions on and off at their will. They also used genetic engineering to tag the sealing proteins with a fluorescent marker. Together, this allowed them to use high-resolution microscopy to watch tight junctions form in real-time.

Working together with theoretical physicists led by Frank Jülicher at the Max Planck Institute for Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS) in Dresden, the group was able to show that tight junction self-assembly is driven by a physical phenomenon called surface wetting.

“It is fascinating that these tight junction proteins behave in a very similar way to water. Putting together our observations and the theoretical physics modeling, we arrived at what is essentially the physical process of liquid condensation on a surface,” says Dr. Karina Pombo-Garcia, the researcher behind the project and now a research group leader at the Rosalind Franklin Institute in England.

Tight junction proteins bind to the surface of the cell membrane at the interface where the cells touch each other. When the number of proteins bound there reaches a certain threshold, the proteins condense into a liquid that gradually grows into a sort of drop on the cell surface. Eventually, these drops elongate and touch each other to form a uniform belt around the cells. In this way, tight junctions seal the spaces between the cells to make our skin and organs airtight.

“Perhaps everybody has seen it in winter. Tiny drops of water appear on a cold window. It’s exactly that but on a molecular scale,” adds Dr. Pombo-Garcia.

Liquids Made of Proteins

As early as 2017, the Honigmann team began to suspect that tight junction proteins might behave like liquids. “We put a lot of effort into figuring out how to measure and observe these liquid-like properties,” says Prof. Honigmann. “Fortunately, we were in the right place at the right time.”

The early work leading to this discovery was conducted at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden. Researchers at the MPI-CBG are pioneers of condensate biology, the newly discovered branch of biology that focuses on proteins forming large assemblies with liquid-like properties.

“Condensate biology is a promising field, because it bridges the gap between scales. One of the general problems in biology is to understand how structures like cell organelles form from the myriads of molecular interactions in the cytoplasm. We know now that certain biomolecules can self-organize into materials such as liquids and gels. This enables us to adapt well-understood physical concepts such as condensation and other phase transitions to describe structure formation in biology,” concludes Prof. Honigmann.

Press release originally published by the BIOTEC of TU Dresden: https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/biotec/news-termine/news/wie-zellen-kondensation-nutzen-um-gewebe-fest-zu-versiegeln

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2024 Scientific News
news-1428 Wed, 14 Aug 2024 14:10:49 +0200 Building a bridge between mathematics and biology https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/building-a-bridge-between-mathematics-and-biology New research group leader aims to reveal mathematics of complex systems arising from nature. Türkü Özlüm ÇELİK has joined the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics as a new research group leader. She will be located at the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD), leading the “Mathematical Structures and Applications” research group. With her research group, Türkü Özlüm ÇELİK aims to reveal the mathematics of complex systems arising from nature. Their primary focus will be on algebraic and geometric perspectives, utilizing advanced computational mathematical tools, including computer algebra.

“While I have background in algebraic geometry and number theory by training, I got inspired to look at some applications of the mathematical objects in physics later in my career. Then I found that I truly like this aspect of mathematics that has interesting reflections in nature,” says Türkü. “With recent technological advancements, nature increasingly hints at underlying mathematical structures through data. Our goal is to extract the essence of these hints via a mathematical perspective.”

Welcome to the institute, Türkü!

Türkü studied mathematics in İstanbul and pursued her PhD at the Institut de recherche mathématique de Rennes (IRMAR) in France. In 2018, she moved to Leipzig as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max-Planck-Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences for about 3 years. Before she started as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie co-fund program research fellow at Koç University and Boğaziçi University in İstanbul from 2022 to 2024, she was an Alan Mekler Postdoctoral Fellow at the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. 
 

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2024 Institute News
news-1426 Fri, 09 Aug 2024 20:00:00 +0200 A New Mechanism for Shaping Animal Tissues https://www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreach/news-media/article/a-new-mechanism-for-shaping-animal-tissues Dresden researchers discover a new mechanism for three-dimensional tissue shape changes in animals.  A key question that remains in biology and biophysics is how three-dimensional tissue shapes emerge during animal development. Research teams from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, Germany, the Excellence Cluster Physics of Life (PoL) at the TU Dresden, and the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD) have now found a mechanism by which tissues can be “programmed” to transition from a flat state to a three-dimensional shape. To accomplish this, the researchers looked at the development of the fruit fly Drosophila and its wing disc pouch, which transitions from a shallow dome shape to a curved fold and later becomes the wing of an adult fly. The researchers developed a method to measure three-dimensional shape changes and analyze how cells behave during this process. Using a physical model based on shape-programming, they found that the movements and rearrangements of cells play a key role in shaping the tissue. This study, published in Science Advances, shows that the shape programming method could be a common way to show how tissues form in animals.

Epithelial tissues are layers of tightly connected cells and make up the basic structure of many organs. To create functional organs, tissues change their shape in three dimensions. While some mechanisms for three-dimensional shapes have been explored, they are not sufficient to explain the diversity of animal tissue forms. For example, during a process in the development of a fruit fly called wing disc eversion, the wing transitions from a single layer of cells to a double layer. How the wing disc pouch undergoes this shape change from a radially symmetric dome into a curved fold shape is unknown.

The research groups of Carl Modes, group leader at the MPI-CBG and the CSBD, and Natalie Dye, group leader at PoL and previously affiliated with MPI-CBG, wanted to find out how this shape change occurs. “To explain this process, we drew inspiration from "shape-programmable" inanimate material sheets, such as thin hydrogels, that can transform into three-dimensional shapes through internal stresses when stimulated,” explains Natalie Dye, and continues: “These materials can change their internal structure across the sheet in a controlled way to create specific three-dimensional shapes. This concept has already helped us understand how plants grow. Animal tissues, however, are more dynamic, with cells that change shape, size, and position.”

To see if shape programming could be a mechanism to understand animal development, the researchers measured tissue shape changes and cell behaviors during the Drosophila wing disc eversion, when the dome shape transforms into a curved fold shape. “Using a physical model, we showed that collective, programmed cell behaviors are sufficient to create the shape changes seen in the wing disc pouch. This means that external forces from surrounding tissues are not needed, and cell rearrangements are the main driver of pouch shape change,” says Jana Fuhrmann, a postdoctoral fellow in the research group of Natalie Dye. To confirm that rearranged cells are the main reason for pouch eversion, the researchers tested this by reducing cell movement, which in turn caused problems with the tissue shaping process.

Abhijeet Krishna, a doctoral student in the group of Carl Modes at the time of the study, explains: “The new models for shape programmability that we developed are connected to different types of cell behaviors. These models include both uniform and direction-dependent effects. While there were previous models for shape programmability, they only looked at one type of effect at a time. Our models combine both types of effects and link them directly to cell behaviors.”

Natalie Dye and Carl Modes conclude: “We discovered that internal stress brought on by active cell behaviors is what shapes the Drosophila wing disc pouch during eversion. Using our new method and a theoretical framework derived from shape-programmable materials, we were able to measure cell patterns on any tissue surface. These tools help us understand how animal tissue transforms their shape and size in three dimensions. Overall, our work suggests that early mechanical signals help organize how cells behave, which later leads to changes in tissue shape. Our work illustrates principles that could be used more widely to better understand other tissue-shaping processes.”

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