Simon Alberti, research group leader at the MPI-CBG, together with Teymuras Kurzchalia (MPI-CBG), Jochen Guck (Biotechnology Center of the TU Dresden), and Vasily Zaburdaev (MPI for the Physics of Complex Systems) receives a 1.3 million Euro grant from the Volkswagen Foundation (VolkswagenStiftung) for an interdisciplinary project on unlocking the secrets of dormancy - when cells enter into a kind of stand-by mode.
Alberti and his colleagues want to investigate the underlying biological, chemical, and physical mechanisms of entering into and emerging from dormancy. How can we preserve human cells and tissues for extended times without damage? How can we protect cells, tissues, and biomolecules from biological decay? These are questions the project wants to address.
Congratulations to Simon, Teymuras, Jochen, and Vasily!
This grant is part of the funding initiative "Life? – A fresh scientific approach to the basic principles of life” of the Volkswagen Foundation, which supports outstanding projects at the interface between natural and life sciences investigating the principles of life. This initiative was launched in 2015.