27th January 2025
Figure 1: The formation of stress granules in human cells upon the addition of Sodium Arsenite. Green regions show the location of G3BP, a protein which is known to localise in stress granules. Scale bar: 20 μm. Copyright: Published in Law J. O. et. al., Sci. Adv., 9, eadg0432 (2023) under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Unlocking Cell Secrets with Flicker Spectroscopy

Novel Technique to Measure Properties of Sub-cellular Compartments: Scientists from SoftComp partner University of Durham, UK, and other European research institutes have developed a new technique to measure the properties of biomolecular condensates... (Read more)
9th January 2025
Figure: An optical microscopy image of lysozyme crystals in an electric field, with a view of 2x2 mm2. Courtesy of Dr. K. Kang, IBI-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Electric Fields Shape Protein Crystal Formation

SoftComp partners from Forschungszentrum Jülich and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf have uncovered the profound effects of electric fields on protein phase behaviour and crystallization. Their research offers valuable insights into how external electric... (Read more)
18th October 2022

Investigating protein solution dynamics using XPCS at an XFEL

Novel experiment opens up possibility of studying collective dynamics providing insight for better drug... (Read more)
11th March 2022
Figure 2: Membrane deformations induced by actin assembly. A membrane bilayer (pink) constituting an initially spherical liposome is deformed through the growth of a branched actin network (blue marks the colour of the end of actin filaments) at its surface. Spikes (inward) and tubes (outward) are formed during this process. Note that compared to the cell geometry, the geometry here is inside out, as the ingredients of the cytoskeleton are outside the liposome. Bar 5 μm. Copyright: Cécile Sykes, CNRS

How Active Biopolymer Networks Shape the Cell Membrane

Experiments on active deformations of a cell membrane by an actin assembly may inspire new materials and approaches. Cécile Sykes from the Laboratoire de Physique de l‘Ecole Normale Supérieure reports on results raising... (Read more)