How cells are ahead of the curve

Such universal principles allow a better understanding of the migration of immune and cancer cells, paving the way for new treatment options

20-Mar-2024 - The curvature of a surface determines the migration behavior of biological cells. They preferentially move along valleys or grooves while avoiding ridges. These findings with contribution from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) and the Weizmann Institute of ...

Evolutionary model predicts partitioning of molecules within cells

29-Jul-2022 - Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) in Göttingen, Germany, and Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, have developed a new theoretical method to study mixtures consisting of many different molecules. They analyzed how the molecules ...

Competing cells: Cleaning up after yourself brings benefits

22-Jul-2022 - When different cell types compete in a confined space, those which remove debris faster have a better chance to dominate their environment. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) showed in their model that not only a higher net proliferation rate, ...

Soft matter on new ways to self-organization

The groove of the self-organized active nematic ribbon

29-Sep-2020 - Nematic materials, such as the liquid crystals in our displays, contain molecules that align themselves in parallel. When they are constructed from microtubules and kinesins, materials found in our cells, they become active and move and deform without the supply of energy from the outside. In a ...