Metabolic Activity to Animate Coacervate Materials

Explore how metabolic activity can animate coacervate materials in this 45-minute conference talk by Sam Safran from the Weizmann Institute. Discover the mechanisms by which living cells coordinate molecular activity in space and time, focusing on membrane-less compartments called biomolecular condensates that concentrate specific molecules for diverse biological functions including gene expression, signal transduction, and neurotransmission. Learn about the wide range of lifetimes, sizes, mechanochemical properties, and architectures exhibited by these condensates, and examine the current challenges in understanding how their emergent physical properties mediate biological functions. Gain insights into theoretical frameworks and simulation approaches for describing biomolecular condensates, new experimental methods for characterizing their functions, and physicochemical principles that shape their behavior. Understand the complexities involved in mapping computational and laboratory-based droplet studies to actual condensates within living cells, as part of a broader interdisciplinary effort to advance this emerging field of biomolecular condensate research.