# Collective Transitions in Multicellular Systems
**Source**: https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra1-collective-transitions-in-multicellular-systems
**Parent**: https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/
Research Avenue 1
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# Collective Transitions in Multicellular Systems
Tissue and organ formation relies on a hierarchy of processes that perform specific functions. These processes depend on tissue morphology, topology, as well as on physical and chemical characteristics. Physical and geometric tissue characteristics emerge from collective cellular behaviors and often involve qualitative changes in their collective states. These changes can be understood as collective transitions arising from cellular interactions and feedback.
**Our aim** is to reveal the physical principles that underlie the emergence of functional structures in living tissues. From a biological perspective, we will establish how tissue structure and function emerge from cell behaviors and their interactions. To achieve this result, concepts for collective transitions involving topology, energetics, mechanics, electricity and chemistry in active materials will be developed. A particular focus will be on how collective transitions govern the spatiotemporal organization of multicellular systems.
Research Topic 1
Topological Morphogenesis
Research Topic 2
Mechano-Electro-Chemical Self-Organization
Research Topic 3
Spatiotemporal Control of Tissue Material Transitions
Research Topic 4
Energy Flows and Metabolic Patterning in Morphogenesis
## News
22 January 2026\
**[Making human pancreatic acinar cells](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2026/01/22/making-human-pancreatic-acinar-cells)**
29 October 2024\
**[Journal Club by Dr. Elias Barriga in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/10/29/journal-club-by-dr-elias-barriga-in-nature-reviews-molecular-cell-biology)**
27 August 2024\
**[Seeing the future: zebrafish regenerates fully functional photoreceptor cells and restores its vision](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/08/27/seeing-the-future-zebrafish-regenerates-fully-functional-photoreceptor-cells-and-restores-its-vision)**
21 August 2024\
**[EMBO Interview with Elias Barriga](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/08/21/embo-interview-with-elias-barriga)**
12 August 2024\
**[The Hidden Architect: How nuclei organize the eyes and brain](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/08/12/the-hidden-architect-how-nuclei-organize-the-eyes-and-brain)**
[all Research Avenue 1 news](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/category:ra1)
## RA Leading Team
### Anne Grapin-Botton (RA Leader)
MPI-CBG
| Director of MPI-CBG
Self-organization of cells into organ communities
[›› open the website of Anne Grapin-Botton<br>(RA Leader) in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/anne-grapin-botton/ "›› open the website of Anne Grapin-Botton<br>(RA Leader) in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Otger Campàs (RA Co-Leader)
Chair of Tissue Dynamics
Physics of Embryonic Self-Organization and Morphogenesis
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Otger Campàs<br>(RA Co-Leader)](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/campas "›› visit the website of Otger Campàs<br>(RA Co-Leader)")
### Catherina G. Becker
TUD CRTD, TUD Faculty of Biology
| Professor for Neural Development and Regeneration
Neural Development and Regeneration
[›› open the website of Catherina G. Becker in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/crtd/forschungsgruppen/crtd-forschungsgruppen/becker?set_language=en "›› open the website of Catherina G. Becker in a new tab")
© TUD CMCB/Magdalena Gonciarz
### Rita Mateus
Research Group Leader
Biophysical Principles of Vertebrate Growth
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Rita Mateus](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/mateus "›› visit the website of Rita Mateus")
## PoL Groups
### Elias Barriga
Research Group Leader
Biophysical Mechanisms of Morphogenesis
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Elias Barriga](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/barriga "›› visit the website of Elias Barriga")
### Catherina G. Becker
TUD CRTD, TUD Faculty of Biology
| Professor for Neural Development and Regeneration
Neural Development and Regeneration
[›› open the website of Catherina G. Becker in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/crtd/forschungsgruppen/crtd-forschungsgruppen/becker?set_language=en "›› open the website of Catherina G. Becker in a new tab")
© TUD CMCB/Magdalena Gonciarz
### Jan Brugués
Chair of Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures
Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Jan Brugués](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/brugues "›› visit the website of Jan Brugués")
### Otger Campàs
Chair of Tissue Dynamics
Physics of Embryonic Self-Organization and Morphogenesis
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Otger Campàs](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/campas "›› visit the website of Otger Campàs")
### Adele Doyle
Research Group Leader
Mechanobiology of Stem Cells
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Adele Doyle](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/doyle "›› visit the website of Adele Doyle")
### Miki Ebisuya
Humboldt Professor and Chair of Cell and Tissue Control
Cross-Species Comparison and Manipulation of the Organoid Zoo
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Miki Ebisuya](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/ebisuya "›› visit the website of Miki Ebisuya")
### Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich
Heisenberg Professor for Mechanics of Active Biomaterials
Mechanics of Active Biomaterials
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/fischer-friedrich "›› visit the website of Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich")
### Benjamin Friedrich
Heisenberg Professor for Biological Algorithms
Biological Algorithms: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Cells and Tissues
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Benjamin Friedrich](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/friedrich "›› visit the website of Benjamin Friedrich")
### Anne Grapin-Botton
MPI-CBG
| Director of MPI-CBG
Self-organization of cells into organ communities
[›› open the website of Anne Grapin-Botton in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/anne-grapin-botton/ "›› open the website of Anne Grapin-Botton in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Stephan W. Grill
MPI-CBG
| Director of MPI-CBG, Professor for Physics of Life
Physics of Life
[›› open the website of Stephan W. Grill in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/stephan-grill/ "›› open the website of Stephan W. Grill in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Alf O. Honigmann
TUD BIOTEC
| Professor for Biophysics
Membrane Organization of Cells and Tissues
[›› open the website of Alf O. Honigmann in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/biotec/forschungsgruppen/honigmann "›› open the website of Alf O. Honigmann in a new tab")
### Meritxell Huch
MPI-CBG
| Director of MPI-CBG, Lise Meitner Max Planck Research Group Leader
Organoids, tissue regeneration and its deregulation in disease
[›› open the website of Meritxell Huch in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/meritxell-huch/ "›› open the website of Meritxell Huch in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Frank Jülicher
MPI-PKS
| Director of MPI-PKS, Professor for Biophysics
Dynamic processes in cells and tissues
[›› open the website of Frank Jülicher in a new tab](https://www.pks.mpg.de/biological-physics/frank-juelicher/ "›› open the website of Frank Jülicher in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Christina Kurzthaler
MPI-PKS, CSBD
| Research Group Leader
Transport and Flows in Complex Environments
[›› open the website of Christina Kurzthaler in a new tab](https://www.pks.mpg.de/tfce "›› open the website of Christina Kurzthaler in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Rita Mateus
Research Group Leader
Biophysical Principles of Vertebrate Growth
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Rita Mateus](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/mateus "›› visit the website of Rita Mateus")
### Ivo F. Sbalzarini
TUD, CSBD
| Professor for Scientific Computing for Systems Biology
The MOSAIC Group: Scientific Computing for Image-based Systems Biology
[›› open the website of Ivo F. Sbalzarini in a new tab](http://mosaic.mpi-cbg.de "›› open the website of Ivo F. Sbalzarini in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Carsten Werner
IPF
| Professor for Biofunctional Polymer Materials
Biofunctional polymer materials
[›› open the website of Carsten Werner in a new tab](https://www.ipfdd.de/en/organization/departments/institute-of-biofunctional-polymer-materials/team/prof-dr-carsten-werner/?no_cache=1 "›› open the website of Carsten Werner in a new tab")
### Xingbo Yang
Research Group Leader
Bioenergetics of Self-Organization
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Xingbo Yang](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/yang "›› visit the website of Xingbo Yang")
## PoL Associates
### Sebastian Aland
HTWD
| Professor for Numerical Analysis
Modeling and Simulation of Biological Interfaces
[›› open the website of Sebastian Aland in a new tab](https://alandlab.de/ "›› open the website of Sebastian Aland in a new tab")
### Michael Brand
TUD CRTD
| Professor for Developmental Genetics
Development and Regeneration of the Vertebrate Brain
[›› open the website of Michael Brand in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/crtd/forschungsgruppen/crtd-forschungsgruppen/brand?set_language=en "›› open the website of Michael Brand in a new tab")
### Christian Dahmann
TUD
| Professor for Systems Biology and Genetics
Signals and mechanics in epithelial morphogenesis
[›› open the website of Christian Dahmann in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/mn/biologie/genetik/sysbio "›› open the website of Christian Dahmann in a new tab")
### Carl Modes
MPI-CBG
| Research Group Leader
Network Complexity and Systems Biophysics
[›› open the website of Carl Modes in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/carl-modes "›› open the website of Carl Modes in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Benjamin Schumann
TUD
| Professor of Biochemistry
Chemical Glycobiology
[›› open the website of Benjamin Schumann in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/mn/chemie/bc/bc1 "›› open the website of Benjamin Schumann in a new tab")
### Pavel Tomancak
MPI-CBG
| Research Group Leader
Patterns of gene expression in animal development
[›› open the website of Pavel Tomancak in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/pavel-tomancak/ "›› open the website of Pavel Tomancak in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Jesse Veenvliet
MPI-CBG
| Research Group Leader
Stembryogenesis
[›› open the website of Jesse Veenvliet in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/jesse-veenvliet/ "›› open the website of Jesse Veenvliet in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
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