# Emergent Cellular Phases
**Source**: https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra2-emergent-cellular-phases
**Parent**: https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/
Research Avenue 2
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# Emergent Cellular Phases
Cells organize molecules into membraneless compartments. Biological condensates, for example, represent cellular phases that may emerge via liquid-liquid phase separation. However, the relationship between physical principles underlying compartment formation (such as phase separation), and the underlying molecular mechanisms, are unclear.
**Our aim** is to obtain a general understanding of the physical principles underlying the formation of membraneless compartments in cells and use these to understand regulation and function. At a biological level, we aim to reveal the mechanisms underlying the robust generation of distinct cell phases, via the formation of biomolecular condensates. At a physical level, we aim to understand how distinct phases are generated, controlled and maintained using the physics of active droplets and soft matter.
Research Topic 1
Emergent Physical Chemistry of Biomolecular Condensates
Research Topic 2
Protecting and Repairing DNA Through Condensates
Research Topic 3
Metabolic Condensates
Research Topic 4
Active Wetting in Cells
## News
3 September 2025\
**[Life’s Tiny Droplets: A Novel Method Revealing Biological Condensate Composition](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2025/09/03/lifes-tiny-droplets-a-novel-method-revealing-biological-condensate-composition)**
27 April 2024\
**[The Alberti group receives Momentum funding from the Volkswagen Foundation](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/04/27/the-alberti-group-receives-momentum-funding-from-the-volkswagen-foundation)**
14 March 2024\
**[Charging Up: Identifying the Sequence-determinants of Condensate Material Properties](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/03/14/devarajan-et-al-2024)**
6 February 2024\
**[Making Ends Meet: Researcher find that a protein superglue is crucial for DNA damage repair](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/02/06/making-ends-meet-researcher-find-that-a-protein-superglue-is-crucial-for-dna-damage-repair)**
22 June 2023\
**[Repelling disorder: What makes cholesterol-containing surfaces so repulsive?](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2023/06/22/repelling-disorder-what-makes-cholesterol-containing-surfaces-so-repulsive)**
[all Research Avenue 2 news](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/category:ra2)
## RA Leading Team
### Anthony A. Hyman (RA Leader)
MPI-CBG
| Director of MPI-CBG, Professor for Molecular Cell Biology
Organization of Cytoplasm
[›› open the website of Anthony A. Hyman<br>(RA Leader) in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/anthony-hyman/ "›› open the website of Anthony A. Hyman<br>(RA Leader) in a new tab")
© Sven Döring
### Simon Alberti (RA Co-Leader)
TUD BIOTEC
| Professor for Cellular Biochemistry
Organization of cytoplasm across space and time
[›› open the website of Simon Alberti<br>(RA Co-Leader) in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/biotec/forschungsgruppen/alberti?set_language=en "›› open the website of Simon Alberti<br>(RA Co-Leader) in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Ellen Adams
Research Group Leader
Physical Chemistry of Biomolecular Condensates
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Ellen Adams](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/adams "›› visit the website of Ellen Adams")
## PoL Groups
### Ellen Adams
Research Group Leader
Physical Chemistry of Biomolecular Condensates
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Ellen Adams](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/adams "›› visit the website of Ellen Adams")
### Simon Alberti
TUD BIOTEC
| Professor for Cellular Biochemistry
Organization of cytoplasm across space and time
[›› open the website of Simon Alberti in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/biotec/forschungsgruppen/alberti?set_language=en "›› open the website of Simon Alberti in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### 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")
### Stefan Diez
TUD B CUBE
| Professor for BioNano Tools
Molecular transport in cell biology and nanotechnology
[›› open the website of Stefan Diez in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/bcube/forschungsgruppen/diez?set_language=en "›› open the website of Stefan Diez in a new tab")
© TUD CMCB, Magdalena Gonciarz
### 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")
### 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")
### 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")
### Anthony A. Hyman
MPI-CBG
| Director of MPI-CBG, Professor for Molecular Cell Biology
Organization of Cytoplasm
[›› open the website of Anthony A. Hyman in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/anthony-hyman/ "›› open the website of Anthony A. Hyman in a new tab")
© Sven Döring
### 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
### Helmut Schießel
Chair of Theoretical Physics of Living Matter
Theoretical Physics of Living Matter
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Helmut Schießel](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/schiessel "›› visit the website of Helmut Schießel")
### Ágnes Tóth-Petróczy
MPI-CBG
| Research Group Leader
Protein plasticity and evolution
[›› open the website of Ágnes Tóth-Petróczy in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/agnes-toth-petroczy/ "›› open the website of Ágnes Tóth-Petróczy in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### 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")
### Min Ae Lee-Kirsch
TUD Medical Faculty
| Professor for Molecular Pediatrics
Disorders of Nucleic Acid Immunity
[›› open the website of Min Ae Lee-Kirsch in a new tab](https://www.uniklinikum-dresden.de/en/the-hospital/departments-and-institutes/pediatrics/research/molecular-pediatrics/defects-of-the-innate-immune-system-in-autoinflammation-and-autoimmunity "›› open the website of Min Ae Lee-Kirsch in a new tab")
### Arash Nikoubashman
IPF, TUD Faculty of Physics
| Heisenberg Professor for Theory of Biologically Inspired Polymers
Theory of Bio-inspired polymers
[›› open the website of Arash Nikoubashman in a new tab](https://www.ipfdd.de/index.php?id=3529 "›› open the website of Arash Nikoubashman in a new tab")
### Michael Schlierf
TUD B CUBE
| Professor for Molecular Biophysics
Conformational changes in biomolecules and enzymes
[›› open the website of Michael Schlierf in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/bcube/forschungsgruppen/schlierf?set_language=en "›› open the website of Michael Schlierf in a new tab")
© TUD CMCB, Magdalena Gonciarz
### Jens-Uwe Sommer
IPF
| Professor for Theory of Polymers at Interfaces
Theoretical Polymer Physics
[›› open the website of Jens-Uwe Sommer in a new tab](https://www.ipfdd.de/en/research/institute-theory-of-polymers/people/prof-dr-jens-uwe-sommer/ "›› open the website of Jens-Uwe Sommer in a new tab")
© IPF, Jürgen Lösel
### Alexander von Appen
MPI-CBG
| Research Group Leader
Structural Self-Organization of Membranous Organelles
[›› open the website of Alexander von Appen in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/alexander-von-appen "›› open the website of Alexander von Appen in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
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- [Research Avenue 3RA3](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra3-self-organizing-active-molecular-systems "Self-Organizing Active Molecular Systems")
- [Research Avenue 4RA4](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra4-energy-and-information-flows-in-active-matter "Energy and Information Flows in Active Matter")
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