Co-coordinators: Vivek Malhotra and Isabelle Vernos

How to build a cell and to organize many cells into functional multicellular units in an organism is a fascinating challenge. Many different components of a cell work together seamlessly to produce specific cellular states or distinct responses to external stimuli. But our understanding of the logic underlying the functioning of the biochemical and mechanical networks inside cells remains largely descriptive. It is poorly understood how the spatio-temporal organization of cellular compartments is established from a multitude of molecular interactions and how then biological function emerges.  Why is there a single spindle when cells divide, how do cells move cargoes in a determined direction, how do cells interact and assemble into tissues, how can cells sense mechanical and chemical signals and translate them into a cellular response? Scientist in the program use quantitative methodologies, engineering approaches and mathematical modelling to discover new principles underlying cell functioning. Their research bridges scales - from molecules to organelles to cells, tissues and organisms - to address biological questions of fundamental importance, relevant for health and disease.