Unit
Physical Chemistry Curie (UMR168)
Thematic areas of research:
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Unit
PASCAL HERSEN / MATHIEU COPPEY
Physical Chemistry Curie (UMR168)
The goal of the unit is to uncover the role of physical laws in the architecture and functions of cellular systems. To this end, the teams follow cross-disciplinary approaches involving physics, chemistry and biology.
Teams
Key figures
150
physicists, chemists and biologists, including 35 researchers, 39 PhD students, 31 postdoctoral fellows and 28 technicians and engineers
13
Research teams labeled by prestigious funding agencies (ERC, ANR, H2020, FRM, ARC, La Ligue, etc ...)
4
state of the arts platforms in biochemistry and molecular biology, microfluidics, microfabrication, electron microscopy
Key publications
All publications
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Nanoscale architecture of a VAP-A-OSBP tethering complex at membrane contact sitesNature Communications
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Fast recovery of disrupted tip links induced by mechanical displacement of hair bundlesProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Stick–slip model for actin-driven cell protrusions, cell polarization, and crawlingProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
News
All news
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Congratulations to Dr Leïla Perié, winner of an ERC Consolidator GrantOn Thursday November 23, 2023, Dr. Leïla Perié, head of the Quantitative Immuno-hematology team (CNRS UMR168 / Sorbonne Université), was awarded a European Research Council Consolidator Grant. This €2 million grant supports her "Dynamyelo" project, which addresses the mysteries of myeloid cell dynamics during immune responses.04/12/2023 -
Le Dr Pascal Hersen, lauréat d’une ERC Proof of Concept GrantLe 27 juillet dernier, le Dr Pascal Hersen, directeur de l'unité de recherche Physico-Chimie Curie et chef de l'équipe Contrôle dynamique de la signalisation et de l'expression génétique, a obtenu une bourse ERC Proof of Concept. Elle vient soutenir son projet "CyberSco.Py" qui vise à développer une solution de microscopie intelligente en temps réel.02/08/2023 -
Institut Curie - Institut Pasteur partnership: two joint projects to promote innovation and advancement of knowledgeImplementing their collaborative research strategy, Institut Curie and Institut Pasteur have raised the impressive amount of €600,000 to finance two research projects involving two teams from each organization. The MUCTOLIN project, looking at the role of tolerance induced by mucus during Listeria infection, and the TicTac project, which aims to study the effects of geometry on the healthy or cancerous status of a cell or on its development, were chosen.28/04/2023 -
Cryomicroscopy: the Research Center thinks bigThe brand new Glacios Cryo-TEM™ by Thermo Fischer was received in February at Institut Curie’s Research Center, This powerful cryo-electron microscope worth over 2 million euros will enable researchers to observe proteins at unprecedented resolution. A new opportunity to understand their function and the alterations responsible for diseases, particularly cancer.17/04/2023 -
Congratulations to Leïla Périé and Antoine Coulon, winners of the CNRS Bronze Medal 2023Two scientists from the Research Center have just been honored by the CNRS. Each year the organization rewards the women and men who have made the greatest contributions to its reputation and progress in research. The 2023 edition once again recognizes the excellence of the researchers working at Institut Curie’s Research Center.04/04/2023 -
Marine flow leading to formation of the primitive gutThe formation of the primitive gut occurred via mechanotransduction, generated by marine flow in which the first animal organisms developed over 700 million years ago. This is the surprising conclusion of Emmanuel Farge and his team, Mechanics and genetics of embryonic and tumor development (CNRS UMR168 / Sorbonne University), who looked at the origins of the formation of this organ.23/12/2022
Scientific events
All scientific events
27 Sep
2023
Seminar
11h-23h
Genetic Regulation of Developmental Timing in C. elegans
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an excellent experimental system for studying how cell division and differentiation events are orchestrated in the context of a developing animal. A set of master regulatory genes, so calle ‘heterochronic genes’, have been identified in C. elegans whose activity changes as the worm progresses through larval development. The various heterochronic g
20 Sep
2023
Seminar
11h-23h
Developmental robustness: growth heterogeneity at different scales and mechanical feedback
If you extend your two arms, you will likely find that they match in length by better than 0.2%, though they do not seem to directly communicate during their development and growth. Similarly, flowers in an individual plant are likely to be almost identical in size and shape. Such precision, or robustness, in organ size might seem trivial when conceptualizing observations as reflecting a ‘de
13 Sep
2023
Seminar
11h-23h
Sex and Gender Bias in research: from career path to the test tube
The underrepresentation of women in science is a major concern for the scientific community,
and its causes (stereotypes, self-censorship, sexism etc) are being actively addressed in order to
guarantee equal opportunities in reaching those positions. Yet, one of the much less debated
issue is its consequence on the type of scientific knowledge we produce. Significant case studies
reveal pervas
and its causes (stereotypes, self-censorship, sexism etc) are being actively addressed in order to
guarantee equal opportunities in reaching those positions. Yet, one of the much less debated
issue is its consequence on the type of scientific knowledge we produce. Significant case studies
reveal pervas
21 Jun
2023
Seminar
11h-23h
Learning the statistical folding of bacterial chromosomes
The physical organization of bacterial chromosomes is inherently variable, with large conformational fluctuations both from cell to cell and over time. Yet, chromosomes must also be structured to facilitate processes such as transcription, replication, and segregation. A physical description of this dynamic statistical folding of bacteria
8 Jun
2023
Seminar
14h-23h
Live cell force dynamics Do cell membranes support or resist tension propagation?
Membrane tension is thought to be a long-range integrator of cell physiology, where it has been proposed to enable cell polarity during migration through front-back coordination and long-range protrusion competition. These roles necessitate effective tension transmission across the cell. However, conflicting observations have left the field divided as to whether cell membranes support or resist te