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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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 -
Cell currents triggered by left-right asymmetryFibrosarcoma cells organize themselves close to a physical border in order to move collectively along it. This surprising discovery from the team of Pascal Silberzan, Biology-Inspired Physics at Mesoscales (CNRS UMR168 / Sorbonne University) at Institut Curie has earned him a publication in the prestigious journal Physical Review X.09/12/2022 -
Three research projects at Institut Curie financed by the ERC Synergy GrantThree projects at Institut Curie are laureate of the highly selective and prestigious Synergy Grant 2022 program, awarded by the European Research Council. These three grants, for an amount of 10 million euros each, shine a light on Institut Curie’s excellence and its teams in cellular biology. A breakthrough field to further the fight against cancer.28/10/2022
Scientific events
All scientific events
31 May
2023
Seminar
11h-23h
Collective epigenetic processes in development and ageing
Epigenetic modifications of the DNA and chromatin, such as DNA methylation or histone modifications, underlie key processes in development, disease and ageing. Recent technological advances in single-cell genomics allow probing these epigenetic states with unprecedented molecular detail. Biological function relies, however, on the interplay between many processes in space and time and on the mesos
30 May
2023
Seminar
14h-23h
Learning how closed-loop protein dynamics governs morphogenesis
Morphogenesis is the process whereby the body of an organism develops its target shape. This requires controlling complex biochemical processes that orchestrate the forces shaping large scale structure. While gene patterns and protein distributions are known to set the body axes and the coordinate-system of cell fates, less is known about the physical processes that biology harnesses to create sha
25 May
2023
Seminar
14h-23h
Junctional Force Patterning drives both Positional and Orientational Order in Auditory Epithelia
For physiological function, organs must organise constituent cell types in precise spatial and orientational order. While in single-cell type epithelia, morphogenesis is driven by forces exerted at cell junctions, it is not known whether forces can drive the acquisition of patterns and polarity in organs comprising multiple cell types. In this talk, I will discuss the process of global alignment i
24 May
2023
Seminar
11h-23h
Measuring and shaping the optical phase: new tools for biology and chemistry
Spatially-resolved techniques to control and image the phase of light have deeply transformed microscopy. In this talk, I will briefly clarify the notion of optical phase and present two phase-sensitive techniques offering high sensitivity and 3D capabilities: holography and wavefront sensing. Using holography, individual magnetic nanorods can be actuated and used as probes of the local viscosity
17 May
2023
Seminar
11h-23h
Scenarios for collective dynamics in evolving tissues
Collective migration dominates many phenomena, from cell movement in living systems to abiotic self-propelling particles. By focusing on the early stages of tumor evolution, I hope to enunciate scenarios for collective movements in cell dynamics and highlight their implications in understanding similar behavior in abiotic soft glassy materials. Using simulations and theory I will show that tumor c