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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Claire Wilhelm récompensée par la médaille d’argent du CNRS 2022Chaque année, le CNRS récompense les femmes et les hommes qui ont le plus contribué à son rayonnement et à l’avancée de la recherche. Claire Wilhelm, chercheuse dans l’unité Physico-chimie Curie, vient de recevoir la médaille d’argent.26/04/2022
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Epigenetic treatments: New allies for chemotherapies?Though chemotherapies are effective in some patients, tumour cells may acquire tolerance to these treatments. In other words, cells adapt to chemotherapy so they can survive.04/05/2022
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Cancer under pressureA team of Institut Curie researchers has conducted in-depth exploration of the mechanisms linking mechanical pressure and carcinogenesis. They discovered a key protein, a potential therapeutic target against a number of cancers. This work has been published in the journal Communications Biology.31/03/2022
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Maxime Dahan Prize 2021During the 2nd symposium in memory of Maxime Dahan organized at Institut Curie, the Maxime Dahan Prize 2021 was awarded to Valentina Emiliani, CNRS research director at the Vision Institute in Paris04/02/2022
Scientific events
All scientific events
15 Jun
2022
Seminar
11h-23h
Folding Colloidal Polymers by Design
Modern materials can be designed to self-organize into structures that perform a wide range of functions. The past two decades have witnessed major innovations in the versatility of building blocks, ranging from DNA on the nanoscale to handshaking materials on the macroscale. One can reliably self-assemble arbitrary structures like a jigsaw puzzle if all the pieces are distinct. Still, systems wit
1 Jun
2022
Seminar
11h-23h
Fluctuations during morphogenesis
What sets the size and form of living organisms is still, by large, an open question. During this talk, I will illustrate how we are approaching this question by focusing on temporal and spatial fluctuations of tissue mechanics and growth, both experimentally and theoretically. First, I will discuss what sets the directionality of growth at organ scale. Second, I will present predictions that grow
18 May
2022
Physical Chemistry Seminar
11h-12h
Dynamic remodelling of the microtubule cytoskeleton throughout mitosis
As the nuclear envelop breaks down, microtubules and motors self-assemble into the mitotic spindle, a dynamic structure essential to congress and biorient chromosomes before partitioning of sister chromatids to the daughter cells in anaphase. Microtubules are dynamically reorganized and regulated throughout mitosis to ensure faithful chromosome segregation. Mitotic kinase activity is also key to p
20 Apr
2022
Physical Chemistry Seminar
11h-12h
The inner life of adhesion sites: deciphering the molecular ballet in integrin-based adhesions
Integrin-based focal adhesions (FAs) initiate chemical and mechanical signals involved in cell polarity, migration, proliferation and differentiation. Super-resolution microscopy revealed that FAs are organized at the nanoscale into functional layers from the lower plasma membrane to the upper actin cytoskeleton. Among the main partners of integrin adhesion receptors, talin and kindlin are two ess
13 Apr
2022
Physical Chemistry Seminar
11h-12h
Chromatin as a biomolecular condensate
Cells package their genomic DNA into a complex with proteins called chromatin. Chromatin is partitioned into subcompartments that differ from each other with respect to their compaction, molecular composition and biological function. One example are the micron-sized spherical heterochromatin foci that are present in several differentiated cell types and that are readily visible under the microscop