Petra Schwille
Research Department "Cellular and Molecular Biophysics"
Biophysics, Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, Single Molecule, Synthetic Biology
In order to elucidate the fundamental features of life, Petra Schwille’s Department "Cellular and Molecular Biophysics" aims to (re)construct cellular processes, and ultimately minimal living cells, from dramatically simplified functional subsystems, such as proteins and protein assemblies. Besides being able to investigate biomolecular processes with unprecedented precision in cell-free environments, this approach will also provide insights about the emergence of complexity as a main driver of biological evolution. Ideally, this will help to identify the minimal prerequisites for cellular life, towards an understanding of this fascinating phenomenon from first principles.
