🔬 Undergraduate Research Opportunities 2027 – applications are now open! Spend 10 weeks doing funded, hands-on research in a top German #mattertolife Fellow lab at the interface of physics, chemistry, and biology. 🗓 Apply until 1 October 2026: mattertolife.maxplanckschools.org/uro-research...

🔊 Paper Alert 🗞️ from the group of MtL Fellow @kgoepfrich.bsky.social A Kiss from a Loop! 🌹 These alpha kissing loops greatly expand the repertoire of RNA architectural motifs available for programmable, sequence-defined nanostructure assembly. pubs.acs.org/ancac3/artic...

Programmable Edge-to-Edge Assembly of RNA Nanostructures

Abstract. Building complex RNA nanostructures requires precise molecular connectors for controlled self-assembly. Existing connectors, such as kissing loop

pubs.acs.org

Witness transformation in real time! This construction site will soon be a centre for research, education, and interdisciplinary exchange. We can't wait to see what the future holds! @mpi-mr.bsky.social @mps-cognition.bsky.social @mps-photonics.bsky.social

A review on the recent progress in stimulus-responsive and dissipative peptide assemblies from @weilgroup.bsky.social. Read on to find out more! www.nature.com/articles/s41... @mpip-mainz.mpg.de @natrevchem.nature.com #Peptides #Biomaterials #SupramolecularChemistry

Bridging stimulus-responsive and dissipative peptide assemblies to build complex interactive biomaterials - Nature Reviews Chemistry

Self-assembling peptides offer programmable routes to biomaterials with dynamic behaviour. Here, we compare stimulus-responsive and dissipative peptide assemblies, outline their design principles, and...

nature.com

A peek into industry! Our PhD candidates visited @basfde.bsky.social last week, less a facility, more a township. From the Verbund tour to R&D talks to how to kick start your career at BASF, the tour was enlightening. Thanks to the BASF team for making this happen!

MtL Fellow @physicsoflifelmu.bsky.social is part of a consortium which has been awarded a €10 million grant from the @novo-nordisk.bsky.social to unravel the Physics of tissue formation. Congratulations! @lmu.de www.lmu.de/en/newsroom/...

Decoding the Arrow of Time in Living Tissue

The international research consortium ALIVE, involving LMU physicist Erwin Frey, has secured 10 million euros in funding.

lmu.de

Missed our last lecture? Watch it on YouTube: youtu.be/JfkqxXPAkuY

Synthetic cell-based artificial tissues to study T cell activation

YouTube video by Max Planck School Matter to Life

youtu.be

Max Planck School Matter to Life@mattertolife.bsky.social · 3mo ago

📅 Save the date: The MtL Lecture Series continues on 17 June at 3 pm CEST with a talk by MtL Fellow and MtL alumnus Oskar Staufer from @leibnizinm.bsky.social, @uni-saarland.de and the Max Planck Bristol Center for Minimal Biology. 🙌 Register now on Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Registrations open for "Göttingen Emergent Minds Winter School: Learning and Computation in Brains and Machines" from Feb 15 – Mar 6, 2027 in Göttingen. @uni-goettingen.de Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization!

🔊Paper alert Short cationic peptides form reversible liquid-like condensates inside living cells with no genetic engineering needed. This is a step toward engineering life-like matter from scratch. @mpip-mainz.mpg.de pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Reversible Nucleolar Complex Coacervation by Short Cationic Peptides

Biomolecular condensates formed through liquid–liquid phase separation play central roles in intracellular organization and regulation. Replicating such dynamic compartmentalization using minimal synt...

pubs.acs.org

Join us tomorrow! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Max Planck School Matter to Life@mattertolife.bsky.social · 3mo ago

📅 Save the date: The MtL Lecture Series continues on 17 June at 3 pm CEST with a talk by MtL Fellow and MtL alumnus Oskar Staufer from @leibnizinm.bsky.social, @uni-saarland.de and the Max Planck Bristol Center for Minimal Biology. 🙌 Register now on Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

An interesting Summer School related to field of Matter to Life. Registrations still open! semf.org.es/school2026/

SEMF Interdisciplinary School | 12-19 July 2026

Explore many traditionally distant disciplines while socializing with like-minded peers in a dynamic and creative environment.

semf.org.es

Register now and join us next week! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Max Planck School Matter to Life@mattertolife.bsky.social · 3mo ago

📅 Save the date: The MtL Lecture Series continues on 17 June at 3 pm CEST with a talk by MtL Fellow and MtL alumnus Oskar Staufer from @leibnizinm.bsky.social, @uni-saarland.de and the Max Planck Bristol Center for Minimal Biology. 🙌 Register now on Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

📅 Save the date: The MtL Lecture Series continues on 17 June at 3 pm CEST with a talk by MtL Fellow and MtL alumnus Oskar Staufer from @leibnizinm.bsky.social, @uni-saarland.de and the Max Planck Bristol Center for Minimal Biology. 🙌 Register now on Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Congratulations to PhD candidates Arsenii Hordeichyk and Kristian Pajanonot for their latest publication. The work was part of the PhD doctoral work of Arsenii and the Master thesis of Kristian in the group of MtL Fellow Andreas Bausch. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Reconstituted nascent adhesion condensates drive actin polymerization on supported lipid bilayers

Adhesion protein condensates with distinct properties differentially shape actin organization.

science.org

Paper Alert from our Alumni Philipp Baur from the work during his time with us under the supervision of MtL Fellow Peter Comba. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Experimental Evidence for a Metal‐Related Function of a Cyanobactin

Cyanobactins such as patellamides are produced by cyanobacteria profusely and have been studied extensively, but almost exclusively for their cytotoxic properties. Discussed is unprecedented experime...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Don't miss our next lecture on Wednesday! Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Max Planck School Matter to Life@mattertolife.bsky.social · 3mo ago

On 13 May at 3 pm CEST, the MtL Lecture Series continues with a talk by our Fellow Thomas Scheibel from @unibayreuth.bsky.social and the Bavarian Polymer Institute. Register now on Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

On 13 May at 3 pm CEST, the MtL Lecture Series continues with a talk by our Fellow Thomas Scheibel from @unibayreuth.bsky.social and the Bavarian Polymer Institute. Register now on Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Register now at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... and join us next week!

Max Planck School Matter to Life@mattertolife.bsky.social · 4mo ago

It is a pleasure to welcome another new #mattertolife Fellow to our Lecture Series! On 15 April at 3 pm Laura Heinen from DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials will join us with an exciting talk on: Synthetic Cells - How to Stay "Alive?" Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

It is a pleasure to welcome another new #mattertolife Fellow to our Lecture Series! On 15 April at 3 pm Laura Heinen from DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials will join us with an exciting talk on: Synthetic Cells - How to Stay "Alive?" Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

We are proud to share exciting news from the Max Planck Schools network: A new Max Planck School of Biomedical Artificial Intelligence has been launched under the leadership of Karsten Borgwardt from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry.

Today is Lab Rotation Presentation Day at #mattertolife! Over the past months, our PhD candidates spread across the labs of our network to gain valuable hands-on research experience – and are now stepping into an exciting new chapter: their Master Thesis! 🙌

Missed the lecture? You can now watch it on YouTube: youtu.be/Rfa4viOK8ck

Reprogramming malignant gene expression with chemical inducers of proximity

YouTube video by Max Planck School Matter to Life

youtu.be

Max Planck School Matter to Life@mattertolife.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The Matter to Life Lecture Series continues on 11 March at 3 pm CET with MtL Fellow Roman Sarott @romansarott.bsky.social from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research @mpi-mr.bsky.social! Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Register at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... and join us on Wednesday!

Max Planck School Matter to Life@mattertolife.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The Matter to Life Lecture Series continues on 11 March at 3 pm CET with MtL Fellow Roman Sarott @romansarott.bsky.social from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research @mpi-mr.bsky.social! Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

On #InternationalWomensDay our PhD candidate Aysecan shares what resilience, interdisciplinary science, and a pair of running shoes taught her along the way. Read the full interview here 👉 mattertolife.maxplanckschools.org/aysecans-story #mattertolife #WomenInScience #passionforscience

The Matter to Life Lecture Series continues on 11 March at 3 pm CET with MtL Fellow Roman Sarott @romansarott.bsky.social from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research @mpi-mr.bsky.social! Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

🧪 Simulating large biomolecules without massive compute costs This new study from the group Frauke Gräter presents a coarse-grained model of chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) using the Martini 3 framework. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... @mpip-mainz.mpg.de @hitsters.bsky.social

Coarse-Grained Martini 3 Model of Chondroitin Sulfate A

Chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) is a negatively charged linear glycosaminoglycan that plays a vital role in many biological processes. Research on CSA has been challenging due to its size, chemical heterogeneity, and multitude of binding partners. To address these issues, we developed a model of CSA for coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations based on the Martini 3 force field. We demonstrate that this model is capable of reproducing atomistic properties of the repeating CSA disaccharide unit, including its molecular volume, bonded interactions, and structural polymer properties of CSA chains of different lengths. In particular, for biologically relevant long chains and despite using an explicit solvent, the computational cost is significantly reduced, relative to the cost equivalent atomistic simulations would require. The compatibility of the model with the Martini Go̅ protein model was tested by retrieving the force–response relationship of the CSA–malaria adhesin VAR2CSA complex. Importantly, we explored the influence of electrostatics on CSA aggregation. We show that the default Martini 3 parameters lead to overaggregation. We provide at least three different strategies to alleviate this issue, making use of a bigger bead for sodium cations, reflecting their hydration shell, partial ionic charges as a mean-field resource to take into account electronic polarizability, and, optionally, particle mesh Ewald summation as a more robust treatment of long-range electrostatics. Our model enables predictive modeling of CSA and potentially other chondroitin sulfates with the Martini 3 force field. In addition, this model provides insights for the further development of coarse-grained models of highly charged systems.

pubs.acs.org

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! Today we would like to highlight and celebrate our brilliant female PhD candidates who represent our Female Power in Science. #WomenInSTEM #Representation #GirlPower

📣 Don't forget to join us on Wednesday! Register now at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Max Planck School Matter to Life@mattertolife.bsky.social · 6mo ago

👩🔬On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Matter to Life Lecture Series will highlight the work of our Fellow Seraphine Wegner from @uni-muenster.de. Join us for her talk on “Spatiotemporal control in synthetic and living cells using light”. 11 Feb at 3 PM CET: bit.ly/3ZKkf99

👩🔬On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Matter to Life Lecture Series will highlight the work of our Fellow Seraphine Wegner from @uni-muenster.de. Join us for her talk on “Spatiotemporal control in synthetic and living cells using light”. 11 Feb at 3 PM CET: bit.ly/3ZKkf99

📣 Don't forget to join us on Wednesday! Register now at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Max Planck School Matter to Life@mattertolife.bsky.social · 7mo ago

We’re excited to kick off 2026 with a rescheduled talk in the Matter to Life Lecture Series: “Droplets Come to Life” by MtL Fellow David Zwicker @zwickergroup.bsky.social from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization 🙌 Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...