Active Biological Matter

Vahid Nasirimarekani

The "Active Biological Matter" research line aims to develop experimental studies to establish new hypotheses about the role of physical conditions and environmental parameters in dynamical self-organization of complex biological systems. The terminology developed by scientists to distinguish chemistry, biology, physics, etc., serves only to provide an academic framework, but the nature, specifically biological systems is a combination of all these disciplines. Multidisciplinary research looks at biological systems in their complexity to better understand life on our planet. Moreover, the emergence of life and the evolutionary process behind it require certain physical conditions that create a suitable environment for the development and emergence of life. Therefore, we focus on studying various biological systems, ranging from active matter to minimal organisms, as a function of environmental and physical conditions to observe their dynamical self-organization. As a result of these studies, we expect to be able to develop reasonable hypotheses about the influence of physics on biological systems in a broader context, the origin or evolution of life on our planet.

Currently active study topics are:
Collective Cell Migration in Dictyostelium Slug
Dynamical self-organization inside Evaporating Droplet
Cytoskletal Active Matter
Adaptive motility of Physarum Polycephalum
Communicating Active Biological Matter