Nonequilibrium Physics of Spindle Assembly: Understanding the Response of the Spindle to Perturbations

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This award funds a research project under the direction of Professor Daniel Needleman at Harvard University.When a cell divides, each of its daughter cells must receive a complete copy of its DNA. First the DNA is duplicated, and then the two copies of DNA are segregated into the daughter cells by a highly complex, self-organizing structure called the spindle. While many of the components of the spindle have been studied in detail, there is still very little known about how the spindle assembles and carries out its function. Understanding self-organizing structures such as the spindle is not only crucial for biology, but also poses a fundamental challenge for physics, since these systems are living materials that behave drastically differently from the inert matter that has been traditionally studied in condensed matter physics. In this project, Professor Needleman will employ approaches from physics, including quantitative experiments and mathematical theories, to understand the spindle. The goal of this research is to develop and test theories that might explain the responses of the spindle to drugs and to biochemical and physical perturbations.This project is envisioned to have significant broader impacts. Understanding the response of the spindle to perturbations may have medical benefits, as errors in spindle function are believed to cause some cancers and birth defects, and many chemotherapy agents work by interfering with the spindle. Studying the spindle from a quantitative perspective may also provide fundamental insights into nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, improve our understanding of living matter, and lead to the ability to design new materials. Undergraduate and graduate students working on this project will receive highly interdisciplinary training. The results obtained through this research project will also be disseminated in research journals and on the lab web site. Course material for students at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels will be developed and used to promote interdisciplinary training for a wider audience. Professor Needleman will also take an active role in outreach to high school teachers and in encouraging high school students to pursue STEM careers.