PFC: Center for the Physics of Living Cells

在活细胞物理中心(CPLC)，实验学家、计算物理学家和理论家将以探索生命如何组织自身所需的敏感度，共同应对量化活细胞过程带来的极端技术挑战，将分子系统编织到生命物质的结构中。具体地说，该中心将：(1)推动体外单分子技术将灵敏度、时空分辨率和吞吐量提高10到100倍，以同时检测多个可观测对象；(2)使用合成纳米结构操纵单分子，能够以亚微秒的分辨率测量作用力和分子构象；(3)观察单细胞内的个别事件，能够对基因表达和其他关键细胞过程进行时间和空间分辨率的研究；以及(4)将计算扩展到与生物相关的时间尺度，并将理论扩展到更真实的生物，从而能够从分子到细胞水平详细解释生物系统的动力学。理论、计算、体外和体内实验之间的相互作用将是该中心使命的核心。结合这四种方法的一个具体例子将是构建一个真正定量和动态的转录和翻译机制的物理图像，细胞使用该机制将DNA复制到RNA中，然后复制到蛋白质中。该中心将提供令人兴奋的校内外教育机会。对于博士生，该中心将围绕特别研讨会、研讨会、定制课程和联合指导建立一个社区，并帮助培养出精通物理和生物的新一代科学家。这门新科学将以课程、在线计算和可视化环境以及单分子实验室课程的形式带到本科水平，在那里他们可以获得实践经验。该中心将招收少数族裔学生参加REU方案和暑期讲习班，方法主要是与少数族裔机构建立伙伴关系，并参加代表不足的少数族裔的两次年度科学会议。在高中层面，该中心将扩大现有的项目，在该项目中，博士生可以担任校内外教师的导师，将可视化工具和现代分子生物学概念引入课堂。为了直接面向年轻学生，该中心将在一所女子中学建立一个试点项目。该计划将在学生开始正式的科学教育时提供与他们的接触，使他们接触到现代生物物理学的概念和工具。对于科学界，该中心将提供可视化和模拟工具，使大分子组装和细胞的研究成为可能。同样，该中心开发的最先进的仪器将导致生物科学的主流应用，预计将产生重大的商业影响。该奖项由数学和物理科学局(MPS)和生物科学局(BIO)联合资助，作为促进数学和物理科学-生命科学接口研究和教育的伙伴关系的一部分。参与MPS的计划包括物理前沿中心计划、实验物理化学计划以及分析和表面化学计划。BIONIC的参与项目包括生物分子系统群、基因和基因组群以及神经系统群。

In the Center for the Physics of Living Cells (CPLC) experimentalists, computational physicists, and theorists will jointly attack the extreme technical challenges posed by quantifying processes in living cells with the sensitivity needed to explore how life organizes itself, weaving molecular systems into the fabric of living matter. Specifically, the Center will: (1) push in vitro single molecule techniques to a 10- to 100-fold increase in sensitivity, spatio-temporal resolution, and throughput for concurrent detection of multiple observables; (2) use synthetic nanostructures to manipulate single molecules, enabling measurements of both forces and molecular conformation with sub-microsecond resolution; (3) observe individual events within single cells, enabling time- and space-resolved studies of gene expression and other key cellular processes; and (4) extend computation to biologically relevant timescales, and theory to greater biological realism, enabling the detailed interpretation of the dynamics of biological systems from the molecular to the cellular level. The interaction between theory, computation, in vitro and in vivo experiments will be at the core of the Center's mission. A concrete example combining these four approaches will be to build a truly quantitative and dynamic physical picture of transcription and translation machinery, used by the cell to copy DNA into RNA and then into proteins. The Center will provide exciting educational opportunities on and off campus. For Ph.D. students, the Center will build a community around special seminars, symposia, tailored courses, and joint mentoring, and help generate a new generation of scientists who are fluent in both physics and biology. This new science will be brought to the undergraduate level in the form of courses, online computing and visualization environments, and a single-molecule laboratory course where they can acquire hands-on experience. The Center will recruit minority students into the REU programs and summer workshops through partnership with primarily minority institutions and participation in two annual scientific meetings for under-represented minorities. At the high school level, the Center will expand an existing program in which Ph.D. students can act as mentors for teachers on and off campus, introducing visualization tools and modern molecular biology concepts into the classroom. To address young students directly, the Center will establish a pilot program at a girls middle school. This program will provide contact with students as they begin their formal science education, exposing them to modern biophysical concepts and tools. To the scientific community, the Center will provide visualization and simulation tools to enable the study of macromolecular assemblies and cells. Likewise, the state-of-the-art instrumentation developed by the Center will lead to mainstream applications in biological sciences and is expected to have major commercial impact.This award is jointly funded by the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) as part of a partnership to foster research and education at the mathematical and physical sciences - life sciences interface. Participating programs in MPS include the Physics Frontiers Centers program, the Experimental Physical Chemistry program, and the Analytical and Surface Chemistry program. Participating program in BIO include the Biomolecular Systems cluster, the Genes and Genomes cluster, and the Neural Systems cluster.