Center for Theoretical Biological Physics - Houston

理论物理学在理解复杂的生命系统方面变得越来越重要，并在处理细胞和多细胞水平上的现象和行为方面发挥着关键作用。这种规模的研究还可以带来新的基本理论物理原理和进展。这项授予休斯顿理论生物物理中心(CTBP-H)的物理前沿中心(PFC)奖将继续过去PFC奖期间在理论物理和生物学接口上开始的工作。CTBP-H将使用生物分子、生物和非生物材料的自组织以及非平衡统计物理的信息，以创建细胞和多细胞单元的理论生物物理框架。通过与当地医疗机构的互动，这项工作可以影响生物医学。对小尺度物质自组织的研究可以影响纳米技术和材料设计。CTBP-H将继续为年轻的生物物理学科学家提供独特的培训和培养。它将支持博士后、研究生和暑期本科生研究，也将惠及休斯顿大学代表性不足的群体。此外，CTBP-H将作为科学社区活动的焦点，主持访问学者计划，举办研讨会，并协调学生网络。CTBP-H将努力寻找新的基本原理和范例，以了解细胞的复杂行为，以及将细胞协调成多细胞功能单元。主要研究活动包括：促进对基于基因的信息存储和利用的理解，发展真核细胞力学方面的理论框架，并结合这些见解研究细胞自组织成多细胞生物膜和组织。与当地医学中心合作，他们将把他们从生物物理学中获得的新见解应用到生物医学领域。这个物理前沿中心奖由物理部的物理前沿中心计划、化学部的化学理论、模型和计算方法计划、数学和物理科学局材料研究部的凝聚态物质和材料理论计划以及生物科学局分子和细胞生物科学部的分子生物物理计划共同资助。

Theoretical physics has become increasingly important in understanding complex living systems and is positioned to play a key role in addressing phenomena and behavior on the cellular and multicellular level. Investigations on this scale can also lead to new fundamental theoretical physics principles and advances. This Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC) award to the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics - Houston (CTBP-H) will continue work begun during the past PFC awards at the interface of theoretical physics and biology. The CTBP-H will use information from biomolecules, self-organization in living and non-living material, and non-equilibrium statistical physics in order to create a theoretical biological physics framework for cells and multicellular units. Through interactions with local medical institutions the work can impact biomedicine. Investigations of the self-organization of small-scale matter can impact nanoscale technology and material design. The CTBP-H will continue to provide unique training and fostering of young scientists in biological physics. It will support postdoctoral, graduate, and summer undergraduate research, and also reach underrepresented groups at the University of Houston. In addition, the CTBP-H will act as a focal point of scientific community activities, hosting a visiting scholars program, running workshops, and coordinating student networks.The CTBP-H will be working to find new fundamental principles and paradigms to understand the complex behavior of cells, as well as the coordination of cells into multicellular functional units. The major research activities include: advancing the understanding of gene-based information storage and utilization, developing theoretical frameworks for the mechanical aspects of eukaryotic cells, and combining these insights to study the self-organization of cells into multicellular biofilms and tissues. In collaboration with local medical centers they will apply their newfound insights from biological physics in biomedical contexts.This Physics Frontiers Centers award is co-funded by the Physics Frontiers Centers Program in the Division of Physics, the Chemical Theory, Models and Computational Methods Program in the Division of Chemistry, and the Condensed Matter and Materials Theory Program in the Division of Materials Research within the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and by the Molecular Biophysics Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences within the Directorate for Biological Sciences.