Anthony Hyman
Director General
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0851-704X
EditThe Hyman lab studies biomolecular condensates and their roles in the organisation of the cell. Edit
Biomolecular condensates in cell biology
Director General
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0851-704X
EditCells contain a vast diversity of molecules that must interact selectively in space and time. Our research has helped establish biomolecular condensates as a fundamental principle of cellular organisation. These dynamic, membraneless compartments create distinct physicochemical environments that enable cells to coordinate diverse processes.
We combine quantitative cell biology, in vitro reconstitution, biochemistry, biophysics, and computational and theoretical approaches to uncover the principles governing condensate assembly and function. Our work has revealed how molecular interactions determine condensate composition, their material properties, and regulation across a wide range of biological systems. More recently, we have shown that condensates not only concentrate biomolecules but also generate distinct physicochemical environments that influence biochemical activity.
A central question is how condensates achieve functional specificity. We seek to understand how molecular composition, material properties, and the local cellular environment determine which molecules partition into condensates, how biochemical reactions are regulated within them, and how different condensates perform distinct biological functions.
For more information visit: https://hymanlab.org/.
Our goal is to develop a quantitative understanding of how cellular organisation emerges from collective molecular interactions. We use simplified reconstituted systems together with quantitative experiments in living cells and model organisms to connect molecular mechanisms to biological function.
We are particularly interested in understanding how condensates generate specificity, how they shape cellular physiology, and how these principles govern processes ranging from gene regulation and metabolism to stress responses. Finally, we seek to determine how disruption of condensate organisation contributes to disease and whether the physical principles that govern condensate formation could be harnessed for therapeutic intervention.
