Project description DEENESFRITPL Understanding nature's decision making when it comes to energy efficiency Cells and biological systems are in a continuous state of disequilibrium, breaking down molecules and building up 'products' to facilitate their many and varied functions. Cellular metabolism generates heat that is dissipated to the environment and can be measured via calorimetry to calculate the energetic costs of cellular processes. The EU-funded EnBioSys project will exploit this technique to investigate how energy trade-offs affect cellular processes. The focus will be on the trade-off between energy dissipation and the accuracy of biochemical signalling paths and between power and productivity when it comes to embryonic development and cell growth. Efficient energy management is as critical to living organisms as it is to our planet, and EnBioSys could show us how nature makes cost-benefit decisions. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective All living systems function out of thermodynamic equilibrium and require a continuous supply of energy. To understand how cells and organisms function, we need to determine how metabolic energy is partitioned among the complex array of cellular processes that are necessary for life at any scale, from isolated biochemical networks to quiescent and highly proliferative cells to organismal growth and development. To investigate the energetics of living systems, I established calorimetry to measure the energy exchanged in the form of heat between biological systems and their environment. By combining these measurements with specific perturbations, I have shown that the energetic costs associated with a given biological process can be calculated, and thus, provides a means towards understanding the energetics of biological systems. This proposal aims to understand the energetic costs of accurate cell signaling, and of homeostasis, proliferation, and growth of cells and organisms. It will further investigate how these biological systems are governed by energetic trade-offs. First, the trade-off between energy dissipation and accuracy of biochemical signaling pathways. Second, the trade-off between power and yield during cell growth and organismal development. Specifically, I will:1) Develop approaches to quantify the overall energetics of biological systems 2) Elucidate the role of energy dissipation on the accuracy and reproducibility of cell cycle signaling3) Determine how energetics drive embryonic development and cell growth This work will overcome the current lack of non-invasive techniques to quantitatively measure metabolic rates, especially rates of energy conversion and dissipation in biological systems. The results will yield quantitative thermodynamic data needed to determine the energetics of biological systems and will be essential for kinetic growth studies of normal and diseased systems. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencescell biologycell signalingnatural sciencesphysical sciencesthermodynamicsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesdevelopmental biologynatural scienceschemical sciencesanalytical chemistrycalorimetryengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsenergy conversion Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2020-STG - ERC STARTING GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2020-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Host institution MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Net EU contribution € 1 935 240,00 Address HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen Germany See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 935 240,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Germany Net EU contribution € 1 935 240,00 Address HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 935 240,00
