© Thorsten Eckert

Prof. Otger Campàs, Speaker of PoL

"Physics and Biology have made unprecedented discoveries to expand our understanding of the natural world. Yet, a profound challenge remains: understanding what brings matter to life. At PoL, we seek to identify the physical principles that govern living matter."

© PoL

Our vision

At PoL, scientists bring physics to life, transforming our understanding of biology. PoL combines physics, biology and computational sciences to answer the question: What brings matter to life?

© TUD

Understanding life down to its smallest components is one of the great challenges of our time. Why does the heart beat on the left side and how do the laws of physics influence our DNA? Experts from physics, biology and computer science at the Cluster of Excellence "Physics of Life" (PoL) are researching which biophysical processes in molecules, cells and tissues are responsible for giving organs, for example, their shape and their place in the body. PoL views biological processes as complex physical phenomena.

The research insights gained provide the basis for understanding the organizational principles of life and enable a new approach to overcoming the health problems of our society. The DFG-funded cluster is a cooperation between scientists at TU Dresden and research institutions in the DRESDEN-concept network.

Key Facts

• 13 new professors and group leaders during the first funding period
• over 1400 publications by the entire PoL network
• Employees from 27 different nations
• 10 comic strips about biophysics concepts
• 2 museum exhibitions in Dresden
• A taught ‘Physics of Life’ MSc programme at the CMCB

Further information: https: //physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/

Further exciting insights

The university produced a film titled "Bright Minds. Excellent Research“, which provides insight into how passionate researchers at TUD are working to find solutions to the great global challenges of our day. Prof. Otger Campàs is one of them. Website Bright Minds