Helmut Schiessel Group - Theoretical Physics of Life Processes

The group Theoretical Physics of Life Processes, led by Helmut Schiessel, focuses on the physics of chromatin, the DNA-protein complex that fills the nuclei of eukaryotic cells.

This structure dictates a broad range of biological processes, ranging from gene regulation, recombination, and replication, to chromosome condensation.

Via computer simulations and theoretical models our group comes to quantitative descriptions of chromatin from the very small scales (e.g. the mechanics of base pair steps in DNA) to the very large scales (e.g. the distribution of eu- and heterochromatin in the nucleus). Of crucial importance are the roles of information, evolution and active processes.