AMOLF group leader receives Human Frontier Young Investigator grant

Dr. Gijsje Koenderink, group leader of the Biological Soft Matter group at AMOLF, has received a Human Frontier Young Investigator grant for research into integrating biochemical and physical mechanisms of actin and major sperm protein-driven propulsion.

The research will be conducted together with Julie Plastino of the Institute Curie in Paris, France and Laurent Kreplak of the Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. Koenderink: “Cell migration is driven by the polymerization of cytoskeletal proteins into filaments that push out the leading edge of the cell. The goal of our research is to provide an integrated picture of how the biochemical activities of cytoskeletal proteins affect individual filament mechanics and overall network properties to produce useful force and movement.” The grant entails 350,000 US dollars each year for three years. The project will start in the summer of 2009, with three postdocs who will regularly travel between the three participating labs.