Research & Applications
A growing body of peer-reviewed work spanning cell biology and biophysics.
Studies below used research-stage prototypes of our thermal control technology that preceded the commercial VTS-100.
A mechanism for MEX-5-driven disassembly of PGL-3/RNA condensates in vitro
Lewis et al.
Develops an in vitro reconstitution system and microfluidic assay showing that MEX-5 dissolves PGL-3/RNA condensates by altering RNA availability and shifting the phase boundary, providing a quantitative framework for how RNA-binding proteins modulate condensate stability.
A label-free method for measuring the composition of multicomponent biomolecular condensates
McCall et al.
Introduces a label-free quantitative phase imaging method that uses tie-lines and refractive index to resolve the concentrations of multiple macromolecules in biomolecular condensates, revealing a decoupling of density and composition in protein/RNA mixtures.
Mechanistic basis of temperature adaptation in microtubule dynamics across frog species
Troman et al.
Compares microtubule assembly across three frog species adapted to different temperatures, combining cryo-EM with temperature-controlled in vitro reconstitution to show that tubulin free energy scales inversely with temperature, explaining microtubule stability in cold-adapted species.
Small-molecule dissolution of stress granules by redox modulation benefits ALS models
Uechi et al.
Identifies lipoamide as a small molecule that dissolves cytoplasmic stress granules through redox modulation of intrinsically disordered proteins (SRSF1, SFPQ), ameliorating motor and aggregation phenotypes in ALS models with FUS and TDP-43 mutations.
Optical characterization of molecular interaction strength in protein condensates
Beck et al.
Introduces Brillouin microscopy and quantitative phase imaging as label-free probes of molecular interaction strength in FUS and A1-LCD condensates, revealing how phase-separation propensity and material properties shift with temperature and ionic conditions.
eIF4F is a thermo-sensing regulatory node in the translational heat shock response
Desroches Altamirano et al.
Identifies eIF4F as a thermo-sensing complex whose heat-induced disassembly redirects translation toward heat-shock mRNAs by sequestering housekeeping factors into mRNP condensates.
inPhase — A simple, accurate and fast approach to determine phase diagrams of protein condensates
Fritsch et al.
Reports inPhase, a method based on mass and volume conservation that yields accurate dilute and condensed protein concentrations, enabling precise phase diagrams of condensate-forming proteins and exposing systematic underestimation by the widely used fluorescence approach.
A hydraulic instability drives the cell death decision in the nematode germline
Chartier et al.
Identifies a hydraulic instability in the C. elegans germline that determines which oocytes grow and which die, with thermoviscous flow perturbations used to test the mechanical basis of cell-fate decisions.
Lipid membranes modulate the activity of RNA through sequence-dependent interactions
Czerniak T. & Saenz J. P.
Demonstrates that lipid membranes modulate ribozyme activity through sequence-dependent RNA–lipid interactions, establishing a framework for membrane-based RNA regulation in cellular and prebiotic systems.
A conserved and tunable mechanism for the temperature-controlled condensation of the translation factor Ded1p
Jegers et al.
Shows that heat-induced assembly of the translation factor Ded1p into condensates is driven by a conformational rearrangement of its folded helicase domain, with intrinsically disordered regions tuning condensate size and six amino acid substitutions setting species-specific assembly temperatures.
Local thermodynamics govern formation and dissolution of Caenorhabditis elegans P granule condensates
Fritsch et al.
Reveals that protein-rich P granule condensates in C. elegans embryos form and dissolve reversibly with temperature, providing direct evidence that local thermodynamic principles spatially organize biomolecules in living cells.
Condensation of Ded1p promotes a translational switch from housekeeping to stress protein production
Iserman et al.
Shows that the yeast translation factor Ded1p undergoes heat-induced phase separation into gel-like condensates, switching translation from housekeeping to stress mRNAs, with condensation thresholds tuned to each species' maximum growth temperature.
Regulated changes in material properties underlie centrosome disassembly during mitotic exit
Mittasch et al.
Uses optically induced flow perturbations in C. elegans embryos to show that PLK-1 and SPD-2 confer mechanical strength and ductility to centrosomes, gating their disassembly at anaphase onset.
Non-invasive perturbations of intracellular flow reveal physical principles of cell organization
Mittasch et al.
Introduces focused-light-induced cytoplasmic streaming (FLUCS) for non-invasive, directional perturbation of intracellular flows, used to probe PAR polarization and reveal a metabolic fluid-to-solid transition in yeast cytoplasm.