The Chemical Biology Discussion Group
The New York Academy of Sciences
Help the New York Academy of Sciences bring late-breaking scientific information about the COVID-19 pandemic to global audiences. Please make a tax-deductible gift today.
DONATEPosted May 09, 2019
A broad class of organelles within the living cell is not enclosed within a membrane. Instead, these membrane-less organelles are dynamic assemblies of both RNA and proteins that coalesce in a process called liquid-liquid phase separation. During phase separation, a solution of molecules separates into two coexisting phases, one densely enriched in molecules and the other dilute. This separation serves to regulate cellular activities such as enhancing critical enzymatic reactions. Interest in the formation, organization, and dynamics of membrane-less organelles due to phase separation has grown substantially, with increasing evidence that dysregulation of this process may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS and prion diseases, as well as cancer.
Learn about the latest advances in the field of biological phase separation and the implications for human disease in this summary of our February 20, 2019 symposium on the topic.