@article{14827,
  abstract     = {Understanding complex living systems, which are fundamentally constrained by physical phenomena, requires combining experimental data with theoretical physical and mathematical models. To develop such models, collaborations between experimental cell biologists and theoreticians are increasingly important but these two groups often face challenges achieving mutual understanding. To help navigate these challenges, this Perspective discusses different modelling approaches, including bottom-up hypothesis-driven and top-down data-driven models, and highlights their strengths and applications. Using cell mechanics as an example, we explore the integration of specific physical models with experimental data from the molecular, cellular and tissue level up to multiscale input. We also emphasize the importance of constraining model complexity and outline strategies for crosstalk between experimental design and model development. Furthermore, we highlight how physical models can provide conceptual insights and produce unifying and generalizable frameworks for biological phenomena. Overall, this Perspective aims to promote fruitful collaborations that advance our understanding of complex biological systems.},
  author       = {Schwayer, Cornelia and Brückner, David},
  issn         = {1477-9137},
  journal      = {Journal of Cell Science},
  keywords     = {Cell Biology},
  number       = {24},
  publisher    = {The Company of Biologists},
  title        = {{Connecting theory and experiment in cell and tissue mechanics}},
  doi          = {10.1242/jcs.261515},
  volume       = {136},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{13261,
  abstract     = {Chromosomes in the eukaryotic nucleus are highly compacted. However, for many functional processes, including transcription initiation, the pairwise motion of distal chromosomal elements such as enhancers and promoters is essential and necessitates dynamic fluidity. Here, we used a live-imaging assay to simultaneously measure the positions of pairs of enhancers and promoters and their transcriptional output while systematically varying the genomic separation between these two DNA loci. Our analysis reveals the coexistence of a compact globular organization and fast subdiffusive dynamics. These combined features cause an anomalous scaling of polymer relaxation times with genomic separation leading to long-ranged correlations. Thus, encounter times of DNA loci are much less dependent on genomic distance than predicted by existing polymer models, with potential consequences for eukaryotic gene expression.},
  author       = {Brückner, David and Chen, Hongtao and Barinov, Lev and Zoller, Benjamin and Gregor, Thomas},
  issn         = {1095-9203},
  journal      = {Science},
  number       = {6652},
  pages        = {1357--1362},
  publisher    = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
  title        = {{Stochastic motion and transcriptional dynamics of pairs of distal DNA loci on a compacted chromosome}},
  doi          = {10.1126/science.adf5568},
  volume       = {380},
  year         = {2023},
}