The organizers of Cell Bio Virtual 2020, an online ASCB – EMBO meeting, invited Tony to give the Keith Porter Lecture. Keith Porter pioneered electron microscopy and employed it in the study of cellular organization.
After an introduction from Professor Timothy Mitchison, Tony walked the audience through his scientific journey leading him to Dresden. There, his lab has been engaged in interdisciplinary Biophysical research since 2009 leading to discoveries in the field of phase separation. Throughout the lecture, the importance of taking the time to investigate observations off the beaten path and regularly engaging in scientific discussions was highlighted.
Analogies were used to explain the basic concepts and observations in the field, from the example of a vinaigrette to illustrate liquid-liquid demixing to the dynamic assembly of communities and societies. A summary of the grand challenges facing the emerging field of condensate biology was laid out. These challenges require the input of Biophysicists, polymer physicists, and molecular & structural biologists.
