The human body is made up of trillions of functionally specialized cells. Each cell is densely packed with molecules that carry out biochemical reactions, convert energy, transmit signals or enable cells to move on demand. We want to understand the choreography in which molecules self-organize to conduct complex cellular functions.

The SCALE consortium bridges diverse technological expertise from cell biology, biophysics, molecular biology, neurobiology, chemistry, bioinformatics and mathematics. They will develop radically novel experimental techniques to map and to simulate the interior of cells, and to predict their behavior. This research will provide important new insights into bacterial resistance, inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases and immune defense.