Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is a label-free, wide-field microscopy approach with
significant opportunities for biomedical applications. QPI uses the natural phase shift of light …

Polymer networks are complex systems consisting of molecular components. Whereas the
properties of the individual components are typically well understood by most chemists …

The extracellular matrix (ECM) and its mechanical properties play an important role in
regulating the cellular responses that occur during tissue regeneration, wound healing, and …

Optical tweezers are tools made of light that enable contactless pushing, trapping, and
manipulation of objects, ranging from atoms to space light sails. Since the pioneering work …

Cells compartmentalize their intracellular environment to orchestrate countless
simultaneous biochemical processes. Many intracellular tasks rely on membrane-less …

Liquid-liquid phase separation of multivalent proteins and RNAs drives the formation of
biomolecular condensates that facilitate membrane-free compartmentalization of subcellular …

P granules and other RNA/protein bodies are membrane-less organelles that may assemble
by intracellular phase separation, similar to the condensation of water vapor into droplets …

Dynamic light scattering (DLS) has evolved as a fast, convenient tool for particle size
analysis of noninteracting spherical colloids. In this historical review, we discuss the basic …

Living systems operate far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Enzymatic activity can induce
broken detailed balance at the molecular scale. This molecular scale breaking of detailed …

Biomolecular condensates assemble in living cells through phase separation and related
phase transitions. An underappreciated feature of these dynamic molecular assemblies is …