Ruprecht Karls Universität Heidelberg


Thorsten Erdmann

Research Interests

I am interested in the investigation of stochastic processes in complex, biological systems. Because biological systems usually consist of soft matter, typical energies for changes of mechanical or chemical conformations of molecules are on the order of thermal energy, so that thermal fluctuations become important. Moreover, dynamic processes in biological systems such as the cytoskeleton or biochemical reaction networks usually involve small copy numbers of molecules, so that also chemical noise becomes important.

Currently, I am mainly investigating active processes generating forces and directed movement in cells, thus contributing to cell motility and the stability of cells and tissues under mechanical tension. Biological cells use molecular machines called molecular motors to convert chemical energy to mechanical energy. Mechanical forces are usually generated by non-processive motors which work together in ensembles. The best known example for this are skeletal muscle cells where the activity of thousands of motors generates movements of a body and macroscopic forces. Because of the large number of motors, stochastic noise remains small and deterministic models can be used to describe the dynamics of muscle cells. In the cytoskeleton, by contrast, non-processive motors co-operate in small groups so that the dynamics of cytoskeletal motor ensembles is characterized by stochastic effects. A theoretical description therefore requires models which do describe these stochastic effects but can still be treated analytically or with moderate numerical effort. With the help of such models, the influence of the chemical and mechanical environment on the activity of the motors or the interaction and co-operation of a large number of motor ensembles in the cytoskeleton can be described.

Short Vita

Teaching activities

    Lectures and Seminars

    • Summer term 2014, Lecture course Theoretical Biophysics at Heidelberg University
    • Summer term 2013, Seminar Statistical Physics of Biological Systems at Heidelberg University (together with U. Schwarz)
    • Winter terms 2012-2015, Lectures on Cell Mechanics and Diffusion and Receptor-Ligand Binding as part of the Ringvorlesung Biophysik in the bachelor studies Molecular Biotechnology at Heidelberg University
    • Winter term 2011/12, Seminar Noise in Biochemical Networks at Heidelberg University (together with U. Schwarz)
    • Summer term 2010, Lecture course Stochastic Dynamics at Heidelberg University (together with U. Schwarz)

    Exercises and tutorials

    • Summer term 2016, Exercises and tutorials for the course Theoretical Biophysics at Heidelberg University
    • Winter term 2015/16, Exercises for the course Theoretical Statistical Physics at Heidelberg University
    • Summer term 2015, Exercises and tutorials for the course Theoretical Biophysics at Heidelberg University
    • Winter term 2014/15, Exercises for the course Theoretische Physik III: Elektrodynamik at Heidelberg University
    • Winter term 2013/14, Exercises and tutorials for the course Stochastic Processes at Heidelberg University
    • Winter term 2012/13, Exercises for the course Theoretical Statistical Physics at Heidelberg University
    • Summer term 2012, Exercises and tutorials for the course Theoretical Biophysics at Heidelberg University
    • Summer term 2011, Exercises for the course Theoretische Physik II, Analytische Mechanik und Thermodynamik at Heidelberg University
    • Winter term 2010/11, Exercises for the course Theoretische Physik I, Klassische Mechanik at Heidelberg University
    • Summer term 2010, Exercises and tutorials for the course Stochastic dynamics at Heidelberg University
    • Winter term 2009/10, Exercises and tutorials for the course Theory of soft and biomatter at Heidelberg University
    • Winter term 2004/05, Tutorials for the course Theory of Soft and Biomatter at the University of Potsdam
    • 1999-2001, Tutor for Theoretical Physics courses at the TU Berlin

Publications, Theses, Conferences contributions

    Publications

    PhD thesis

    Diploma thesis

    • Phasenverhalten und Struktur von Janus-Fluiden, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 2001
      [Unpublished] [See article in PRE]

    Selected contributions to conferences, symposia and scientific meetings

    • Stabilization of small myosin II ensembles by mechanical load and ATP concentration (Talk),
      DPG-Frühjahrstagung, Regensburg, Germany (2016)
    • Stochastic force generation and mechanosensitivity of small ensembles of myosin II motors (Poster),
      BIOMS | EMBL Conference Physics of Cells and Tissues 2015 - Modeling meets Experiment, Heidelberg, Germany (2015)
    • Stochastic modeling of gliding motility (Poster),
      DPG-Frühjahrstagung, Berlin, Germany (2015)
    • Stochastic force generation and mechanosensitivity of small ensembles of myosin II motors (Poster),
      Physics of Living Matter 9 Symposium, Cambridge, United Kingdom (2014)
    • Stochastic dynamics of small ensembles of non-processive molecular motors: The parallel cluster model (Talk),
      DPG-Frühjahrstagung, Dresden, Germany (2014)
    • Stochastic force generation by small ensembles of myosin II motors (Poster),
      Symposium Multiscale Motility of Molecular Motors, Potsdam, Germany (2013)
    • Stochastic dynamics of gliding motility (Poster),
      DPG-Frühjahrstagung, Regensburg, Germany (2013)
    • Stochastic modeling of malaria parasite motility (Poster),
      DPG-Frühjahrstagung, Berlin, Germany (2012)
    • Role of spatial averaging in the precision of gene expression patterns (Poster),
      WE Heraeus Seminar Physics of Biological Function - Multicellular Systems, Bad Honnef, Germany (2011)
    • Role of spatial averaging in the precision of gene expression patterns (Poster),
      German-Japan Roundtable Meeting From the Early Universe to the Evolution of Life, Heidelberg, Germany (2011)
    • Stochastic Force Generation by Small Ensembles of Non-Processive Molecular Motors (Talk),
      CECAM-Workshop Multiscale Computational Biomechanics, Zürich, Switzerland (2011)
    • Optimal precision of noisy gene expression domains (Talk),
      DPG-Frühjahrstagung, Dresden, Germany (2009)
    • Optimal precision of noisy gene expression domains and the role of spatial averaging (Talk),
      KNAW Biophysics Meeting, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2009)
    • Optimal precision of noisy gene expression domains and the role of spatial averaging (Talk),
      Symposium of the Amsterdam Center for Multiscale Modelling, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2009)
    • Optimal precision of noisy gene expression domains (Talk),
      Dutch Meeting on Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, Veldhoven, The Netherlands (2008)
    • Effect of fluctuations for the precision of spatial domains of gene expression (Poster),
      Conference on Systems Biology of Mammalian Cells, Dresden, Germany (2008)
    • Effect of fluctuations for the formation of spatial patterns of gene expression (Poster),
      Spring meeting of the German Physical Society, Berlin, Germany (2008)
    • Spatial expression patterns of interacting genes under control of an external morphogen gradient (Poster),
      Annual Dutch Meeting on Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, Lunteren, The Netherlands (2007)
    • Force spectroscopy on multiple bonds (Talk),
      Spring meeting of the German Physical Society, Regensburg, Germany (2007)
    • Impact of receptor-ligand separation on adhesion cluster stability (Poster),
      WE Heraeus Seminar on Dynamics of Cell and Tissue Structure, Bad Honnef, Germany (2007)
    • Impact of receptor-ligand distance on adhesion cluster stability (Talk),
      Spring meeting of the German Physical Society, Dresden, Germany (2006)
    • Stochastic dynamics of adhesion clusters under force (Talk),
      Institut Curie, Paris, France (2006)
    • Stochastic dynamics of adhesion clusters under force (Talk),
      Workshop on Computer Simulations and Theory of Macromolecules, Hünfeld, Germany (2005)
    • Stochastic dynamics of adhesion clusters under force (Talk),
      Chair of Stochastic Processes, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany (2004)
    • Stability of adhesion clusters under force: a stochastic analysis (Talk),
      International Workshop on Complex Dynamical Processes in Electroreceptors and Hair Cells, Dresden, Germany (2004)
    • Stability of adhesion clusters under constant force (Poster),
      Gentner Symposium on Physics of Biomaterials and Soft Matter, Dead Sea, Israel (2004)
    • Stability of adhesion clusters under constant force (Poster),
      Spring meeting of the German Physical Society, Regensburg, Germany (2004)
    • Stability of adhesion clusters under force: a stochastic analysis (Talk),
      5th Minerva Supramolecular Science Students Symposium, Naurod, Germany (2003)
    • Phase behavior and structure of Janus fluids (Poster),
      Spring meeting of the German Physical Society, Hamburg, Germany (2001)

    Address

    Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg
    Institute for Theoretical Physics
    Philosophenweg 19 (Room 207)
    D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany

    email: thorsten.erdmann at bioquant.uni-heidelberg.de
    phone: +49-(0)6221-54-9443
    fax: +49-(0)6221-54-9331
    www: http://www.thphys.uni-heidelberg.de/~biophys
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