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Sara Wickström, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, has won an ERC Synergy Grant (€8.5 million) for a six-year project on how epithelial tissues establish shape and function. In collaboration with Daniel St Johnston and Ewa Paluch (University of Cambridge), she will investigate the interplay of genetics, cell mechanics, and physical forces in tissue development. Combining stem cell biology, molecular genetics, and biophysics, the research aims to uncover fundamental principles of organ formation and advance regenerative medicine. Only 10% of proposals were selected in this competitive ERC call, underscoring its scientific excellence.
To the point:
ERC SYNERGY GRANT: Sara Wickström of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, together with Daniel St Johnston and Ewa Paluch from the University of Cambridge (UK), receives an ERC Synergy Grant to study how cells shape and function in tissues. This prestigious award provides 8.5 million euros over six years.
INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH: By bringing together the disciplines of stem cell biology, molecular genetics, and cell biophysics, this research creates a unique synergy that opens new avenues for understanding how tissues take shape and function.
REGENERATIVE MEDICINE: Insights gained from this research could inform developmental disorder explanations and advance strategies in regenerative medicine and bioengineering.
FUNDING IMPACT: The grant will open a new research direction for Sara Wickström and fund the recruitment of two to three PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, providing them with highly interdisciplinary training in various scientific fields.
PRESTIGE AND LEADERSHIP: The award recognizes the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine as a leader in fundamental research, with only about 10% of proposals receiving funding.
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How cells establish their specific functions: A fundamental question in tissue biology
Tissues in the human body are not merely collections of cells — they are highly organized structures with specific shapes and functions, even within tissues that consist from the same cell type. For example, the epithelium of the lung is a thin, flat layer that facilitates efficient gas exchange. In contrast, the epithelium of the skin is multi-layered, forming a robust barrier that protects the body from pathogens, UV radiation, and mechanical stress. Yet, despite their functional diversity, how cells within these tissues determine these very specific shapes and architectures, and how this is coordinated with establishing the specific identities and functionalities of the cells — is still poorly understood.
A pioneering project led by Sara Wickström at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, has now been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant – one of the most prestigious awards in European science. The grant will support a six-year collaboration with Professors Daniel St Johnston and Ewa Paluch from the University of Cambridge in the UK. Under a framework of joint leadership, the scientists will work to uncover how epithelial tissues — one of the most abundant cell types in the human body — establish and maintain their identity and structure.
“What are the mechanisms that determine the final architectures of tissues?” asks Sara Wickström. “The answer lies not just in genes, but in the dynamic interplay between cells, their environment, and physical forces.”
A new science for a complex problem
This fundamental question cannot be answered by a single discipline alone. It demands a new kind of science — one that brings together diverse expertise in a truly collaborative effort. The ERC Synergy Grant is designed to enable precisely that. This project unites leading researchers from three fields: stem cell and tissue biology (Sara Wickström), molecular genetics and development (Daniel St Johnston), and cell biophysics and mechanics (Ewa Paluch). Together, they create a powerful synergy that transcends individual disciplines and opens new pathways to understanding how tissues form and function.
“In this project, we combine quantitative imaging, molecular genetics and physical modeling in a way that is only possible through close collaboration,” says Sara Wickström. “Merging these perspectives is crucial to understanding how cells self-organize into functional tissues.”
From cells to regenerative medicine
The research focuses on epithelia, which are tissues that line organs and cover the body’s surface. Understanding how these tissues form and maintain their structure could help to explain developmental disorders and inform future regenerative medicine and bioengineering strategies.
The total grant funding amounts to €8.5 million, €2.4 million of which have been allocated to Sara Wickström’s group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine. The funding will support the recruitment of two to three new PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, who will receive unique interdisciplinary training in cell biology, quantitative imaging, and systems-level analysis.
“This grant opens a new research direction in our group,” says Sara Wickström. “The young scientists working on this project will become experts not only in their fields and in cross-disciplinary collaboration – the very science that will shape the future of biomedicine.”
In total, 712 proposals were submitted to this call. Only about one in ten proposals were selected for funding. Receiving the ERC Synergy Grant further establishes the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine as a leader in fundamental research. The results of this project will be published in scientific journals and will contribute to ongoing international discussions in developmental biology.
Prof. Sara Wickström, MD, PhD
https://www.mpi-muenster.mpg.de/press-release/erc-synergy-grant-for-sara-wickstr... Press release on the website of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine
https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/synergy-grant About ERC Synergy Grants
Sara Wickström is awarded an ERC Synergy Grant for research on tissue architecture.
Copyright: Miikka Tikka
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Sara Wickström is awarded an ERC Synergy Grant for research on tissue architecture.
Copyright: Miikka Tikka
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