Portrait from Tyler Harmon
© Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden

Expertise

The Harmon group focuses on theory and simulation of the thermodynamics of biomolecular condensate formation and emergent properties of chemically active condensates using mean field models, reaction diffusion equations, and coarse-grained simulations.  Condensate formation includes how the polymer-level properties impact the phase diagram1,2, understanding the dynamics of formation3,4, and how interactions control the spatial organization of condensates inside other condensates5-7.  Chemically active condensates include the organization of reactions across a single droplet8 and chemically driven instabilities where single droplet species can divide into multiple unique condensates with new functions9.

References:

  1. Harmon et al. Intrinsically disordered linkers determine the interplay between phase separation and gelation in multivalent proteins. eLife. 2017;6:e30294. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.30294
  2. Roberts, Harmon et al. A. Injectable tissue integrating networks from recombinant polypeptides with tunable order. Nat Mater. 2018;17(12):1154-1163. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0182-6
  3. Klosin, Harmon T et al. Phase separation provides a mechanism to reduce noise in cells. Science. 2020;367(6476):464-468. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav6691
  4. Martin, Harmon et al. A multi-step nucleation process determines the kinetics of prion-like domain phase separation. Nat Commun. 2021;12(1):4513. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24727-z
  5. Feric, Harmon et al. Coexisting Liquid Phases Underlie Nucleolar Subcompartments. Cell. 2016;165(7):1686-1697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.04.047
  6. Harmon et al. Differential solvation of intrinsically disordered linkers drives the formation of spatially organized droplets in ternary systems of linear multivalent proteins. New J Phys. 2018;20(4):045002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aab8d9
  7. Fei , Harmon et al. Quantitative analysis of multilayer organization of proteins and RNA in nuclear speckles at super resolution. J Cell Sci. 2017;130(24):4180-4192. https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.206854
  8. Chen, Harmon et al. Droplet Differentiation by a Chemical Switch. Phys Rev Lett. 2024;133(2):028402. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.028402
  9. Harmon et al. Molecular Assembly Lines in Active Droplets. Phys Rev Lett. 2022;128(10):108102. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.108102

Tyler Harmon Group

Theory and simulation of biomolecular condensates (Droplets)

Discipline: Polymer Physics
Affiliation: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden (IPF) – Division Theory of Polymers
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Current news by this research group

Tyler Harmon Group,Publications,RTG 3120,Jens-Uwe Sommer Group

Impact of Coiled-Coil Domains on the Phase Behavior of Biomolecular Condensates

A new Study from the Harmon and Sommer Labs in ACS Macro Letters entitled 'Impact of Coiled-Coil Domains on the Phase Behavior of Biomolecular Condensates' addressed how the geometry and structure of folded domains impact condensate formation. They used coarse-grained simulations to determine that…

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RTG 3120

New Research Training Group for Biomolecular Condensates in Dresden

The DFG approved a funding application to establish a new Research Training Group (RTG 3120) in Dresden to train PhD students interdisciplinary methods and approaches to study Biomolecular Condensates. Read the press releases for more:…

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Frank Jülicher Group,Science Sketches,Tyler Harmon Group,Publications

Molecular Assembly Lines in Active Droplets

  Cells assemble structures that have lots of molecules. How can such complicated structures be reliably assembled? We propose that cells could be organizing an assembly line process for the construction. We show how this could be organized inside droplets. In this video we explain our recent…

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