The Elf Lab

Our research aims at understanding how transcription factors (TFs) coordinate the expression of genes at the level of single cells. The experimental challenge of studying TF mediated gene regulation in individual cell is that it is a single molecule process where one or a few TF molecules bind to few specific binding sites on the chromosome. In addition TF kinetics poses two major theoretical challenges: the stochastic nature of kinetics at the level of single molecules and non-negligible spatial aspects. To meet these challenges we use novel single molecule microscopy methods for studying kinetics and diffusion in living cells (Elf et al Science 2007, PNAS 2011). These experimental techniques are accompanied by the development of pioneering computational tools for stochastic reaction-diffusion simulation of intracellular kinetics (Fange and Elf, PLoS CB 2006, PNAS 2010) and mathematical modeling of intercellular physiology (Elf et al, Science 2003; Nature Physics 2009, PNAS 2010, Nature Communications 2011).

We have released a new version of MesoRD which incorporates theory from our earlier paper, see "Approaching the molecular limit", below. The new release is found here .

We have, for the first time, been able to track individual freely diffusing proteins in living cells. This made it possible to distinguish ribosomes bound and dissociated RelA enzymes.

The paper "Modeling of intracellular reaction-diffusion processes: Approaching the molecular limit" by David, Paul, Otto and Johan is accepted for publication in PNAS

Johan Elf was awarded the 2010 Göran Gustafsson prize in molecuar biology by the Royal Academy of Sciences and the Göran Gustafsson foundation. The GG-prizes in mathematics, physics, medicine, chemistry and molecular biology are the most prestigous national scientific awards. Press info Royal Court News

The paper "The costs and constraints from time-delayed feed-back in small gene regulatory motifs" by Andreas, Per and Johan is accepted for publication in PNAS

The story was presented at the Biophysical Socity meeting in San Franscico. The paper "Tracking of individual freely diffusing fluorescent protein molecules in the bacterial cytoplasm" has been posted on q-Bio arXiv arXiv:1003.2110

Together with the Åqvist, van der Spoel and Komorowski groups we have formed the new program Computational and Systems Biology

published in Nature Physics

The group is now a part of the Linneaus center for Bioinfomatics. The lab is in corridor C8:2 of the biomedical center.

Petter Hammer, Rickard Hedman and Mats Wallden are joining the lab. Welcome!

We have many new quests to compleat starting 2008 and 2009. Outstanding candidates for postdoc, PhD and MS positions with a background in physic, chemistry, biology, computor science, mathematics or a mix of these are welcome to contact Johan Elf for more information.

The Elf lab got the highly competitive ERC Starting Independent Research Grant. Less than 3% of the 9200 applications were granted. The grant implies that a number of postdocs and PhD students will be recruited over the next few years.

We have started building our first single molecule microscope for live cell imaging

J Elf was awarded the Ingvar Carlsson Award (3MSEK) by the Swedish foundation for strategic reserach.