Huge congratulations to Leon Lettermann, Mirko Singer, Falko Ziebert, Friedrich Frischknecht, and Ulrich Schwarz from PoP-Project 8, as well as all co-authors, on their Nature Physics publication: “Chirality of malaria parasites determines their motion patterns.”

By studying Plasmodium sporozoites in 3D hydrogels, the team found that these parasites move almost exclusively along right-handed helical paths and that this chirality governs how parasites switch between 3D motion and circular trajectories in 2D environments. During the early stages of infection, this distinctive motion allows the parasites to navigate efficiently through different tissue compartments. Furthermore, using physical simulations, traction force microscopy, and STED super-resolution microscopy, the authors demonstrated that the chiral rotational behavior is driven by the asymmetric release of adhesion molecules at the parasite’s tilted apical polar ring.

Check out the publication and press release for more details!

JPoP members are warmly invited to join a retreat immediately after the annual meeting.

PoP Goes Berlin!

For our fifth annual meeting, we’re swapping our usual Würzburg venue for the RKI in Berlin. The meeting will start on the afternoon of 17 February 2026 and conclude at noon on 19 February 2026.

We’re excited to welcome you all to the capital and look forward to seeing you there!

We are excited to announce two projects joining Physics of Parasitism!

Project 17 is led by Simone Reber, MPI for Infection Biology, Berlin, and Stefan Diez, TU Dresden. It explores the function of microtubule inner proteins (MIPs) in shaping Plasmodium morphology and mechanics throughout its life cycle.

Project 18 is headed by David Vöhringer, UK Erlangen, and Vasily Zaburdaev, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. The team combines in vivo imaging, biophysical measurements, and theoretical modeling to investigate the biophysical mechanisms that determine how hookworm larvae invade tissue and become trapped in granulomas.

Welcome to PoP!

Thank you to everyone who joined the Physics of Parasitism IV meeting and contributed to the lively discussions. Holding the PoP meeting alongside the Joint Parasitology Spring Meeting of the BSP, DGP and SSTMP in Würzburg made this edition particularly engaging, providing opportunities to connect with many more researchers in the field of parasitology. We are excited to see how the ideas and connections from this conference will shape our future research.

We are happy to announce our Physics of Parasitism IV meeting! The 4th meeting of the SPP 2332 Physics of Parasitism will be held on the 10th to 12th of March in Würzburg as a Sattelite to the joint Spring Meeting of the BSP, DGP, and SSTMP.

01.2025

Laura Hauf took over as PoP Coordinator from Elisabeth Meiser.

Leon Lettermann, Falko Ziebert, and Ulrich Schwarz from Project 8 have published an insightful, theoretical study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Their research demonstrates that the surface flow of adhesins typically causes cells to rotate around their long axis. This theory helps to explain evolutionary adaptations in the shapes of Plasmodium sporozoites and Toxoplasma tachyzoites and provides design principles for synthetic microgliders.

Check out their recent publication!

13 - 17 May 2024

The Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems Dresden, Germany is hosting a workshop on chemotaxis. A late registration was opened. For anyone interested please visit:

https://www.pks.mpg.de/chemt24.

March 13th – 15th, 2024

The 24th Drug Design & Development Seminar (DDDS) was held successfully in Würzburg this year, organized by the German Society for Parasitology (DGP). The seminar brought together experts and researchers in the field to discuss the latest advancements in drug design and development for combating parasitic diseases. PoP has contributed to this seminar, for example through our involvement in Project 4 of the PoP SPP.

Embracing pioneering research, the groups of Stanislav Gorb and Kristina Lehnert-Sobotta both from Project 9 illuminate the remarkable grip of the seal louse in the ocean. Their collaborative study, featured in Communications Biology, not only sheds light on the intricate world of parasite behavior but also ignites potential for pioneering bio-inspired underwater grippers. Check out their recent Press release.

The Parasite School in Jülich came to an end with gratitude to all the lecturers, attendees, and organizers for their contributions. We want to express our thanks to PHYMOT and FZ Jülich for their great cooperation with us at Physics of Parasitism SPP 2332.

Thank you all for your contributions and participation in our recent meeting. We are excited to build on the positive momentum from this meeting in our research collaboration.

The Retreat of J-Pop provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen our network within the PhD community. Thanks to all contributors!

The second annual meeting will be held at Juliusspital in Würzburg. We are excited for productive discussions!