HORIZON 2020 - The driving forces of cell division

With her ERC grant, the 5000th awarded to a leading scientist in Europe, Dr Iva Tolić wants to push forward the frontiers of knowledge on the mechanical principles of cell division. To reach her goal, after spending several years in the USA, Denmark, Italy and Germany, she has moved back to Croatia where she is setting her new research team. The results of her ERC-funded project could lead to new insight in cell and molecular biology, potentially opening novel ways to treat cancer.

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Health Innovation Funding Researchers European Research Council Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing Croatia

date: 09/07/2015

Project: A new class of microtubules in the spind...

acronym: NewSpindleForce

See also: CORDIS

The basics of life

Cell division is a core process for life. Our body is constantly producing new cells to replace old or damaged ones, at the rate of millions per second. What is more, inside cells, there are forces, motor engines, and plenty of movement. Cells need these inner energies to duplicate.

"Understanding the mechanical principles of cell division is thrilling and extremely important. Actually, it is this process that makes life possible at all”, explains Dr Iva Tolić, who recently moved to the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb. "My ambition is to clearly identify the principles and rules of self-organisation inside a cell. I am particularly interested in the functioning of the mitotic spindle, which in my opinion is the most fascinating structure in all living creatures", says Dr Tolić.

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ERC Press Release

Dr. Iva Tolić