NICHE · Network for Integrated Cellular Homeostasis

There is a need for greater understanding of integrated cellular physiology to exploit cells and to tailor their activities to optimise microbial productivity in synthetic circuits and to limit microbial activity in food and pharmaceutical products. Understanding the integration of the cellular metabolic processes is fundamental to developing and exploiting cells. We have assembled a team of internationally renowned academic and industrial partners to form a training network comprising experimentalists and modellers. The partners will work synergistically to generate a cohort of well-trained young scientists with multidisciplinary skills to drive this research field forward and provide novel tools for academic and industrial research.Our focus in this training programme is a thorough understanding of cytoplasmic homeostasis, because this is integral to the functioning of individual components and whole pathways. Cytoplasmic homeostasis is amenable to both experimentation and modelling and has profound implications for the core processes of life and productivity.The research objectives are:•To advance our understanding of the homeostatic mechanisms of bacteria via predictive modelling and state-of-the-art experimental approaches.•To generate deep insights into effects of perturbation of homeostasis on the core properties of the cell: transcription, translation, metabolism and control over protein activity.•To develop novel approaches to gauge the properties of individual cells and to model the behaviour of single cells, cell collectives in biofilms and multicellular structures.•To develop new chemical and biophysical tools for the analysis of cells and protein complexes in order to understand cellular sub-structure assembly.•To map the location and dynamics of supramolecular assemblies in the cytoplasm and cell membranes.•To manipulate the productivity of the cell and engineer new, tailored activities in the cell for industrial needs.