Human Frontier Science Program Foundation (HFSP) has awarded a highly competitive international research grant to Prof. Orna Amster-Choder of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Prof. Kerwyn Casey Huang of Stanford University and Prof. Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj of Imperial College London.

The grant will support an innovative project that challenges long-standing assumptions about how bacteria respond to stress. While scientists have traditionally believed that bacterial adaptation relies primarily on switching genes on and off, a process that can take time, the new research proposes that cells first respond through rapid physical and chemical changes inside the cell.

The team will investigate how these immediate responses occur in distinct regions within bacterial cells and the involvement of tiny droplet-like structures known as condensates, which are not bounded by a membrane, and are thought to help organize cellular activity quickly, allowing bacteria to survive sudden environmental changes.

By combining expertise in microbiology, cell biology, and systems biology, the international consortium aims to uncover fundamental principles of how simple cells adapt to stress. Because bacteria serve as powerful model systems, the findings are expected to have broader implications for understanding how more complex cells, including human cells, respond to changing conditions.

Prof. Amster-Choder’s lab at the Hebrew University focuses on using bacterial cells to uncover universal principles of cellular organization, integrating molecular biology, microbial genetics, microscopy and advanced computational analysis. The HFSP grant will further strengthen this work by enabling cutting-edge, interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Human Frontier Science Program Foundation is known for supporting high-risk, high-reward research that pushes the boundaries of scientific knowledge. This award highlights the global significance of the project and underscores the role of international collaboration in advancing fundamental science.