Proteins and RNA can spontaneously assemble into phase-separated condensates, creating concentrated molecular environments that may have played an important role in the earliest biochemical reactions. ‘PhaseCat’ will investigate how protein-RNA catalysis may have evolved within such condensates, particularly in the context of primordial translation, and whether these principles can inspire applications in areas such as green chemistry. The consortium brings together expertise in microfluidics, spectroscopy, biological catalysis, and computational modelling. “What makes this network particularly exciting is its highly interdisciplinary nature, aimed at answering a very fundamental question in biology with potentially wide-reaching practical applications,” says Bojan Žagrović. “I am particularly excited by the possibility that some of the evolutionarily oldest biochemical reactions could provide knowledge and inspiration for new developments in green chemistry.”

Through the MSCA Doctoral Network, the participating labs will fund nine PhD researchers working on interdisciplinary projects hosted across the partner institutions. Individual research will be complemented by joint training, international secondments, and collaborations between academic and industry partners, including the Microfluidics Innovation Center in France and the biotech company Solfarcos in Portugal. As a research and training network, ‘PhaseCat’ complements the Vienna BioCenter PhD Program by adding a structured European and cross-sector dimension to doctoral training for participating students.

About the Žagrović lab