Condensate News: The physics of protein condensates

A key gap in our understanding of biomolecular condensates is how to describe them near the critical point, where different behaviors can look similar. Clustering, overlap, and percolation are often mixed together, even though they describe different physical states. A new study from Dr. Rohit Pappu‘s lab at Washington University in St. Louis separates these effects so phase behavior can be described more accurately and compared across systems.

The field is moving toward more quantitative models of condensates in cells and simulations, but many studies still rely on small systems or indirect measures that can miss critical behavior. At the same time, newer experiments can measure clustering and network structure more directly, making this framework especially useful now.

The main value of the work is that it helps researchers tell whether a system is simply clustering, nearing percolation, or entering a true critical state. More broadly, it suggests that direct measurements of phase boundaries and pairwise interactions are more reliable than indirect scaling methods for judging solvent quality and condensate behavior.

Learn more about this topic in this Research Highlights article by Lorna Brigham Physics World.

Read the study in full: Mitra G, et al, Rep Prog Phys (2026).

Image credit: iStock/Christoph Burgstedt.