On September 1st, 2020, Maria Hondele will start as a new Assistant Professor of Biochemistry with Tenure Track at the Biozentrum, University of Basel. She is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of…

Recycling, the reuse of material, saves energy and resources. No wonder that nature also recycles. In the cells, tiny organelles, so-called endosomes, separate the delivered cellular material into reusable material and…

Whether we move our arms, legs or the entire body, every movement is centrally controlled by our brain. Different brain regions and neuronal networks play an essential role in this process. This includes the Substantia…

The ERC Advanced Grants, which are awarded by the European Research Council (ERC), are among the most prestigious and coveted grants in basic research: only 10 percent of application submissions are successful. The grants…

Bacteria are constantly engaged in a struggle for survival, facing threats from immune cells, antibiotics, or phages— viruses that only infect bacteria. Over the course of evolution, bacteria have developed numerous…

The inside of a cell provides as a hiding place for various pathogens. By residing in the cell, the bacteria can evade the immune response and spread within the body. Among these invaders are Burkholderia bacteria, including…

When our innate immune system detects a pathogen it mounts a potent inflammatory response that has the capacity to contain and eliminate the infection, but typically also causes significant damage to the inflamed tissue.…

Breast cancer is by far the most frequent type of cancer affecting women and a leading cause of death, despite advances in its detection and treatment. There are different forms of breast cancer and the causes are just as…

Hearing loss eventually affects almost everyone: Loud noises or simple aging gradually cause the auditory sensory cells and their synapses in the inner ear to degenerate and die off. The only treatment option is a hearing…

For about one hundred years it has been known that nutrient restriction and moderate stress can significantly prolong life. The researchers led by Prof. Mihaela Zavolan and Prof. Anne Spang, both at the Biozentrum of the…