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Survival strategy of messenger RNAs during cellular sugar shortage

If a cell encounters a stress situation, whether it is due to nutrient restriction or osmotic shock, the cell reacts immediately to ensure its survival. Prof. Anne Spang’s research group at the Biozentrum of the University…


How does Parkinson's disease develop? Study raises doubts on a previous theory of Parkinson’s disease

The arms and legs tremble incessantly, the muscles become weaker and the movements slower − these are typical symptoms that many Parkinson's patients suffer from. More than six million people are affected worldwide. In these…


Like an assembly line: Molecular factories produce bioactive compounds

Cholesterol-lowering agents, antihypertensives or malaria medications, cancer drugs and antibiotics - many of our current drugs are based on natural products. Bacteria and fungi actually produce these chemical substances in…


Treating muscular disease – Santhera and Biozentrum join forces

Santhera Pharmaceuticals has started a collaboration with Prof. Markus Rüegg, who pioneered a novel gene therapy approach for the treatment of type 1 congenital muscular dystrophy (MDC1A). MDC1A is a severe form of…


Bacteria free themselves with molecular “speargun”

Tularemia is an infectious disease that mostly affects rabbits and rodents, but also humans can become infected. The cause of this serious disease is the bacterium Francisella tularensis . The infection biologists led by…


Not necessarily harmful: Protein aggregates in the brain

In the past, amyloids have mainly been associated with neurodegenerative diseases. These solid, insoluble protein clumps damage the nerve cells. The research group led by Prof. Martin Spiess at the Biozentrum of the…


Keep on moving: Sports relieve tumor-associated anemia

The two major symptoms of cancer are muscle atrophy (loss of muscle mass) and anemia (reduced hemoglobin level), leading to weight loss, fatigue, lethargy and reduced physical performance. Moreover, both are also symptoms…


Safeguarding the cell nucleus

The nuclear pore is responsible for regulating the transport of proteins from the cytoplasm into the cell nucleus and for ushering RNA out of it. It works like a molecular sieve that controls the entry and exit of…


Artificial Intelligence Tools shed light on millions of proteins

In the past years, AlphaFold has revolutionised protein science. This Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool was trained on protein data collected by life scientists for over 50 years, and is able to predict the 3D shape of…


Protective shield: How pathogens withstand acidic environments in the body

Each year, thousands of patients in Swiss hospitals become infected with dangerous pathogens that can hardly be controlled with antibiotics. The methicillin-resistant bacterium Staphylococcus aureus , MRSA for short, is…