Our cells continuously receive external signals, which are transmitted across the cell membrane into the cell, to be processed in the cell nucleus. Various signaling pathways are found in the cell membrane. One is the…

Antibiotics are still the treatment of choice in fighting bacterial infections. However, due to their extensive and sometimes improper use in medicine and livestock farming, resistant pathogens are increasingly emerging,…

The forefather of phylogenetic trees can be found in Charles Darwin's revolutionary work "On the Origin of Species". These trees provide information about the evolution and relationships of species, from simple cells to…

The causes of liver cancer are manifold. In addition to metabolic disorders such as those associated with obesity, the main causes in the western world are infections with hepatitis C virus and high alcohol consumption.…

The G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) perform very diverse tasks in our body. They enable us to see, taste food, feel cold or warm, or respond to stress. Located on the cell surface, GPCRs sense a large variety of signals…

The WHO calls the creeping and rapidly growing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria a “silent pandemic”. The crisis is aggravated by the fact that hardly any new drugs have come onto the market in recent decades. Even…

Like human beings, every cell in our body tries to ward off death as long as it can. This is particular true for a specific type of immune cells, called T-lymphocytes, or T cells for short. These cells keep viruses,…

The coronavirus pandemic and the development of the novel vaccines has brought mRNA into the public eye. mRNAs are transcripts of DNA. They serve as a template for protein production and are degraded after a certain time.…

In Switzerland, about 650 new cases of liver cancer are diagnosed every year. The incidence of the malignant and aggressive liver cell carcinoma has doubled in the last 20 years, especially in developed countries. One…

Cilia perform numerous functions for the cell: they help cells swim, move fluid, and send messages to each other. Cilia ensure that we can see, they remove substances from the lungs, move fluid in the brain, and enable us to…