Throughout our body there is a dense, widely ramified network of blood vessels. It is estimated to be about 150,000 kilometers in length. The vessels supply all cells, even those in most far away regions of the body with…

We now live longer than at any point in human history, but to enjoy those extra years, we need to remain healthy, mobile and independent. With age, however, our muscles inevitably lose mass and strength. This age-related…

Although cells are separated from the outside world by a membrane, they can still sense well what is happening around them. They capture hormones and nutrients such as sugar, iron or cholesterol and bring them packed in…

How does a complex organism with a large number of different cells develop from a single cell? What are the common ancestors of the individual cells and how are they related to each other? What are the signals that drive the…

The incidence of liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma, is steadily increasing. In the last twenty years, the number of cases has almost doubled in Switzerland. Hepatocellular carcinoma is usually diagnosed at…

The BaseLaunch program was launched in 2017 as an initiative of BaselArea.swiss, the office for business promotion for Northwestern Switzerland, with the aim of strengthening the start-up scene in the Basel region and…

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,…

It is hardly bigger than a matchbox and yet there is a laboratory en miniature on this chip. Single bacterial cells grow in about 2000 channels of a thousandth of a millimeter in diameter and can be individually studied in…

The cell and developmental biologist Prof. Alex Schier, from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, has been recognized for his work on embryonic development, in particular, for establishing and applying genetic and…

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.…