Archive
How bacteria fight osmotic stress
Researchers at the ETH Zurich have identified a previously unknown bacterial defense mechanism against the osmotic stress caused by changing salt concentrations. Using a newly developed metabolomics approach, the scientists discovered that quinones can increase the mechanical stability of the cytoplasmic membrane of E. coli. Their role in this defense mechanism represents a novel cellular function for quinones.
This research was supported by SystemsX.ch RTD Project MetaNetX.
Read the article published in Nature Chemical Biology »
Using mathematical models to diagnose schizophrenia
Researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich have succeeded in identifying various subtypes of schizophrenia using mathematical models. This paves the way for more accurate diagnosis and more targeted treatment.
This work was supported by SystemsX.ch (RTD Project Neurochoice).
Read the article published by ETH Zurich »
Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences awarded to Michael N. Hall
Michael N. Hall, Professor at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel and co-PI of two SystemsX.ch RTDs (YeastX and MERIC), has been honored with a Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. He and his team discovered the protein Target of Rapamycin (TOR), which regulates both cell growth and size. The Breakthrough Prizes, also called the "Oscars of Science", are supported with three million dollars, sponsored by some of the biggest names in the tech industry. Read the press release published by the University of Basel »
USI joins SystemsX.ch
In late November, the Board of Directors unanimously decided to accept the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) as a new SystemsX.ch partner institution. With the addition of USI, SystemsX.ch gains a partner with an excellent reputation in the fields of immunology, molecular modeling and computational sciences, and extends the systems biology research network into Ticino.