For a long time it has been known that the protein TOR – Target of Rapamycin – controls cell growth and is involved in the development of diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Researchers at the University of Basel’s Biozentrum together with scientists from ETH Zurich have now examined the structure of mammalian TOR complex 1 (mTORC1) in more detail. The scientists have revealed its unique architecture in their latest publication in “Science”.
Basel Biologists hope to develop a new drug to combat bacterial biofilms in the lungs of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. The Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) is funding the project “Therapeptix” at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel with 350,000 Swiss francs. Two more Biozentrum researchers are therefore heading towards professional independence and the establishment of a spin-off.
Researchers at the University of Basel took a close look at a signaling pathway present in most organisms and found that it suppresses the formation of specific types of brain tumor.
Mice that spent time running on wheels developed twice the normal number of new brain cells and increased their ability to distinguish new objects from familiar objects compared to inactive mice, reports a new study by researcher of the University of Basel.
To more efficiently treat breast cancer, scientists have been researching molecules that selectively bind to cancer cells and deliver a substance that can kill the tumor cells, for several years. Researchers from the University and University Hospital Basel have now for the first time successfully combined such an antibody-drug conjugate with a therapy that stimulates the immune system to attack tumor cells.
The BK polyomavirus often causes complications after kidney transplantation. A research group from the Department of Biomedicine at the University and the University Hospital of Basel has now been able to show, that the immunosuppressive drug Tacrolimus directly activates the replication of the virus and could thus be responsible for these complications.
The startup company “T3 Pharmaceuticals” at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has developed a fast and simple tool to selectively inject diverse proteins into cells.
Scientists from the Swiss Nanoscience Institute and the Department of Physics at the University of Basel have demonstrated for the first time how electrons are transported from a superconductor through a quantum dot into a metal with normal conductivity.
Exercise is healthy – this applies to all of us, especially though for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the University of Basel were able to show that fitness games, or “exergames”, for the Nintendo Wii console are suitable to increase cardiorespiratory fitness in type 2 diabetic patients and thus lower the risk of related heart disease.