Petr Cejka awarded ERC Advanced Grant
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), warmly congratulates Prof. Petr Cejka on being awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant. The grant will be hosted by IRB in Bellinzona, affiliated with the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). ERC Advanced Grants are among the most competitive funding schemes in Europe and support outstanding […]
Protective human antibodies target West Nile and related viruses
Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, partners at Stanford, Masaryk and Zurich University, Pasteur Institute in Novi Sad and physicians in Serbia, report in Immunity that monoclonal antibodies from convalescents protect against West Nile and related orthoflaviviruses, supporting future prophylactic and therapeutic strategies. West Nile virus (WNV) is transmitted by mosquitoes and […]
How Cells Measure Telomere Length: Rap1’s Physical Barrier Keeps DNA Damage at Bay
A collaborative paper published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology by the group of Prof. Marcand (Paris) and Prof. Cejka (IRB Bellinzona) reveals how arrays of the telomeric protein Rap1 block MRX by steric hindrance, enabling cells to sense telomere length. Telomeres protect chromosome ends, but when they become too short, cells must detect and respond […]
A New Research Group at IRB Led by Dr. Gea Cereghetti
Bellinzona, Jun 19 2026 The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), affiliated with the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), is pleased to announce the arrival of Dr. Gea Cereghetti as a new Group Leader. Since June 2026, she has been leading the newly established Protein Self-Organization Laboratory, further strengthening IRB’s research activities at the […]
RFX7, a neglected transcription factor important in B cells and lymphomas
With this study, published in Nature Immunology, the Immune Mechanisms Laboratory, led by Greta Guarda at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) demonstrated that the transcription factor RFX7, which is poorly studied, plays an important role in controlling B lymphocyte activation as well as the development of lymphoma. Indeed, RFX7 is often altered in […]
Tumor-targeted IL2 therapy promotes CD8+ T cells functions to eliminate B-cell lymphoma
A study published in the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research investigates the L19IL2 immunotherapy mechanism of action against B-cell lymphoma. This study reveals that L19IL2 slow tumor growth by enhancing intratumoral CD8⁺ T cell priming and cytotoxicity, and dynamically boosting tumor-directed motility. B cell lymphoma is a common blood cancer affecting thousands of […]
IRB scientists awarded SNSF research grants
Bellinzona, 17 April 2026 Several research groups at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Bellinzona, Switzerland (affiliated to Università della Svizzera italiana), have been awarded prestigious grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), supporting innovative projects across immunology, cancer biology and therapeutic development. Below is a brief overview of the four awarded […]
The Dangerous Effect of Tattoos on the Immune System
Are you aware that when you tattoo your skin, you are also tattooing your immune system? A groundbreaking study by a Swiss the research group led by Prof. Santiago F. González, published today in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), raises new questions about the safety of tattoos. The study by […]
Immunemap, an open intravital microscopy atlas for systematic analysis of immune cell motility
A new study mapping immune cell motility across organs and conditions is published in EMBO Journal. This work is a collaboration between the González Group at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB, an Institute affiliated with USI Università della Svizzera italiana) and the Pizzagalli and Krause Group at the Euler Institute and supported by […]
Mechanistic answer to how CAG expansion arise in Huntington’s disease
Published in Nature Communications, the work from the Cejka laboratory reveals how MutSβ-MutLγ-driven trinucleotide expansion arise in neural cells and how FAN1 safeguards the genome. This mechanism clarifies Huntington’s disease biology and points to therapeutic targets. Huntington’s disease is driven by the gradual expansion of CAG repeats in the HTT gene in brain cells. How […]
