New study from the Uguccioni’s lab revealing the activity of the CXCL12/HMGB1 heterocomplex in sustaining inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis
on October 23, 2018 The group of Dr. Uguccioni has revealed the mechanism by which an heterocomplex formed between the chemokine CXCL12 and the alarmin HMGB1, which was discovered in the past by the group, is maintained in chronic inflammation, and in particular in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The activation of mechanisms counteracting the oxidative stress […]
The Good, the Bad and the Neuroprotective – from IRB a computer-designed antibody to cure prions
on October 11, 2018 Prion diseases affect the brain, causing neurodegenerative problems that always lead to death. They attracted attention in the late 90s due to the “Mad Cow” scare. Today they are not only incurable but even largely not understood. Although Mad Cow disease is not a threat anymore due to veterinary control, human […]
IRB collaborates with CERBIOS on developing antibodies targeted at Leukemia Cells
on October 11, 2018 The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB-USI, Bellinzona, www.irb.usi.ch) and Cerbios-Pharma SA (Bargengo, Lugano), a company active in developing and producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), have started collaborating to develop Antibodies’ derivatives to treat Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), which makes it possible to target leukemia cells without attacking healthy ones, thereby […]
New paper from the Cejka lab published in Nature Communications
on October 11, 2018 When DNA gets broken, cells can utilize two main repair pathways. The first mechanism simply patches the two broken ends together at the cost of mutations in the vicinity of the break site. The second process, termed homologous recombination, is using a sister chromatid (a DNA molecule with the same sequence […]
New paper from the Cavalli Lab
on October 8, 2018 Pyruvate (PYR) dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is an enzymatic system that plays a crucial role in cellular metabolism as it controls the entry of carbon into the Krebs cycle. Recent experimental investigations highlighted its important role in cancer metabolism and indicated it as a potential target for the development of new anticancer […]
Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize 2018 to Sara Montagner
on September 22, 2018 Dr. Sara Montagner received the Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize 2018 from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for her research on the function of immune cells conducted at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB, affiliated to USI Università della Svizzera italiana). The prize, worth 25,000 Swiss francs, will be awarded in […]
Alessandro Marazza received the Best Poster award at the Swiss Apoptosis Meeting 2018
on September 22, 2018 At the 10th Swiss Apoptosis Meeting organized by Thomas Kaufmann, Mario Tschan and Thomas Brunner at the University of Bern, Switzerland, the FEBS Journal editors awarded Alessandro Marazza for the best poster presentation. Over 200 participants from Switzerland, Europe and overseas, including a considerable number of young scientists, attended the Conference, […]
Narcolepsy, scientists unmask the culprit of an enigmatic disease
on September 22, 2018 Bellinzona-Berne- Patients with a rare disease, called narcolepsy, suffer of excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy (brief episodes of loss of muscle tone triggered by emotions). The disease, first described in 1877, depends on genetic and environmental factors and is caused by the loss in the brain of some neurons that produce […]
Young researcher at the IRB awarded with the “2018 Balli Prize”
on September 12, 2018 To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Dr. Ettore Balli Foundation – which since 1988 has been awarding grants to patients in need of medical care, scholarships to qualified doctors for training abroad, contributions to institutes of public interest for the purchase of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, and contributions to doctors […]
New paper by the Sallusto lab published in Nature Immunology
on September 10, 2018 T helper lymphocytes that produce IL-17 (TH17 cells) are pivotal in protection against extracellular bacteria and fungi. They exert this function by recruiting neutrophils and by secreting a wide range of pro-inflammatory cytokines and effector molecules. TH17 cells can also induce severe tissue damage and chronic inflammation, eventually leading to autoimmune […]
