Media Releases

Sustainable chemistry: producing molecules more environmentally friendly

Researchers from the University of Bern and the RIKEN research institute in Japan have made a significant advance in sustainable chemistry. They have succeeded in producing organic molecules through a chemical reaction based on the sustainable metals sodium and iron. This represents a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional methods and has the potential to fundamentally change the production of pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals.

New WSS research center for molecular quantum systems

The University of Basel and the University of Bern are setting up a new research center to enable the construction of superconducting quantum units. The Werner Siemens Foundation is supporting the project with a total of CHF 15 million over the next eleven years.

Neues Forschungszentrum – Unis in Bern und Basel setzen auf molekulare Quantensysteme

Ein neues Projekt der Universitäten Bern und Basel soll helfen, komplexe Probleme mit Quantencomputer lösen zu können.

New endowed lectureship in molecular quantum materials

Thanks to the support of the Bernese entrepreneur Walter Inäbnit, the University of Bern is able to establish a new endowed lectureship. It is based at the newly opened W. Inäbnit Laboratory for Molecular Quantum Materials at the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences (DCBP). The purpose of this new lectureship is to develop new classes of materials which could potentially solve the problem of energy loss in electronics. The lectureship will be held by PD Dr. Shi-Xia Liu.

10 million euros for the search for new electrocatalysts

An international group of researchers with participation from the University of Bern is using new concepts to search for efficient and durable electrocatalysts for the energy transition. They are being funded by the European Research Council (ERC) with 10 million euros.

A gel against intestinal inflammation

Researchers at the University of Bern have developed a gel that could be used to treat chronic intestinal inflammation more specifically and with fewer side effects.

Dem Fachkräftemangel in Pharmazie entgegenwirken

Seit 2020 bietet die Universität Bern ein schweizweit einzigartiges, bifakuItäres Vollstudium in Pharmazie an. Der Studiengang betont die Pharmazie als Brücke zwischen Naturwissenschaften und Medizin und trägt dazu bei, den Mangel an Apothekerinnen und Apothekern in der Schweiz zu bekämpfen. Im Herbst 2022 schloss der erste Jahrgang das Pharmazie-Studium erfolgreich ab.

Creation of a detailed "catalogue" of degradation products in cells

Cells have their own quality control to prevent the production and accumulation of harmful proteins. This quality control is essential for correct embryonic development in all mammals and plays an important role in tumors and genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis. A group of researchers from the University of Bern and the University of Basel have now made visible and cataloged for the first time, "blueprints" that give rise to defective proteins and are normally recognized and rapidly degraded in cells. This leads to a better understanding of this degradation mechanism and helps in the development of new therapeutic approaches.

Kagome graphene promises exciting properties

For the first time, physicists from the University of Basel, working in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Bern, have produced a graphene compound consisting of carbon atoms and a small number of nitrogen atoms in a regular grid of hexagons and triangles. This honeycomb-structured “kagome lattice” behaves as a semiconductor and may also have unusual electrical properties. In the future, it could potentially be used in electronic sensors or quantum computers.

Mechanism discovered how the coronavirus hijacks the cell

Researchers at the University of Bern and ETH Zurich have discovered a mechanism by which the corona virus manipulates human cells to ensure its own replication. This knowledge will help to develop drugs and vaccines against the corona virus.

Porous nitrogen-doped graphene ribbons for future electronics

A team of physicists and chemists has produced the first porous graphene ribbons in which specific carbon atoms in the crystal lattice are replaced with nitrogen atoms. These ribbons have semiconducting properties that make them attractive for applications in electronics and quantum computing, as reported by researchers from the Universities of Basel, Bern, Lancaster and Warwick in the «Journal of the American Chemical Society».

EU-Forschungsgelder für Berner Spitzenforschung

Jean-Louis Reymond vom Institut für Chemie und Biochemie und Sven Rottenberg vom Institut für Tierpathologie der Universität Bern werden vom Europäischen Forschungsrat (ERC) mit je einem renommierten ERC Advanced Grant ausgezeichnet. Ihre Forschungsprojekte werden mit je 2,5 Millionen Euro über 5 Jahre unterstützt.

Eine stabile Brücke von Molekülen

Einem internationalen Team unter Beteiligung der Universität Bern ist ein entscheidender Schritt auf dem Weg zu miniaturisierten Schaltkreisen gelungen: Erstmals haben Forschende eine molekulare Brücke für Elektronen gebaut, die bei Raumtemperatur sowohl mechanisch als auch elektronisch stabil bleibt. Dies könnte in Zukunft den Bau elektronischer Systeme im Nanobereich mit völlig neuartigen Funktionen ermöglichen.

How to construct a protein factory

The complexity of molecular structures in the cell is amazing. Having achieved great success in elucidating these structures in recent years, biologists are now taking on the next challenge: to find out more about how they are constructed. A joint research project between two groups from the University of Bern and ETH Zurich now provides insight into a very unusual construction process in the unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei.

Turbocharger for the cell machinery

Researchers of the University of Bern have discovered a new molecular regulatory mechanism in unicellular parasites which has never before been observed. RNA fragments do not act as brakes in the cell apparatus, but on the contrary as "stimulants": they boost protein production after periods of stress.

A very special protein synthesis machinery

Sleeping sickness-causing parasites contain an unusual protein synthesis machinery. A team of researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Bern resolved its very special structure for the first time.

New defense mechanism against oxygen radicals discovered

Oxygen radicals occur as a by-product when living beings burn carbohydrates or fat. They are suspected of accelerating the ageing process in humans and animals, and to be partly responsible for severe illnesses such as Alzheimer’s or certain types of cancer. Researchers at the University of Bern and the University of Stockholm have now discovered a so far unknown defense mechanism against oxygen radicals which could serve as a base for various medications.
© Christoph von Ballmoos
Details see Media Release of the University of Bern

Neuer Schwachpunkt beim Erreger der Schlafkrankheit entdeckt

Parasiten wie Trypanosomen lösen schwere Krankheiten in Mensch und Tier aus, etwa die Schlafkrankheit. Forschende der Universität Bern haben nun aufgeklärt, wie Trypanosomen vorgehen, um bei der Zellteilung das «Kraftwerk» der Zelle gleichmässig an die Tochterzellen zu verteilen. Der neu entdeckte Mechanismus bietet mögliche Angriffspunkte für neue Medikamente.
© Institut für Zellbiologie
Details siehe Medienmitteilung der Universität Bern

Humidity Switches Molecular Diode Off and On

Molecular electronics is a growing research area where scientists study electrical properties of the molecules with a chemically programmed function. An international group of scientists from University of Bern, Leiden University, Delft University of Technology, and Chuo University has developed the first switchable molecular diode.
© Veerabhadrarao Kaliginedi
Details see media release of the University of Bern

Eine lebenslange Verbindung

Ende Mai hat die Schweizer Gesellschaft der Humboldtianerinnen und Humboldtianer (SHG) zu einem Festsymposium an die Universität Bern geladen.
Details siehe "uniaktuell"-Beitrag von PD Dr. Peter Broekmann

Graphene electrodes offer new functionalities in molecular electronic nanodevices

The researchers performed the characterization of graphene-based molecular electronic devices at room-temperature and demonstrated that molecules covalently attached to mechanically robust graphene substrates are ideal candidates for next-generation molecular electronic devices.
© Alexander Rudnev, University of Bern
Details see media release of the University of Bern

Goldenes «Nano-Schachbrett» für zukünftige Technologien

Eine Goldoberfläche, auf der sich Moleküle mit verschiedenen magnetischen Zentren zu einem Nano-Schachbrettmuster selbst anordnen, stellt den ersten sogenannten ebenen Ferrimagneten dar.
© Thomas Jung, PSI
Details siehe Medienmitteilung der Universität Bern

How complex cells originated

3D image of the unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei. The flagellum, which is used for moving (purple), the DNA (blue) and the Mitochondrium – the so-called power plant of the cell (turquoise).
© J. Tyc & S. Vaughn, Oxford Brookes University
Details see media release of the University of Bern

Award for Arianna Lanza

Arianna Lanza from the Macchi Group is the winner of the “PANalytical Award“.
Details see www.panalytical.com

Award for Cancan Huang

Cancan Huang from the Broekmann Group has been honored with “The Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad“.
Foto: zVg
Details see "uniaktuell" article

Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences