News Archive 2008

December 2008:

• Philipp Gerber awarded Servier Forschungspreis 2008: Philipp Gerber, postdoc in the research groups of Wilhelm Krek and Giatgen Spinas, got the Servier Forschungspreis 2008 from the Swiss Society for Endocrinology and Diabetology for his clinical research on islet transplantation. The CC-SPMD extends its warmest congratulations to the prize winner. Please find the publication below:
  P.A. Gerber, V. Pavlicek, N. Demartines, R. Zuellig, T. Pfammatter, R. Wüthrich, M. Weber, G.A. Spinas, and R. Lehmann: Simultaneous islet-kidney vs pancreas-kidney transplantation in type 1 diabetes mellitus: a 5 year single centre follow-up; Diabetologia 2007, Epub ahead of print (Diabetologia, 51, 2008, 110-9)
• Jens Zehetner, one of the first students who participated in the CC-SPMD PhD program «Systems Biology of Complex Diseases», successfully defended his PhD thesis. Congratulations! ETH life published an article on his latest research (German only) »»
• Systems Biology of beta-cells and bioinformatics: The field of bioinformatics plays a crucial role in the program 'Systems Biology of beta-cells', a research cooperation between F. Hoffmann-La Roche and the CC-SPMD. Cristiano Migliorini, project manager of Roche, explains in ETH Globe how bioinformatics databases can contribute to understanding the dysregulation of beta cells and their impact on type 2 diabetes. Read more (p. 26f, German only) »»

September 2008

• Researchers' Night 2008 on Friday, 26 September, 5:00 – 12:00 p.m., Bellevue and Zürichhorn:
  How can bacteria generate electricity? Can a robot with four legs walk properly? How much strength does it need to break a human bone? Scientists of the ETH and the University of Zurich answered these and lots of other questions at the European Researchers’ Night on Friday, 26 September 2008. Everybody was invited to join the researchers who performed experiments and provided information on their diverse projects.
  On shuttle boats cruising between the two venues Bellevue and Zürihorn, two members of the CC-SPMD gave short presentations on «Metabolic Diseases – new approaches in research and therapy». Oliver Tschopp introduced the fatty liver disease and explained why investigating this sickness is crucial for diabetes research. Christian Frei talked about how one can use fruit flies as model organisms for metabolic diseases.
  More information »
  
• Romeo Ricci awarded Georg-Friedrich-Götz-Preis 2008: The 2008 Georg-Friedrich-Götz prize was awarded to CC-SPMD member Romeo Ricci for his outstanding achievements in his studies on the origin of atherosclerosis and insulin resistance. With this awarding, the Götz Foundation at the University of Zurich honors major contributors to the field of medicine. In his research projects, Ricci who was appointed SNSF professor in 2007 focuses on the analysis of pathways linking inflammation and lipid metabolism in macrophages which are regarded as the essential cell type modulating lipid accumulation in the atherosclerotic lesion. This approach is a central topic in atherosclerosis research.
  The award ceremony - including speeches of the prize winners Romeo Ricci (Cell Biology, ETH Zurich) and Raimund Dutzler (Biochemistry, University of Zurich) - took place on Thursday, 18 September 2008, 5:15 p.m., Grosser Hörsaal Ost, UniversitätsSpital, Gloriastrasse 29, Zürich.
  Read more in Unipublic (German only) »»
  More information on the Georg-Friedrich-Götz-Preis »»

July 2008

• All-SystemsX.ch-Day 2008: The All-SystemsX.ch-Day will take place on 16 October 2008 in Basel. Among others, the CC-SPMD members Ruedi Aebersold, Ernst Hafen, Wilhelm Krek and Uwe Sauer will give presentations on their new SystemsX.ch Research, Development and Technology Projects. Moreover, there will be a second call for proposals and workshops on selected topics.
  Please find the program here »»
  You can register here (Deadline: 30 September 2008) »»

June 2008

• Appointment as Assistant Professor for Obesity Research: We congratulate Christian Wolfrum on his appointment as an assistant professor for obesity research at ETH Zurich. Christian Wolfrum has been working as an Oberassistent at the Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zurich, up to now and is a CC-SPMD group leader since 2007. His research focuses on elucidating the underlying mechanisms in the development of obesity and the associated type 2 diabetes with respect to adipocyte biology. In particular, Wolfrum studies adipocyte differentiation and maturation in relation to the development of metabolic disorders using a systems biology approach. Read more »»
  

March 2008

• LiverX Project of the CC-SPMD funded by SystemsX.ch: Thirty proposals of high scientific quality were reviewed by an international SNSF panel. The RTD-Project 'LiverX: Systems Biology of Hepatic Insulin Resistance' initiated by Wilhelm Krek is one of eight proposals which were chosen for funding. SystemsX.ch awards these systems biology projects a total of CHF 45 million.
  The LiverX Project: Systems Biology of Hepatic Insulin Resistance
  Obesity, type 2 diabetes and its associated comorbidities such as heart disease and atherosclerosis are among the most prevalent and challenging conditions confronting the medical profession and societies in the 21st century. A major metabolic consequence of obesity is insulin resistance, which is strongly associated with deposition of fat and uncontrolled glucose production in the liver, thereby contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes. The complex etiology of insulin resistance remains poorly understood thus impeding the development of new innovative medicines. Researchers of 'The LiverX Project' will develop a framework that integrates prior knowledge on cellular signaling with systematically acquired quantitative and dynamic data on the insulin and metabolic control networks in the context of single cells, organ and whole organism and subjects with insulin resistance to develop predictive models of insulin resistance. The proposal is a central component of ongoing programs in medical systems biology at the Competence Center for Systems Physiology and Metabolic Diseases (CC-SPMD). As alterations in metabolic control networks are associated with many other diseases including cancer, the generated data will have implications far beyond the project itself by providing new perspectives for the treatment of metabolism-associated disorders.
  Principal Investigator: Prof. Wilhelm Krek, Chair Executive Committee CC-SPMD
  Partners: University of Basel, University of Zurich, University of California, Berkeley
  Media release of SystemsX.ch
  Read more in ETH Life (German only) »»
  More information on the project »»

February 2008

• Winner of ERC Starting Grant: We congratulate Christian Wolfrum who was awarded the prestigious Starting Independent Research Grant of the European Research Council (ERC). ERC Starting Grants are designed to boost the careers of researchers who may be working in any area of science or scholarship at the time they are establishing themselves as independent research leaders. The Starting Grants competition - the first ERC call - stirred great interest throughout the research community. Over 9000 applications were submitted by the deadline of 25 April 2007 by investigators of 88 nationalities. About 300 of them will get funding by the EU. Christian’s proposal was on the 'priority list' and contracts can be signed soon. ERC Starting Grants amount up to 2.0 Mio Euro for a duration of up to 5 years.
  About Christian’s research »»
  Please find more information here »» or on the ERC website »»
  
• Annual Retreat: The members of the CC-SPMD were invited to the 3rd Annual Retreat (31 January-2 February 2008, Kartause Ittingen). Please find the program here »»

Please find more pictures here »»