Dispensability of HPF1 for cellular removal of DNA single-strand breaks
In response to DNA damage, the histone PARylation factor 1 (HPF1) regulates PARP1/2 activity, facilitating serine ADP-ribosylation of chromatin-associated factors. While PARP1/2 are known for their role in DNA single-strand break repair (SSBR), the significance of HPF1 in this process remains unclear. Here, we investigated the impact of HPF1 deficiency on cellular survival and SSBR following exposure to various genotoxins.
Important Step in the Fight Against Malaria and Theileriosis
Single-celled parasites are capable of causing a variety of life-threatening diseases in humans and animals. Of particular global significance are the pathogens of malaria (in humans) and theileriosis (in cattle), which have substantial impacts, especially in the countries of the Global South. As part of an SNF Sinergia project, researchers from the University of Bern, EPFL, and Justus Liebig University Giessen have now discovered a common Achilles' heel of these two parasites, which could be useful for new therapies. Read our article in Nature Communications for more information.
in memoriam
Claudia von Tscharner, former head of Dermatopathology Diagnostics at ITPA, passed away on May 29, 2024. Claudia was instrumental in the specialization of Dermatopathology Diagnostics and co-founder of the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology. Her significant dedication to supporting young professionals will remain in our memory.
H2AX promotes replication fork degradation and chemosensitivity in BRCA-deficient tumors
Check our publication in Nature Communications
SNF Sinergia Grant
In April the SNF-Sinergia project DISPERSE (Designing Inhibitors Against Clostridial Pore-Forming Toxins: A Structure-Based Approach) will start. This is a collaboration between the groups of Prof. H. Posthaus (Institute of Animal Pathology; Vetsuisse Faculty), Prof. J-L. Reymond (Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Science Faculty) and Prof. B. Zuber (Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty).
PARG-deficient tumor cells have an increased dependence on EXO1/FEN1-mediated DNA repair
Check our publication in The EMBO Journal
Successful ECVP Board Examination
Iva Cvitas, Leonore Aeschlimann (Küchler), and Ismar Klebic, who joint our residency program, successfully passed the 2024 ECVP Board Exam in Paris. Congratulations!
EuroPola 2024 - save the date
Master of Medical Education (MME)
Dr. Corinne Gurtner has successfully completed her Master of Medical Education at the IML, University of Bern. In her master thesis she investigated aspects of mental health of Swiss veterinary students. Congratulations.
Successful PhD defense
Martín Fernández González successfully defended his PhD thesis “Charting the Chemogenetic Landscape of Taxane Response in BRCA1-Deficient Mammary Tumors”. Congratulations!
Award of the Albert-Heim-Stiftun
Marine Inglebert has received the 2023 Award of the Albert-Heim-Stiftung for her work on “Investigating canine mammary tumors and patient-derived organoids as a preclinical model for breast cancer”. Congratulations!
Successful PhD defense
Marina Maurizio successfully defended her PhD thesis “Identifying essential host proteins for Theileria-induced transformation”. Congratulations!
Congratulations!
Christina Andronikou has successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "Understanding and overcoming PARP inhibitor resistance: A focus on BRCA1/2 restoration-independent mechanisms". Congratulations!
World champion at ITPA
Morgane Decollogny is world champion… in tchoukball. The Swiss national team won the final against Italy at the world championship in Prague.
Congrats to the Swiss team!
UniBE Short Travel Grant for (Post)Docs
Filippo Cattlani, PhD student in the group of Horst Posthaus, has been awarded a UniBE Short Travel Grant for a 4-week research visit at the laboratory of Prof. Michael Jennings, Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coats, Australia. The lab is internationally renowned for its research on glycoscience and infectious diseases. Congratulations and have a safe trip!
MD-PhD grant
Jan Franzen, PhD student in the group of Horst Posthaus, is one of 15 early career researchers in Switzerland, who received a scholarship from the national MD-PhD Program of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in 2023. Jan investigates molecular mechanisms of cell damage through toxins secreted by bacteria of the genus Clostridium. Congratulations!
New EMBO member
Hana Hanzlikova, group leader at the Institute of Animal Pathology, has been elected as EMBO member, a prestigious organization of leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. Congratulations!
DNA Repair
Lea Ling, PhD student in the group of Sven Rottenberg, received the best poster prize on DNA repair at the International Wolfsberg Meeting on Molecular Radiation Biology/Oncology in Oslo. Congratulations!
Annual Report 2022 Swiss Cancer Research
The annual report 2022 of the Swiss Cancer Research Foundation is published with a presentation of a project of the research group of Sven Rottenberg.
Board exam of the European College of Veterinary Pathologists
Kemal Mehanigic, PhD student in the group of Dr. Nicolas Ruggli (IVI) and former resident at the Institute of Animal Pathology, successfully passed the board exam of the European College of Veterinary Pathologists. Congratulations!
Teacher of the Year
Dr. Llorenç Grau Roma has been elected as ‘Teacher of the Year’ by the veterinary students of the University of Bern. The award was announced on the 16th of December 2022 during the celebration of the Christmas Commemoration event. Congratulations.
Structure of the C. perfringens beta-toxin pore
In collaboration between the groups of Prof. H. Posthaus (Institute of Animal Pathology), Prof. B. Zuber (Institute of Anatomy) and Prof. M. Degiacomi (Durham University) we discovered the structure of the C. perfringens beta-toxin pore. For the first time we can now gain detailed insight into the interaction between this "killer toxin" and the plasma membrane of target cells.
Ophiodiomyces ophiodiicola, Etiologic Agent of Snake Fungal Disease, in Europe since Late 1950s
In the past few decades, fungi have surfaced as threats to conservation and biodiversity among both ectotherms (“cold-blooded”) and endotherms (“warm-blooded”) animals. The fungus Ophiodiomyces ophiodiicola is the cause of snake fungal disease. Recent findings date its occurrence in the United States at least as far back as 1945. This fungus has been detected more recently in Europe. In this article, we have summarized the findings of an investigation carried out in collaboration between the University of Bern and the info fauna - karch aiming to detect the earliest record of Ophiodiomyces ophiodiicola in Switzerland. We have screened more than 1000 free-ranging snakes from museum collections from Switzerland. Of these, 22 had macroscopic lesions consistent with snake fungal disease and 5 tested positive, the oldest collected in 1959. These findings provide critical elements for helping to rethink the disease ecology and global distribution of O. ophiodiicola and reconstruct its natural history.
SNF Grant success
Prof. Horst Posthaus received an SNF grant for his project "Receptor specificities of Clostridium perfringens hemolysin beta-pore-forming toxins."
Congratulations
Dr. Hana Hanzlikova has started her group at ITPA
We are very happy to welcome Hana Hanzlikova as new group leader at ITPA and we are looking forward to the collaboration with her and her group.
Oral Presentation Award ESVP/ECVP Congress 2022
Stefano Bagatella, Resident at ITPA und PhD student in the Division of Neurological Sciences received the Oral Presentation Award at the recent ESVP/ECVP Congress in Athens for his talk "Microglia, rather than bacterial factors, mediate bovine neutrophil chemotaxis in neurolisteriosis". Congratulations!
Successful PhD defense
Carmen Widmer successfully defended her PhD thesis "Investigating platinum drug resistance using BRCA1;p53-deficient mouse mammary tumors". Congratulations!
Major US award for Bern and Geneva researchers
A prestigious grant from the USA goes to the biomedical scientist Sven Rottenberg, University of Bern, and the clinical scientist Intidhar Labidi-Galy, University of Geneva and University Hospital of Geneva. They received a joint grant from the "Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs" for their project on ovarian cancer. This underlines the high quality of the collaborative research on ovarian cancer in Bern and Geneva.
The cGAS–STING pathway drives type I IFN immunopathology in COVID-19
Discovery of a host cell-directed therapeutic approach to target COVID-19 Infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to increase of type 1 interferons, which play an important role in pulmonary and extrapulmonary disease. We contributed to the work of the Ablasser (EPFL) and Gillet (CHUV) labs, identifying the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway to drive IFN 1 responses in patients. Its inhibition substantially reduces lung inflammation in mice (Nature 2022, Jan 19. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04421-w)
GCB Award
Julia Bruggisser, PhD graduate from the research group of Horst Posthaus, received one of 3 GCB Awards for the best PhD thesis in 2021. Julia earned this prize for her excellent work and PhD defense on the topic "Clostridium perfringens beta-toxin: Receptor identification and oligomer structure". Congratulations!
