The Swiss Initiative for RNA & Disease (SIRD) is now online. As the successor to NCCR RNA & Disease (2014–2026), SIRD continues to connect RNA researchers across Switzerland and promotes collaboration, education, scientific exchange, and innovation in RNA biology and disease research. 🌐 sird.info

A tiny chemical tweak changed medicine! 💉 Discover how RNA modifications made efficient mRNA vaccines against Covid-19 possible, for which the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SQd... @snsf.ch @unibe.ch @ethz.ch @nobelprize.org @rnasociety.bsky.social

RNA Explained: Hiding in Plain Sight – RNA Modifications Enable Effective mRNA Vaccines

YouTube video by NCCR RNA & Disease

youtube.com

For gene expression,there exist "dimmer switches"!Discover how microRNAs fine-tune protein production in health&disease.For their discovery,the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoUo... @snsf.ch @unibe.ch @ethz.ch @nobelprize.org @rnasociety.bsky.social

RNA Explained: Tiny RNAs, Big Control - microRNAs and Gene Expression

YouTube video by NCCR RNA & Disease

youtube.com

Why do we age? 🧬 Meet telomerase, the molecular machine that rebuilds chromosome ends and its roles in health & disease. For its discovery, the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXLE... @snsf.ch @unibe.ch @ethz.ch @nobelprize.org @rnasociety.bsky.social

RNA Explained: Letting Cells Live Forever – Telomerase and the Maintenance of Chromosome Ends

YouTube video by NCCR RNA & Disease

youtube.com

Reprogramming cells with precision! 🎯 Learn how RNA interference (RNAi) silences specific genes to treat diseases. For its discovery, the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZY1... @snsf.ch @unibe.ch @ethz.ch @nobelprize.org @rnasociety.bsky.social

RNA Explained: Gene Silencing - RNA Interference: Nature's Precision Tool

YouTube video by NCCR RNA & Disease

youtube.com

Our genes come in bits & pieces!🧬Learn how splicing "cuts & pastes" RNA to create different proteins from a single gene, for its discovery the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x7H... @snsf.ch @unibe.ch @ethz.ch @nobelprize.org @rnasociety.bsky.social

RNA Explained: Split Genes – RNA Splicing & Protein Diversity

YouTube video by NCCR RNA & Disease

youtube.com

Preprint by the Leidel, Thiel & Pillai labs with co-1st authors R. Pandey & N. Ebert "Loss of host factor-mediated m6Am methylation of the viral RNA cap impairs SARS CoV-2 replication" @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social doi.org/10.64898/202... @profvolkerthiel.bsky.social @mcm5s2u.bsky.social @unibe.ch

Imagine curing diseases by rewriting the code of life!🧬Discover how CRISPR/Cas9, guided by RNA, acts as molecular scissors to precisely edit genomes, for which the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rz-... @snsf.ch @unibe.ch @ethz.ch @nobelprize.org

RNA Explained: Rewriting the Code of Life - CRISPR/Cas9 and the Genome Editing Revolution

YouTube video by NCCR RNA & Disease

youtube.com

DNA holds the blueprints, but how are proteins built?Meet the ribosome, a nanomachine.For the studies of it,the 2009 Chemistry Nobel Prize was awarded. Watch the video on YouTube with subtitles in English, French & German: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2txJ... @snsf.ch @unibe.ch @ethz.ch @nobelprize.org

RNA Explained: The Cell's Protein Factory - the Ribosome and Its Structure

YouTube video by NCCR RNA & Disease

youtube.com

Preprint by the Polacek lab and collaborators with first author EunBin Kong "Stress-induced vtRNA1-1 modulates redox homeostasis and ferroptosis susceptibility in hepatocellular carcinoma cells" @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social doi.org/10.64898/202... @unibe.ch

How did life begin?🧬Before DNA & proteins, RNA paved the way for modern life. Learn about "ribozymes". The discoverers of catalytic RNAs were awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry! Watch the video with subtitles in DE, EN & FR: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjtN... @snsf.ch @unibe.ch @ethz.ch

RNA Explained: The Origin of Life - Ribozymes and the RNA World Hypothesis

YouTube video by NCCR RNA & Disease

youtube.com

RNA Explained Video Series: From CRISPR to Vaccines - 8 RNA Discoveries That Revolutionized Biology!🎬Explore 8 Nobel Prize-winning breakthroughs. They are the final public outreach activity of the NCCR RNA & Disease. Join us on this journey into RNA science! Coming soon! @snsf.ch @ethz.ch @unibe.ch

Paper by the Allain and Jeschke labs with first author Cristina Nguyen "Characterization of flexible RNA binding by tandem RNA recognition motifs through integrative ensemble modelling" in Nucleic Acids Research ( @narjournal.bsky.social) nccr-rna-and-disease.ch/news/article... @ethz.ch #NMR

Review by the Mühlemann Lab with first author Wojciech Teodorowicz "Molecular determinants and therapeutic targeting of stop codon readthrough in eukaryotic translation" @jmolbiol.bsky.social nccr-rna-and-disease.ch/news/article... @omuhlemann-lab.bsky.social @unibe.ch

Publication by the Corn lab and collaborators with first author Lena Kobel " DisTAL-Seq: A TALEN-specific adaptation of DISCOVER-Seq for off-target profiling" in Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids: nccr-rna-and-disease.ch/news/article... @jcornlab.bsky.social @moltherapy.bsky.social @ethz.ch

🔬 We are pleased to welcome Kamena Kostova (Stowers Institute for Medical Research, USA) as the next speaker in our NCCR RNA & Disease Seminar Series! 🗓️ 23.03.2026 – 16:30 📍 University of Bern, DCBP 🗓️ 24.03.2026 – 11:00 📍ETH Zurich, Hönggerberg For more Info: lnkd.in/ei92r5gg @unibe.ch @ethz.ch

Publication by the Gatfield and Jonas labs with co-first authors Enes Arpa and Michael Taschner "Active Site Assembly by SMG5 as a Mechanism for SMG6 Endonuclease Licencing in Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay" @jmolbiol.bsky.social nccr-rna-and-disease.ch/news/article... @unil.bsky.social @ethz.ch

We would like to congratulate Sebastian Leidel ( @mcm5s2u.bsky.social ) on receiving the 2026 RNA Society Mid-Career Award! nccr-rna-and-disease.ch/news/article... @rnasociety.bsky.social @unibe.ch @snsf.ch

nccr-rna-and-disease.ch

Our Lab is searching a postdoc for an exciting ERC-funded project that will start this summer. Apply if you’re passionate about multi-omics, cutting-edge computational approaches, and exploring biological questions across the animal 🪼 🪱 🐞 🦎 🦋 🕷️ tree of life www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/open-positio...

🔬 Next in the NCCR RNA & Disease Seminar Series: Prof. Danny Nedialkova (Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany)! 🗓️ 02.03.2026: 16:30 – University of Bern, DCBP 🗓️ 03.03.2026: 16:00 – ETH Zurich, Hönggerberg More info: buff.ly/7Lkx00l... @unibe.ch @ethz.ch @snf-fns.ch

🗓️ We are pleased to announce the NCCR RNA & Disease Seminar Series for the Spring Semester 2025/2026. For more information, visit: lnkd.in/ei92r5gg @unibe.ch @ethz.ch @snf-fns.ch

Congratulations!

Sendoel Lab@sendoellab.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Thank you @erc.europa.eu and the panel for supporting our project RIBOSCOPE! Above all, thank you to all past & present lab members whose dedication made this possible. We are excited to push single-cell technologies to map the translational landscape of cancer. #ERCCoG

This weekend, the 37th edition of the Telethon takes place on December 6 & 7, which raises donations for supporting families with children with rare genetic diseases and research on these diseases: telethon.ch/de/

37. Telethon 6. - 7. Dezember 2024

Die Telethon Action Switzerland Foundation unterstützt Familien, die von seltenen Krankheiten betroffen sind. Unterstützen Sie auch uns!

telethon.ch

Congratulations to Raphael Morscher (Associate Member) on becoming an EMBO Young Investigator!

EMBO@embo.org · 8mo ago

Congratulations to the new cohort of 28 EMBO Young Investigators! They are joining an international network of more than 800 life scientists – Welcome! Read the press release here: https://www.embo.org/press-releases/twenty-eight-group-leaders-become-embo-young-investigators/

Six days left to submit abstracts, also for talks, and register for the Swiss RNA Workshop 2026! The deadline has been extended to December 8, 2026. swissrnaws.dcbp.unibe.ch

We are very excited that our work on Torsins, dystonia and NE membrane fusion is out on bioRxiv: doi.org/10.1101/2025... Fantastic collaboration with Madhav Jagannathan and the labs of Gautam Dey and Stefano Vanni!

Dystonia-associated Torsins sustain CLCC1 function to promote membrane fusion of the nuclear envelope for NPC biogenesis

DYT1 early-onset dystonia is a severe, incurable disorder of the central nervous system caused by mutations in the gene encoding Torsin1A (Tor1A, DYT1). Torsins are ER-resident AAA+-ATPases implicated...

doi.org

Now in @embojournal.org: Researchers in @labgrosshans.bsky.social & UCSC found that similar molecular machineries control daily circadian rhythms & developmental timing—showing that evolution can repurpose core timing systems to coordinate both daily cycles & growth. www.fmi.ch/news-events/...

One clock, two functions: from daily rhythms to development

Scientists at the FMI and the University of California-Santa Cruz have found that similar molecular machineries control daily circadian rhythms and developmental timing. Their work in worms shows that...

fmi.ch

Preprint by the lab of Jacob Corn & collaborators with first author Moritz Schlapansky "Cell-stereotyped DNA repair outcomes are widespread during genome editing" @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social doi.org/10.1101/2025... @jcornlab.bsky.social @ethz.ch

Publication by the Kutay lab with first author Claudia Gafko "Establishment of an imaging-based screening pipeline for the identification of human ribosome biogenesis inhibitors" in BMC Biol nccr-rna-and-disease.ch/news/article... @kutaylab.bsky.social @ethz.ch

Paper by the Sander & Lee labs & collaborators with co-1st authors Gregory Phelps & Sinem Kurt "Prodrug florfenicol amine is activated by intrinsic resistance to target Mycobacterium abscessus" @natmicrobiol.nature.com nccr-rna-and-disease.ch/news/article...