Every year, D-BIOL welcomes high school students for an immersive study week, this year 24 of them in 7 different projects! From hands-on lab work to discovering cutting-edge research, it’s all about inspiring the next generation of molecular biologists. #BioETH #StudyWeek #StemEducation

Five years after the Department of Biology redesigned its Bachelor's curriculum, the textbook that grew out of that reform is now available from CRC Press — including an open-access edition. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Ki-67 isn't just a proliferation marker, it actively promotes breast cancer spread. A new study from the Aceto lab at ETH Zurich reveals how Ki-67 drives the formation of single and clustered CTCs responsible for metastasis. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Honored to celebrate Paola Picotti at yesterday’s Otto Naegeli Prize 2026 ceremony — recognizing her groundbreaking contributions to proteomics and systems biology. An inspiring evening dedicated to scientific excellence and the future of biomedical research... and a great presentation by Paola!

Flashback to our Biology Taster Day! We loved hosting so many passionate future scientists last week. Here is a little recap of what they experienced:

Basal inflammation shapes immune tolerance: A new study by the Oxenius lab at ETH Zurich shows that type I interferon allows self-reactive T cells to expand and retain function, linking to potential autoimmunity. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

A classic model, now analytically tractable: a new study from the Michaels group at ETH Zurich provides analytical solutions to the Voorn–Overbeek model, clarifying how oppositely charged polymers phase separate. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Self-consistent analytical solutions to the Voorn–Overbeek model

Electrostatically driven liquid–liquid phase separation underlies complex coacervation in solutions of oppositely charged macromolecules and plays a central rol

pubs.aip.org

D-BIOL is so proud to share that proteomics researcher Paola Picotti (IMSB) is to be awarded this year’s Otto Naegeli Prize for her research into the molecular causes of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. A well deserved recognition! ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Paola Picotti receives prestigious Swiss medical research prize

ETH professor Paola Picotti is to be awarded the 2026 Otto Naegeli Prize for Medical Research. She has developed a technology capable of analysing thousands of protein structures simultaneously – a vi...

ethz.ch

Proteomics pioneer Ruedi Aebersold receives the Canada Gairdner International Award—one of the world’s top biomedical prizes. He founded and shaped proteomics and advanced personalized medicine. The D-BIOL is proud of our former professor’s outstanding achievement! ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Martin Sperfeld@martinsperfeld.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Excited to support #MEEHubs2026 as part of the local hub at ETH Zurich! This hybrid conference brings together microbial ecology and evolution researchers through global (free!) online access plus local in-person hubs, making science more inclusive and lower-carbon. August 3–5, 2026 🌍🦠

Love topics like biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology at school? Then start your journey with us, Department of Biology is where it continues! Follow us for real insights into student life and a closer look at what awaits you. Our Instagram handle: ethz_dbiol www.instagram.com/ethz_dbiol/

Yesterday D-BIOL hosted students from Kantonsschule Rämibühl at @ethz.ch. Intro to biology studies and great research performed in our department, then tours of the Aceto and Stoffel groups — lots of cool science and lab vibes. Hope to see you soon!

Cells drastically downregulate mRNA translation to save energy during stress. A study by the Weis lab (IBC) shows that mRNAs transcribed after stress escape repression while pre-existing mRNA don’t, in a timing mechanism that is independent of mRNA sequence. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

The paper by Pia Lavriha, Carina Fluri, Jorge Hernández González and Volodymyr Korkhov, published in @natcomms.nature.com provides molecular insights into lipid-mediated conformational changes in Cx32 gap junction channels. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

The Department of Biology warmly congratulates Dr. Alexander Leitner on his appointment as Adjunct Professor! His pioneering work in mass spectrometry and his strong commitment to teaching and collaboration enrich our community. More: imsb.ethz.ch/research/lei...

Congrats to Michal Wieczorek (wieczorekgroup.ethz.ch/research.html, IMBB) on being selected as an @embo.org Young Investigator. The 2024 cohort highlights excellence across the life sciences, and this recognition reflects Michal’s outstanding scientific contributions.

Pathogenic beginnings of partnership: cell-in-cell implantation turns a free-living bacterium into a vertically transmitted tenant of a fungus, revealing a trajectory from antagonism to commensalism. Experimental endosymbiosis from @ETH Zurich #VorholtLab. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Researchers from the Sunagawa lab (IMB) join the Tara Coral expedition to explore the Coral Triangle’s remarkable resilience and unparalleled coral biodiversity—and to turn this knowledge into stronger strategies for safeguarding coral ecosystems. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Researchers from the @piellab.bsky.social @ethz.ch Zurich and international collaborators linked bioactive compounds from marine sponges to uncultivated ‘Entotheonella’ symbionts, uncovering vast biosynthetic potential. #DrugDiscovery #NaturalProducts More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Intracellular Salmonella require T3SS effectors to cause infection. A study by the Hardt lab @ethz.ch ETH Zürich gives new insights into which bacterial factors are critical for infection in vivo, and provides new tools for researchers to further explore. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

D-BIOL joined Switzerland’s national Future Day at ETH Zurich again! Five projects, dozens of curious kids, and loads of inspiration. It was inspiring to see their enthusiasm and creativity — who knows, maybe some of them will be our future researchers! #FutureDay #STEM #NextGeneration #Research

Dr. Fabienne Wiederkehr (Postdoc in der Gruppe von Prof. Shinichi Sunagawa, Institut für Mikrobiologie, D-BIOL) gibt im "Wissenschaftsmagazin" von SRF als Expertin auf diesem Gebiet Auskunft zu hitzeresistenten Korallen im Korallendreieck in Indonesien. www.srf.ch/audio/wissen...

Korallen trotzen Hitzestress

In einigen Regionen der Welt sind Korallen hitzeresistenter als anderswo. Was ist das Geheimnis dieser Riffe? Zudem: Wir begleiten einen Mars-Rover im Sinkflug. Und: Die Internationale Raumstation ISS...

srf.ch

We were delighted to host last Friday’s Bachelor graduation celebration at the ETH Hönggerberg campus! Congratulations to all graduates on this important milestone. The Department of Biology wishes you continued success and fulfillment in all that comes next! 🥳

Treatment of triple-negative breast cancer is clinically challenging. A recent study from the Bodenmiller at ETH Zurich proposes a new patient stratification method to better predict recurrence risk and direct therapy. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Treatment of triple-negative breast cancer is clinically challenging. A recent study from the Bodenmiller lab @bb-lab.bsky.social @ethz.ch proposes a new patient stratification method to better predict recurrence risk and direct therapy. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Natural transformation is a key mechanism in the spread of pathogenicity traits. A recent study by the Hospenthal lab @ethz.ch Zurich combines biochemical and structural data to provide a model for the mechanism of DNA translocation. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

The centriole is crucial for cilia formation, but its molecular architecture is not known. Research from the @Wieczorek Group at ETH Zurich reports structures of the centriole’s A-C linker, revealing how it crosslinks neighboring microtubule triplets. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

The @barrallabeth.bsky.social shows in a paper in "Molecular Cell" how biomolecular condensates process information to adapt the proliferative behavior of cells to the cells’ age. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Polysomes and mRNA control the biophysical properties of the eukaryotic cytoplasm. A recent study by the Weis lab shows that intracellular diffusion is enhanced when polysomes are disassembled or when mRNA levels are reduced in eukaryotic cells. More: biol.ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Not 100% certain yet what to study? The ETH Study Information Days (yesterday and today @ethz.ch) provide you with all the information you need (curriculum, career paths, individual questions) to make an informed decision. ethz.ch/en/studies/b...