See our Annual Report 2021 !
The ISREC Foundation has been promoting cancer research since 1964. The work accomplished by the supported scientists over the past decades has led to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying cancer and to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
In the AGORA center, a true symbol of multidisciplinarity, more than 300 researchers and clinicians bring together the scientific and clinical skills needed to curtail the progression of a disease that affects an ever-increasing number of individuals. In this spirit, the ISREC Foundation now focuses its efforts on funding projects that bridge the gap between basic medical science and clinical practice.
As part of her “Hans Tuppy Lecture” at the University of Vienna, attended by Prof. Tuppy himself, an interview was conducted with Prof. Susan Gasser. The topic was “Remembering who we are: how chromatin controls cell identity”.
Read the interview (in German) here
23rd edition of this race, organized by Team Girard.
Since 1998, the Club Team Girard, including owners, riders and fans of vintage motorcycles, organizes a yearly hill climb event for old-timers and donates part of the profits to the ISREC Foundation.
For more information (in French)
The ISREC Foundation supports 4 students within the scope of the “Summer Research Program for Undergraduate Students” – EPFL School of Life Sciences, and 2 students in the “Summer Undergraduate Research Program” – Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne.
During these eight weeks of hands-on training, the selected young biologists or physicians are given the chance to discover the world of research for the very first time; a rewarding experience and the opportunity to establish new contacts on an international level.
Congratulations to our director, Prof. Susan M. Gasser, who has been elected international member of the National Academy of Sciences USA. The ISREC Foundation is proud to be able to count on Prof. Gasser’s vast scientific expertise, both in terms of her involvement in the supported scientific projects and the energy she imparts to the activities of the Pôle AGORA de Recherche sur le Cancer.
Professors Mikaël Pittet, Oliver Michielin and Denis Migliorini have published their investigations on the clinical relevance of tumor-associated macrophages in «Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology».
Read the article here
On the 11th of February, we highlight the women researchers and doctoral students supported by the ISREC Foundation.
Since 15 years, these scientists are making oncology research shine in Switzerland and throughout the world.
The ISREC Foundation is proud to have contributed to their careers and celebrates the commitment of these women to science.
World Cancer Day takes place every year on February 4 to unite the world in the fight against cancer. This day aims to raise awareness by spreading information concerning the disease.
Insights into a H3K9 histone methyltransferase: structure trumps function!
How important is the spatial compartmentation of chromatin? In the latest paper from the Gasser lab, the focus- or agglomerate-forming activity of an enzyme that modifies histones, the protein that binds DNA to make chromosomes (SETDB1 or, in C. elegans, MET-2), is shown to promote transcriptional repression in the absence of its histone methylation activity. About 25% of the genes silenced by heterochromatin stay repressed as long as the catalytically dead MET-2 complex is able to form subnuclear agglomerates or foci. It does not silence the genes when foci are dispersed. This argues that the long-range condensation of chromatin into foci helps repress genes that must be turned off to maintain cell identity and integrity. Loss of this segregation often occurs when cells are reprogrammed or during oncogenesis. Work done at the FMI in Basel.