Swiss genomics gets shot in the arm
Three Swiss universities have taken a great stride toward becoming world leaders in molecular biology, thanks to a big private donation.
The Leenards foundation and the Louis-Jeantet medical foundation have agreed to give SFr 10 million to ensure the expansion of the Functional Genomics Pole, a flagship project involving the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne and the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).
The Leenaards and Louis-Jeantet foundations will each give SFr 5 million. The bulk of the money will be spent on completing an imaging centre, in which powerful machines will allow scientists to observe how cells and molecules work.
A great deal of scientific attention around the world is currently focused on developing magnetic resonance machines powerful enough to observe the “live” functioning of genes and proteins.
The two charitable foundations say they do not want to be an alternative to public funding, but they are eager to get involved in the launch of a new scientific discipline.
Hereditary blueprint
Genomics is the study of the genes contained in the genome, the hereditary blueprint of every living being, and in particular how those different genes work together within cells.
At the request of the donors, ten per cent of the funding will be devoted to the study of the ethical aspects of the centre’s work, in particular its social and human impact.
The goals of the Functional Genomics Pole project include “developing more effective medical care, adapted to each individual according to his own genetic profile”, as well as helping us to better understand fundamental natural phenomena, such as how species evolve and how individuals interact with their environment.
In a broader sense, the aim of the scheme, according to Stephan Catsicas, head of research at the EPFL, is to make the Lake Geneva region “irresistible for researchers and students of molecular biology”.
by Roy Probert
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