Nobel Prize meets PSI research
The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen is extending optogenetics beyond nerve cells by developing light-sensitive proteins that can control signalling pathways in various cell types. A team led by Gebhard Schertler is creating optoGPCRs to manipulate G‑protein‑coupled receptors, potentially enabling new treatments for cardiac arrhythmias and Parkinson’s disease. Time‑resolved crystallography at SwissFEL and the Swiss Light Source (SLS) is used to observe the rapid structural changes of these proteins after light activation.
The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen is extending optogenetics beyond nerve cells by developing light-sensitive proteins that can control signalling pathways in various cell types. A team led by Gebhard Schertler is creating optoGPCRs to manipulate G‑protein‑coupled receptors, potentially enabling new treatments for cardiac arrhythmias and Parkinson’s disease. Time‑resolved crystallography at SwissFEL and the Swiss Light Source (SLS) is used to observe the rapid structural changes of these proteins after light activation.
The high‑resolution structural data produced by SwissFEL and SLS can be utilized by Swiss AI researchers to train predictive models of protein dynamics, advancing computational biology in Switzerland.
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