SystemsX.ch Newsletter #16 November 2008 -Letter 16 HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIB PLANT SYSTEMS BIOLOGY SYSTEMS THINKING At the tenth anniversary of Fathoming the plants na- Systemsbiology and Systems- SIB, director Ron Appel sang ture in models and reality is theory are surprisingly far an aria from Franz Lehar. 03 Chris Kuhlemeier’s aim. 04 apart from each other. 06 Union of Wills instead of Partnership of Convenience Thomas Müller, Head of Communications, SystemsX.ch For me, it was a lesson in research policy. Six years ago, all began with an ETH Life Sciences Institute in Basel supported by Basel politicians and «federal Bern», today SystemsX.ch is Switzerland's largest research initiative. SystemsX.ch is a construct typical of the Swiss Confede- ration. Cultures and interests of two ETH, six cantonal uni- versities and three research In a poster session 32 project were presented. Photo Thomas Müller institutions must be brought together – a difficult task since conflicts of objectives, The All-SystemsX.ch-Day in Basel was which arise from competition for research subventions and a success. New project ideas were pre- the obligation to cooperate being side-by-side, must be sented and a poster price was awarded. sorted out by the joint stee- ring bodies. Thomas Müller were lively, the meeting even took on some- However, for the political Basel. The second All-SystemsX.ch-Day was thing like a family atmosphere. establishment and the public a premiere at the same time. It took place This time, a happily large number of 70 at large, this does not matter. within the framework of the «Life Sciences scientists from the pharmaceutical indus- They are only interested in Week» in Basel and attracted 350 visitors in- try, biotechnology, and IT-companies found high-level scientific output. terested by Systems Biology and SystemsX.ch their way to SystemsX.ch. Perhaps a synergy This can only be achieved if in the Montreal Hall of the Congress Centre effect with the technology fair «Life Sciences» SystemsX.ch, like Switzer- in Basel. The veteran of drosophila research, which welcomed the impressive number of land, understands itself as a Walter Gehring, of University of Basel’s Bio- 2600 visitors. Dominique Michel and Richard confederation of wills and centre also made a brief appearance; some Quaderer from Lonza in Visp are interested not as a mere partnership of his students are involved in SystemsX.ch. in ways to produce small molecules, today of convenience to keep the The exchanges between the participants continued on page 2 subsidy pot. 2 November 2008 SystemsX.ch Newsletter #16 continuation from page 1 The second call for proposals for synthesized through organic chemical methods, by a (sys- research projects targets technology, temic) biological process. Pasquale Di Cesare of IBM genomics and biomedicine. Switzerland is impressed by the interdisciplinarity of Sys- tems Biology in Switzerland. Zurich. SystemsX.ch, the Swiss initiative He came to get acquainted in Systems Biology, has launched its second with the research conducted call for proposals for large research projects. by potential clients of IBM. The research volume will exceed 50 million And Dieter Scholer, member francs. SystemsX.ch will support between of the University of Basel five and seven Research, Technology and Council with an intimate Development Projects (RTD) with a contri- knowledge of the life sci- bution of up to 6 million francs over four ences scene in Basel, is de- years. lighted by the «overwhelm- Altogether, SystemsX.ch has up to 28 mil- ing enthusiasm» with which lion francs at its disposal. The institutions of the SystemsX.ch scientists scientists supported are required to contrib- get down to work. Hans-Peter ute the same amount, bringing the total re- Wessels, director of the busi- search volume to between 50 and 60 million ness promotion department francs. This round of research promotion fo- of Basel-City and Basel-Land cuses on the development of future-oriented and future state secretary of technology for Systems Biology and on proj- the Basel-City canton, praises ects at the interface of biomedical research. SystemsX.ch as a model ini- The deadline for submitting proposals is tiative to advance biology. January 15, 2009. SystemsX.ch’s network ap- proach to address biological Risks wanted problems is exemplary, he To foster the development of Systems Bi- says. ology in Switzerland, SystemsX.ch attaches a great importance to supporting young And the winner is… researchers willing to take risks. Thus, SystemsX.ch finances about a dozen doctoral theses of young researchers every year. The interdisciplinary doctorates (IPhD) are super- vised by two professors from two different disciplines. In addition, SystemsX.ch finances about 10 high-risk projects (interdisciplinary Big medically focussed projects have better chances. pilot projects, IPP) under the condition, here Photo Christian Flierl too, that two research groups from two dif- ferent disciplines work together. In contrast hds are evaluated by an international Review to the doctoral thesis, risks may be taken Panel of the Swiss Research Fund, whereas while this is usually not encouraged by the IPPs are subject to approval by the SystemsX. research promotion agencies. RTDs and IP- ch’s Scientific Executive Board. thm Rajesh Ramaswamy from India won the main poster award. Photo thm An IT-Manager for SystemsX.ch In the afternoon, a series Zurich. SystemsX.ch is getting a centrally resources, he will have access to the Center of researchers presented controlled IT structure. The objective of for Information Sciences and Databases in new project ideas and Peter the Systems Biology IT Project, abbreviated the Department of Systems Biology and Engi- Meier-Abt, vice-rector of the SyBIT, is to provide the data and storage neering of the ETH Zurich in Basel and to the University of Basel, handed hungry Research, Technology and Develop- services of Vital-IT, the informatics initiative over the prize for the best ment Projects with adequate hardware and in the Life Sciences of West-Switzerland. poster to the PhD student software support. This exciting position requires a taste for Rajesh Ramaswamy (ETH Zu- For this challenging position, SystemsX.ch interdisciplinarity, interpersonal communi- rich) for his illustration of is looking for a IT and bioinformatics special- cation, different university cultures as well protein recycling in the cell ist to build a coherent structure adapted to as some IT-experience. thm membrane. the researchers' needs. Among the existing SystemsX.ch Newsletter #16 November 2008 3 Founded by pioneers, born in misery, today world class. Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics celebrated its 10th anniversary with a congress and a banquet. Ron Appel, director of SIB, and Laure Verbregue sing a duet from Franz Lehár’s operetta «The Merry Widow» at the banquet. Photo Fred Merz/SIB Thomas Müller The birthday ceremony, which took around on computers», recalls Bairoch. Bern. The evening was already ad- place on the 24 September at the Kul- Today, without computer scientists, vanced as Ron Appel, director of the tur-Casino in Bern, had begun in due rien ne va plus. They channel the data Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, went form with a scientific congress featur- streams produced by the other biolo- back up on the stage, accompanied this ing Werner Arber, Nobel laureate. In gists and assist them in extracting new time by Laure Verbregue. And then the the evening, at the banquet, Mauro insights in biology from them. This is surprise! Director Appel morphed into Dell’Ambroglio, state secretary for one of the reasons, and not the least, a tenor incarnating Count Danilo Da- education, and research, recalled and why the SIB is a partner of SystemsX.ch, nilowitsch and sang the duet «Lippen praised the institute’s path full of ob- the Swiss initiative in Systems Biology. schweigen, ‹s’flüstern die Geigen» (from stacles to world class. In addition, SIB researchers participate Franz Lehár’s «The Merry Widow») with in many SystemsX.ch projects. the soprano Laure Verbregue in the Without informatics, rien ne va plus role of Hanna Glawari. The story begins in the mid 1980s as A Service Network The SIB Jazz band which, a few min- total belief in the explaining capacity Like SystemsX.ch, the SIB constitutes utes before, had come out brilliantly of genes still prevailed. But, in Geneva, a network of research groups. Some are by playing amino acid sequences trans- a small conspirator group of young re- implanted directly on the site of the posed in melodies and harmonies, searchers would not give up their con- SIB, but most are affiliated in another proved to be equally at ease in the op- viction that the real actors of lives were Swiss university or research institution. eretta genre. the proteins, and not the genes which In this way, the institute counts about With large volume and impeccable in- in fact would contain only the script 300 researchers. Its task is to provide tonation, tenor Appel and soprano Ver- and by no means everything of cru- services and support to the national bregue brought the audience to a boil- cial importance. The members of this and international research community ing point. The guests, more than 350, rebel group included amongst others in the natural sciences through data- gave them a rousing standing ovation Ron Appel and the biochemist Amos bases, software applications, web serv- and shouted for an encore, and since Bairoch who now conducts the biggest ers, and coordination and service cen- it had been so beautiful, they sang the group at the SIB. «At that time, we were tres as well as education and research duet once more. considered as failures who were fooling in the field of bioinformatics.