Award-winning structural biologist
Nenad Ban solved the atomic structures of the machinery protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells and in mitochondria. He has now received the Otto Naegeli Prize, one of Switzerland’s most prestigious scientific awards.
Proteins serve both structural roles and are responsible for catalysing reactions in the cell. The molecular machinery that produces proteins according to the information encoded in the genome is the ribosome, one of the largest and most complex molecular assemblies in cells. Over the last 18 years, ETH professor Nenad Ban has made important contributions towards understanding the atomic structure of these cellular protein factories.
For this achievement Ban has now been honoured with one of Switzerland’s most important scientific awards: he will be presented with the renowned Otto Naegeli Prize for the promotion of medical research. The research prize is awarded every two years; the prize money amounts to CHF 200,000. Previous years’ prizewinners include the ETH professors Ruedi Aebersold and Ernst Hafen.
Passion for the molecules of life
Nenad Ban was born in Croatia and has worked at ETH Zurich as a professor of structural biology since 2000. His research interests center on understanding protein synthesis in all kingdoms of life. One focus is on bacterial ribosomes; another is on eukaryotic ribosomes in higher organisms from yeast to humans. This is the area in which his group achieved a scientific breakthrough: Ban and his team described first structures of the two subunits of the eukaryotic ribosome and revealed the structure of the mammalian mitochondrial ribosome.
Raw material for drug discovery
In the world of biomolecules, form defines function. Knowledge about the atomic structure of ribosomes is therefore the key to a better understanding of various cellular processes – from the assembly of ribosomes and the control of protein production to the evolutionary understanding of this protein factory. “We are particularly interested in how these protein synthesis machines are controlled in healthy cells and disrupted during illnesses,” says Ban.
This is fundamental research with specific medical relevance: the ribosomal complexes that Ban’s group is investigating are critical in a number of cellular physiological processes. The detailed insight into the functioning of the ribosome is so essential for the metabolism that it also opens up approaches for new medications. For example, knowing structural differences between ribosomes in bacteria and in higher life forms makes it is easier to develop drugs that specifically inhibit protein synthesis in harmful microorganisms, but not in people.
Promoting structural biology
Receiving the Otto Naegeli Prize is a great honour for Ban: “I am happy that the fundamental research carried out by my group has been recognised for its biomedical relevance” he says. He also finds it particularly special to receive an award in the country in which he works: “This recognition shows that our work is valued by the scientific community in Switzerland, and that means a lot to me.”
For their experiments, Ban’s group relied on cutting-edge methods such as high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy, x-ray crystallography and mass spectroscopy. Ban would like to invest the prize money in the construction of a collaborative structural biology hub, with the aim of enabling a network of scientists to realise large joint research projects. “In this way, we want to ensure that effective structural biology methods are made accessible to the scientific community at ETH and beyond," says Ban.
Otto Naegeli Prize 2018
The Otto Naegeli Prize promotes medical research and is one of the most renowned scientific awards in Switzerland. It was launched in 1960 in memory of Professor Otto Naegeli, who passed away in 1938. Naegeli was a prominent scientist and teacher of internal medicine at the University of Zurich.
This year’s prize will be awarded on Tuesday 10 April 2018 at 4.15 p.m. in the Audimax (HG F 30) in ETH Zurich’s main building.
Keynote speaker: Professor Dinshaw Patel from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York will speak on the topic of the structural biology of RNA-mediated gene regulation.
The event is open to the public. Anyone who would like to attend is requested to register by 6 April. Information about the programme can be found here.