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SCS Academy: Course Program Fall 2022
The SCS Academy of the SCG offers upgrade training courses in various fields of chemical and pharmaceutical sciences. In addition to the established range of courses in analytics (spectroscopy, separation technology, quality assurance and information acquisition), courses are now also offered in the areas of laboratory basics and environmental sciences. The courses are conducted in collaboration with our industry partners and are aimed at both beginners and experts
Stable Isotope Analysis of Greenhouse Gases Requires Analyte Preconcentration
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important trace gas contributing to global warming and depletion of ozone in the stratosphere. Its increasing abundance is caused mainly by anthropogenic sources, such as application of fertilizers in agriculture or emissions from industry. To understand the N2O global budget, its sources and sinks need to be well-described and quantified. In this project, a new method for N2O source appointment was developed that can help with this task. The method is based on analysis of the eight most abundant isotopic molecules of N2O, using quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS). The applicability of the method towards the N2O biogeochemical cycle was demonstrated on a prominent N2O source (bacterial denitrification) and the most important N2O sink (UV photolysis) on samples prepared in laboratory experiments. An extension of the QCLAS method to natural samples can be achieved by hyphenation with a preconcentration technique that increases concentration of the analyte and standardizes the sample matrix. This article provides an overview of currently applied preconcentration techniques in the field of greenhouse-gas analysis and a description of the preconcentration device TREX that will be employed in future projects with the developed QCLAS method
A Challenge: Controlling the Quality of Cell and Gene Therapies: Highlights of Analytical Sciences in Switzerland
Increasing the Sustainability of Biocatalytic Processes
The number of industrial processes which include one or more enzyme-mediated step is growing rapidly, together with our understanding of how biocatalysts can be adapted to efficiently perform chemical reactions, often only remotely related to their natural reactivity. While enzymes as naturally biodegradable molecules are the most sustainable approach to catalysis, a more global vision of the overall sustainability of enzymatic process must be considered. Here an insight of how sustainability can be further improved when enzymes are immobilized on solid supports is discussed
Will Short Peptides Revolutionize Chelation Therapy?
It will soon be twenty years since the last chelating agent was clinically approved to be used against toxic metals. Even though metal poisoning has been known to humankind for centuries, only about a dozen compounds, all of which are small molecules, compose the pharmaceutical toolbox to expel intrinsically toxic or essential but misregulated metals. These compounds widely suffer from various drawbacks, most critically, poor metal selectivity. Can medicinal inorganic chemistry offer modern solutions to these old challenges? In this perspective, the opportunities and advantages of harnessing short peptides for chelation therapy are described. While broadly aiming to address various toxic metals, achievements in targeting lead (Pb) with peptides reveal the unexplored potential hidden in this chemical space and raise the possibility that peptides may reform chelation therapy.  
New Insights into the Physiology of Iron Transport: An Interdisciplinary Approach
The TransCure project entitled \u27Iron Transporters DMT1 and FPN1\u27 took an interdisciplinary approach combining structural biology, chemistry and physiology to gain new insights into iron transport. Proteins studied included Divalent Metal Transporter 1 (DMT1, SLC11A2), enabling the import of Fe2+ into the cytoplasm, and the iron efflux transporter Ferroportin (FPN1, SLC40A1). The physiology and pathophysiology, and the mechanisms underlying iron transport in the gut, across the placenta and in bone were investigated. Small molecule high-throughput screening was used to identify improved modulators of DMT1. The characterization of DMT1 inhibitors have provided first detailed insights into the pharmacology of a human iron transport protein. In placental physiology, the identification of the expressional and functional alterations and underlying mechanisms in trophoblast cells clarified the association between placental iron transport by DMT1/FPN1 and gestational diabetes mellitus. In bone, iron metabolism was found to differ between cells of the monocyte/ macrophage lineages, including osteoclasts. Osteoclast development and activity depended on exogenous iron, the expression of high levels of the transferrin receptor (TFR) and low levels of FPN1 suggesting the expression of an “iron storage” phenotype by these cells. The principles and main findings of the TransCure studies on transmembrane iron transport physiology are summarized in this review