Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences
A multidisciplinary research institute with a systems biology approach to the life sciences.
Research
Cell & Systems Biology
The Research Theme 'Cell & Systems Biology' focuses on the chain of events all the way from modulation of gene expression up to the resulting phenotype in cells.
Neurosciences
The mission of the Neurosciences collaboration is to understand the fundamental mechanisms that underlie development and synaptic and structural plasticity of the brain as well as information processing.
Microbiology
The Microbiology theme studies the molecular mechanisms involved in the processes, works on techniques to prevent microbial pathogens, and develops novel ways to employ microbes for biotechnological applications.
Green Life Sciences
Research in Green Life Sciences aims at understanding at the molecular level how plants deal with biotic and abiotic constraints, how they interact with insects (herbivores, pollinators), microbes and other organisms and how they diversified during evolution.
Underpinning technologies
SILS contains several expertise centres that contribute to the research in- and outside of SILS with valuable technological expertise. The involved technologies serve as underpinning technologies for the whole institute.
20 January 2020
Correlations are abundantly used in the life sciences and other areas of science. They are easy to calculate and understand. However, correlations based on comprehensive “omics” measurements - such as RNAseq, ...
15 January 2020
In 2016, biologists of the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences of the UvA (UvA-SILS) have created a bright red fluorescent protein. Good news for cancer- and stem cell researchers, who use these fluorescent ...
17 December 2019
A region of the brain known as the hippocampus constantly keeps track of one’s own location in an environment. It uses this information map to create and consolidate personal memories (like the memory of a music ...