A research team from the University of Zurich and the University Children’s Hospital Zurich has developed a new approach for treating children with malignant tumors of the nervous system. By combining an approved drug with a specialized diet, they were able to slow down tumor growth and stimulate cancer cells to mature into normal nerve cells.

An international team of researchers has created the most detailed model yet of how cells regulate traffic through the nuclear pore complex—the gateway between a cell’s nucleus and its cytoplasm. The study solves a decades-old puzzle about how these pores can rapidly and selectively transport molecules, revealing that flexible protein chains create a dynamic “entropic barrier” that admits only properly escorted cargo. This computational model not only clarifies how healthy cells maintain precise control but also provides insight into diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and ALS, where this transport system fails. It opens new avenues for medical and biotech innovation, including the design of artificial nanopores for targeted therapies and biosensing.