Welcome to FORTH's web site

A new icy planet detected in our nearest exoplanetary system
Strong indications for the existence of a second planet in orbit around Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun, have been recently unveiled by an international team of scientists.
Read more

New scientific discovery by researchers at FORTH DNA damage triggers metabolic reprogramming, leading to aging
Inborn defects in DNA repair mechanisms are associated with cancer, aging but also complex metabolic and endocrine disorders. Integrity of the genome is critical for normal cellular function but the DNA is continually challenged by intrinsic and extrinsic genotoxic factors. To counteract DNA damage, cells have evolved DNA repair mechanisms ensuring that the genome remains functionally intact and is faithfully transmitted to progeny. Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a major DNA repair mechanism that cells employ to remove a wide class of bulky, DNA-distorting lesions from the genome. The importance of NER defects in man is illustrated by rare syndromes that either show increased cancer predisposition or dramatic features of accelerated aging, including depletion of fat depots. However, with the exception of cancer and aging, the links between defects in NER and the rapid onset of developmental defects in humans are not well understood.
Read more