Abstract This retrospective traces my scientific journey from my childhood in the working-class St. Johann district of Basel to my unexpected contributions to the field of cellular signaling and nutrient sensing. Framed by early struggles with identity as the son of an Italian immigrant and a turbulent search for academic belonging, my path to scientific independence was anything but linear. I candidly recount my detours - repairing shoes, filling car batteries with acid, and hauling ladders as a field biologist - before finally finding my true calling in the quiet precision of the laboratory. The narrative highlights the often-serendipitous milestones in my career, beginning with early graduate work that challenged prevailing assumptions to establish the simple sugar trehalose as a critical cellular survival factor. It follows my transformative, though initially humbling, postdoctoral years in the United States, a period of acute professional uncertainty upon returning to Switzerland, and my gradual rise to independence. Through every triumph and setback, this story is anchored by my love and partnership with my wife, Michèle - my grounding counterpoint and the steadfast constant in a life of shifting scientific models. Scientifically, the narrative culminates in our laboratory’s collaborative successes: identifying Rim15 as the integrator of PKA and TORC1 signalling that controls the entry into cellular quiescence and uncovering the EGO/Rag GTPase complex - the vacuolar command center that activates TORC1 to drive the exit from this dormant state - as a universal blueprint for eukaryotic nutrient sensing. By reflecting on how our fundamental genetic discoveries in yeast translated into clinical interventions for human diseases, this essay illustrates the unpredictable yet immense value of basic science. More than a chronicle of academic achievement, this is a human story exploring the intense pressures of the scientific enterprise, the importance of mentorship and personal connection, and the enduring power of curiosity-driven research.
Claudio De Virgilio (Fri,) studied this question.