news from the lab 2016

Injuries to the spinal cord partially or completely disrupt the neural pathways between the brain and the limbs. The consequences for the representation of the affected limbs in the brain can be drastic. ETH researchers have now measured how severely this representation is affected. A strange sensation, but familiar to anyone who has ever been given local anaesthesia and watched while a doctor operated on their leg or arm: in that moment, your own body part seems foreign, as if it doesn't belong to your body.

17. In a cutting-edge treatment for Alzheimer's disease, EPFL scientists have developed an implantable capsule that can turn the patient's immune system against the disease.

We are not all equal when it comes to viral infections. Some people end up out of action for weeks, whilst others recover spontaneously.

Colon cancer cells that are pretreated with an ingredient found in cruciferous vegetables are more likely to be killed by a cancer drug that is currently in development, found ETH scientists. This is one of only a few examples of a food ingredient that, in moderate amounts, has a positive influence on the efficacy of a cancer drug.

People communicate meaning by combining words according to syntactic rules. But this ability is not limited solely to humans: A group of evolutionary biologists from Tokyo, Uppsala and the University of Zurich have discovered that Japanese great tits, like humans, have also evolved syntax. By combining their various calls using specific rules, these songbirds can communicate specific messages and engage in complex interactions.

Individual bacterial cells have short memories. But groups of bacteria can develop a collective memory that can increase their tolerance to stress. This has been demonstrated experimentally for the first time in a study by Eawag and ETH Zurich scientists published in PNAS. Bacteria exposed to a moderate concentration of salt survive subsequent exposure to a higher concentration better than if there is no warning event.

Nearly every second woman suffers from a bladder infection at some point in her life. Researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Basel have now discovered how the intestinal bacterium E. coli attaches itself so successfully to the surface of the urinary tract. Many women have already experienced how painful a bladder infection can be: a burning pain during urination and a constant urge to urinate are the typical symptoms.

Tissue section from an intraductal xenograft's hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, stained for fibrillar collagen networks © G. Sflomos/EPFL 03. EPFL scientists have developed an animal model for breast cancer that faithfully captures the disease. Tested on human breast tissue, this the most clinically realistic model for breast cancer to date.

02. EPFL researchers have developed a shoe sole with valves that electronically control the pressure applied to the arch of the foot.

26. Chlorinated tap water is the norm around the world, but the experiences of several European countries is that it doesn't have to be.

25. A new generation of biological infection-fighting bandages could reduce the death rate among victims of serious burns. This technology, which EPFL helped develop, is the result of close collaboration among Swiss burn specialists. Serious burn victims are immunocompromised and may be missing skin on parts of their body, and this makes them highly vulnerable to bacteria.

Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus causes serious inflammation of the brain in people and fertility problems in pigs. Mosquitoes were previously the only known transmission route. However, the virus can also be spread from pig to pig by direct, and this could enable it to circulate in pigs during the mosquito-free winter season.

22. A portable and low-cost diagnostic device has been developed at EPFL. This microfluidic tool, which has been tested with Ebola, requires no bulky equipment. It is thus ideally suited for use in remote regions. When remote regions with limited health facilities experience an epidemic, they need portable diagnostic equipment that functions outside the hospital.

ETH scientists have developed a membrane that protects medical implants from unwanted encapsulation by connective tissue. The researchers founded a spin-off company just over a year ago and have now been awarded funding by the start-up competition Venture Kick. It is one of the greatest hurdles in surgical medicine: the body identifies an implant such as a pacemaker as foreign tissue and, in a defensive reaction, encapsulates it with connective tissue known as fibrotic tissue.

In patients with heart failure, the pumping power of the heart decreases in a fatal downward spiral. Pharmacologists at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich have now succeeded in breaking this vicious circle in the mouse model. Their approach could one day also benefit humans. Everyday physical activities become an ordeal, climbing stairs is a major undertaking, and patients often become completely bedridden, suffering from constant fatigue.

15. An innovative tool allows researchers to observe protein aggregation throughout the life of a worm. The development of these aggregates, which play a role in the onset of a number of neurodegenerative diseases, can now be monitored automatically and in real time. This breakthrough was made possible by isolating worms in tiny microfluidic chambers developed at EPFL.

08. Human skin and banana peels have something in common: they produce the same enzyme when attacked. By studying fruit, researchers have come up with an accurate method for diagnosing the stages of this form of skin cancer. When bananas age they become covered in black spots caused by the enzyme tyrosinase.

02. Scientists at EPFL solve a longstanding problem with modeling Parkinson's disease in animals. Using newfound insights, they improve both cell and animal models for the disease, which can propel research and drug development. Parkinson's disease is characterized by the appearance of protein clumps within neurons in the brain, called Lewy bodies.

Stem cells can both trigger and cure diseases. During the past five years, the National Research Programme "Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine" (NRP 63) has investigated their potential. Diabetes, heart attacks, cartilage replacement, wound healing, brain tumours, Parkinson's disease: twelve research groups working on the National Research Programme "Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine" (NRP 63) have examined various diseases.

Up to now Alzheimer's disease has not been recognised as transmissible. Now researchers at the University of Zurich and the Medical University Vienna demonstrated Alzheimer-type pathology in brains of recipients of dura mater grafts who died later from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.