news from the lab 2017

Cancer affects only very few children. Nonetheless, malignant tumours can develop above all in the muscles, bones and nerve tissue of the very young.

EPFL researchers propose a new approach of performing in vitro tests on nanoparticles that could enhance a correlation to in vivo results. This involves reproducing in the lab the dynamic and fluidic variations that these particles experience in the human body. Before new nanoparticles or other nanomedicines can be injected into the human body, a whole series of tests must be conducted in the laboratory, then in living cells, and in the end on humans.

Cancer is one of the most frequent diseases not only in people, but in pets as well. Like people, dogs can also suffer from cancer of the mammary glands (mammary tumors). Dog mammary tumors are very similar to breast carcinoma in humans, and much more so than those of rats or mice, for example. For this reason, research on canine mammary tumors is important for human medicine as well.

Roughly 2-3 percent of all people suffering from cancer have kidney cancer. The most common form of this disease is called clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). In roughly half of all patients with this disease, the tumor develops metastases and generally cannot be cured. New Mouse Model for Investigating Kidney Cancer The research of different types of cancer and the testing of new treatments depends on accurate mouse models.

Empa researchers have succeeded in developing an environmentally friendly ink for 3D printing based on cellulose nanocrystals.

The feeling of constantly being on edge, always having to take care of everything, not being able to find a balance: If an expectant mother is strongly stressed over a longer period of time, the risk of the unborn child developing a mental or physical illness later in life - such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or cardiovascular disease - increases.

Scientists at the University of Basel in Switzerland have, for the first time, described a new T'cell population that can recognize and kill tumor cells.

Most people know from their own experience that just a single sleepless night can lead to difficulty in mastering mental tasks the next day. Researchers assume that deep sleep is essential for maintaining the learning efficiency of the human brain in the long term. While we are awake, we constantly receive impressions from our environment, whereby numerous connections between the nerve cells - so-called synapses - are excited and intensified at times.

A team of EPFL scientists has developed several antibody-based biosensors that have the potential to help healthcare centers in developing countries or even patients in their own homes keep track of drug concentration in the blood. Being able to monitor drug concentration in the blood of a patient is an important aspect of any pharmaceutical treatment.

The first smart exoskeleton that recognizes the loss of balance - and prevents falling - has been developed by researchers at Scuola Sant'Anna in Italy, EPFL in Switzerland, and tested at the Rehabilitation Center 'Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi' in Florence.

EPFL spin-off Intento has developed a patient-controlled electrical-stimulation device that helps stroke victims regain mobility in paralyzed arms. The promising results of the first clinical study are published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Every year, 17 million people worldwide suffer strokes, and a third are left paralyzed on one side of their body.

It is the "shock absorber" between the vertebrae of the spine, cushioning every step, bend and jump: the intervertebral disc. If the fibrocartilage tissue in the spine degenerates over time, an intervertebral disc can "slip" - pinching the medulla or nerves. The consequences include intense pain or even paralysis.

Many herpesviruses infect only a few animal species. Elephants also have their own spectrum of herpesviruses, which can cause infections that end in death.

EPFL scientists have discovered the protein that kick-starts gene expression in developing embryos. The formation of a human embryo starts with the fertilization of the oocyte by the sperm cell. This yields the zygote, the primordial cell that carries one copy each of the maternal and paternal genomes.

Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) Researchers of the University of Bern have identified a new antibiotic resistance gene in bacteria from dairy cows. This gene confers resistance to all beta-lactam antibiotics including the last generation of cephalosporins used against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

EPFL researchers took advantage of the limits of human vision to hide an image in a video. The image is invisible to the human eye, but not to a camera. Human visual perception works well and is very effective at seeing what's important to us. But our eyes are not capable of analyzing video images that last longer than 40 milliseconds.

The characteristics of human skin are heavily dependent on the hydration of the tissue - in simple terms, the water content.

EPFL scientists have improved the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy by blocking two proteins that regulate the growth of tumor blood vessels. Cancer immunotherapy aims to enhance or restore the ability of the patient's immune system - namely T'cells - to recognize and attack cancer. But tumors use several strategies to fight back immune attacks, making immunotherapy efficacious only in a minority of the patients.

Researchers at EPFL and CSEM have developed a contactless and wireless camera system to continuously monitor the vital signs of premature babies. This system could replace skin sensors, which cause false alarms nearly 90% of the time. Preliminary tests will soon be carried out on newborns at University Hospital Zurich, a partner in the project.

EPFL's Security and Cryptography Laboratory joined forces with startup Global ID to develop an encryption technique for processing biometric data captured via 3D finger vein recognition - a system that's next to impossible to counterfeit.