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Life Sciences
Results 61 - 80 of 1549.
Health - Life Sciences - 24.07.2024
Fighting leukaemia by targeting its stem cells
By identifying mechanisms unique to leukaemia-causing cells, a French-Swiss team has discovered a new way to fight the disease. Acute myeloid leukaemia is one of the deadliest cancers. Leukaemic stem cells responsible for the disease are highly resistant to treatment. A team from the University of Geneva , University Hospital of Geneva (HUG), and Inserm has made a breakthrough by identifying some of the genetic and energetic characteristics of these stem cells, notably a specific iron utilisation process.
Health - Life Sciences - 22.07.2024
Breast cancer classification using AI
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT are using artificial intelligence to improve the categorisation of breast cancer. Not all cancers are the same. Some tumours grow very slowly or hardly ever change from a comparatively harmless pre-cancerous form to a life-threatening form.
Life Sciences - Health - 22.07.2024
An over- or under-synchronised brain may predict psychosis
A team from the University of Geneva shows that overly strong or weak interconnections between certain brain areas could be a predictive marker of the disease. Is it possible to assess an individual's risk of psychosis? Identifying predictive markers is a key challenge in psychiatry. A team from the University of Geneva , part of the Synapsy Centre for Neuroscience and Mental Health Research, studied a cohort of patients with a 22q11.2DS microdeletion-a genetic anomaly linked to psychotic disorders.
Health - Life Sciences - 19.07.2024
Enhancing breast cancer diagnosis and treatment
Addressing problems with diagnosing and treating breast cancer, scientists at EPFL have developed EMBER, a tool that integrates breast cancer transcriptomic data from multiple databases. EMBER can improve precision oncology by accurately predicting molecular subtypes and therapy responses. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide.
Life Sciences - Health - 17.07.2024
’Paleolithic’ diets are not without risks
A study highlights the toxicity risks of high-protein diets, which can lead to severe neurological disorders. High-protein diets, known as ''Paleolithic diets'', are popular. Using mouse models, scientists at the University of Geneva have studied their impact. While effective in regulating weight and stabilizing diabetes, these diets are not without risks.
Health - Life Sciences - 16.07.2024
Unraveling amyloid fibrils
Researchers at EPFL have discovered how amyloid fibrils form complex structures, shedding light on diseases like Alzheimer's and opening new doors in material science. Amyloids are protein aggregates that can form in the body, sometimes leading to diseases like Alzheimer's. These fibrils can adopt multiple shapes, known as "polymorphs", which complicate our understanding of their role in health and disease.
Health - Life Sciences - 15.07.2024
Autoantibodies Behind Lifelong Risk of Viral Infections
A new study shows that about two percent of the population develop autoantibodies against type 1 interferons, mostly later in life. This makes individuals more susceptible to viral diseases like COVID-19. The study, conducted by researchers together with a USZ team, is based on an analysis of a large collection of historical blood samples.
Life Sciences - Environment - 11.07.2024
Even fish society shows social control and nepotism
Cichlids living in groups tend to turn a blind eye to their relatives shirking their duty to help as desired in various tasks in the group, such as caring for the brood. Animals that are not related to them don't seem to be offered the same lenient treatment. Researchers at the University of Bern have now been able to prove the existence of this form of "nepotism" in fish for the first time in experiments.
Life Sciences - 10.07.2024
From bands to spots, the secrets of the leopard gecko’s skin
Two biologists from UNIGE determined how bands and then spots are formed on the skin of the leopard gecko. While the patterns and colours of lizards' skin are fascinating, the mechanisms behind them are largely unknown. A team from the University of Geneva studied the leopard gecko, a popular lizard, to understand how the bands on the skin of juveniles turn into spots when they reach adulthood.
Health - Life Sciences - 08.07.2024
New Treatment Restores Gut Health and Growth in Malnourished Newborns
A new study published by the Grassi laboratory and collaborators in "Cell Reports Medicine" demonstrates that releasing the inhibitory effect of adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) on secretory IgA (Immunoglobulin A) production in the gut protects from enteropathy and restores growth in malnourished newborns.
Life Sciences - Health - 04.07.2024
How our brain decodes other people’s gaze
A team from the University of Geneva has succeeded in determining the exact moment when the brain detects another person's gaze direction. The gaze plays a central role in everyday social interactions. Our capacity for instant communication relies on the brain's ability to detect and interpret the direction of others' gaze.
Life Sciences - Health - 04.07.2024
AI matches protein interaction partners
Scientists at EPFL unveil DiffPALM, an innovative AI method that enhances the prediction of protein interactions and our understanding of biological processes potentially relevant to medical applications. Proteins are the building blocks of life, involved in virtually every biological process. Understanding how proteins interact with each other is crucial for deciphering the complexities of cellular functions, and has significant implications for drug development and the treatment of diseases.
Health - Life Sciences - 02.07.2024
Why schizophrenia and apathy go hand in hand
By deciphering the neural response to a possible reward in people suffering from schizophrenia, a team from the University of Geneva and HUG explains the origin of the lack of motivation, one of the symptoms of the illness. Schizophrenia, which affects up to 1% of the population, is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by multiple symptoms.
Life Sciences - Health - 24.06.2024
The hippocampus, the cerebral conductor of our daily priorities
Scientists from the University of Geneva and the Icahn School of Medicine have shown how a specific region of our brain is activated to prioritise our activities. How does our brain distinguish between urgent and less urgent goals? Researchers at the University of Geneva and the Icahn School of Medicine in New York have explored how our brain remembers and adjusts the goals we set ourselves on a daily basis.
Life Sciences - Health - 21.06.2024
Unifying behavioral analysis through animal foundation models
Behavioral analysis can provide a lot of information about the health status or motivations of a living being. A new technology developed at EPFL makes it possible for a single deep learning model to detect animal motion across many species and environments. This -foundational model-, called SuperAnimal, can be used for animal conservation, biomedicine, and neuroscience research.
Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 21.06.2024
Membrane protein analogues could accelerate drug discovery
Researchers have created a deep learning pipeline for designing soluble analogues of key protein structures used in pharmaceutical development, sidestepping the prohibitive cost of extracting these proteins from cell membranes. Many drug and antibody discovery pathways focus on intricately folded cell membrane proteins: when molecules of a drug candidate bind to these proteins, like a key going into a lock, they trigger chemical cascades that alter cellular behavior.
Life Sciences - 19.06.2024
Interaction with Insects Accelerates Plant Evolution
A team of researchers at the University of Zurich has discovered that plants benefit from a greater variety of interactions with pollinators and herbivores. Plants that are pollinated by insects and have to defend themselves against herbivores have evolved to be better adapted to different types of soil.
Health - Life Sciences - 19.06.2024
Mapping the biology of spinal cord injury in unprecedented detail
Combining advanced molecular mapping technologies and AI, researchers have published an open-source 'atlas' in Nature, providing a comprehensive understanding of spinal cord injury biology in mice and paving the way for new therapies. Scientists at EPFL have achieved a significant research milestone in the field of spinal cord injuries-mapping out the cellular and molecular dynamics of paralysis in unprecedented detail with their open-source project 'Tabulae Paralytica' .
Life Sciences - Health - 19.06.2024
Building a blueprint of metabolic health - from mouse to human
In a new study, scientists have uncovered the complex genetic and environmental interactions influencing metabolic health and have validated their findings in actual human data. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a health condition characterized by a group of risk factors: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and abdominal fat.
Life Sciences - Health - 14.06.2024
The genetic ’switches’ of bone growth
Scientists at the University of Geneva have identified the genetic sequences that regulate the activity of the genes responsible for bone growth. In mammals, only 3% of the genome consists of coding genes which, when transcribed into proteins, ensure the biological functions of the organism and the in-utero development of future individuals.