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By deciphering mutations in the GNAO1 gene, which cause severe mental and motor disabilities, a team from the University of Geneva is showing how zinc could improve the brain defects at stake. Paediatric encephalopathies of genetic origin cause severe motor and intellectual disabilities from birth. One of these diseases, first identified in 2013, is caused by mutations in the GNAO1 gene.

A team from the University of Geneva deciphers the three-step mechanism that allows our body to defend itself against hepatitis B. Confocal microscopy images showing in the cell nucleus (blue), the recruitment of Smc5/6 (green) by SLF2 (red) into PML bodies. UNIGE - Laboratory of Professor Michel Strubin - Regulation of hepatitis B virus gene expression - Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine.

A team from Geneva, Switzerland, shows that the disruption of lipid temporal profiles in type 2 diabetes stiffens the membrane of pancreatic endocrine cells, which could alter their function. Like all living beings, human physiological processes are influenced by circadian rhythms. The disruption of our internal clocks due to an increasingly unbalanced lifestyle is directly linked to the explosion in cases of type 2 diabetes.

A team from the UNIGE and the HUG has succeeded in identifying a drug-targetable mechanism whose blockage reduces the capacity of melanoma cells to adapt and resist to treatment. The advent of small-molecule targeted therapies, a decade ago, revolutionized the treatment of metastatic melanoma, provided that the tumors carry the mutations to respond to these treatments.

A new device for diagnosing bone fragility invented by the HUG and the UNIGE has been approved for marketing in the European Economic Area and Switzerland. A new device for diagnosing bone fragility invented by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) and the University of Geneva has been approved for marketing in the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

The Swiss space telescope CHEOPS will celebrate its 1000th day in orbit around the Earth on Tuesday 13 September. Its excellent condition will allow it to remain active for several more years. After 1000 days in orbit around the Earth, the CHEOPS space telescope shows almost no signs of wear. Under these conditions, it could continue to reveal the fascinating details of many exoplanets for many years to come.

The new space telescope has revealed the presence of carbon dioxide on the gas giant WASP-39b. A first in which the UNIGE and UNIBE participated. Launched at the end of 2021 by NASA, with the collaboration of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the James-Webb Space Telescope has delivered an exceptional first scientific result: for the first time, CO2 has been clearly detected in the atmosphere of WASP-39b, a planet located outside the solar system.

A team from the UNIGE in collaboration with the HUG has discovered a molecule that can identify the development of diabetes before the first symptoms appear. Diabetes is a severe and growing metabolic disorder. It already affects hundreds of thousands of people in Switzerland. A sedentary lifestyle and an excessively rich diet damage the beta cells of the pancreas, promoting the onset of this disease.

By demonstrating that ketamine induces only a brief increase in dopamine and does not alter neuronal communication, a team from the UNIGE suggests that its therapeutic use may be safe. Commonly used in medicine as an anaesthetic, ketamine is also increasingly prescribed to relieve depressive symptoms.

A study by the HUG, the UNIGE and the EPFL shows that almost all Genevans (93.8%) have antibodies against SARS-CoV 2 but less than one in two (46.7%) have them against the BA.4/BA. Omicron sub-variants. A study by the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva and the EPFL shows that almost all Genevans (93.8%) have antibodies against SARS-CoV 2, almost three quarters of whom acquired them through an infection.

A team from the University of Geneva reveals how the S100A9 protein improves metabolism of insulin-dependent diabetics by avoiding the deleterious effects of insulin. People with a severe form of diabetes, where the beta cells of the pancreas do not produce or no longer produce enough insulin, have no choice but to inject themselves regularly with artificial insulin in order to survive.

An international research team reveals for the first time the origin of neutrinos, elementary particles that reach our planet from the depths of the Universe. Highly energetic and difficult to detect, neutrinos travel billions of light years before reaching our planet. Although it is known that these elementary particles come from the depths of our Universe, their precise origin is still unknown.

By comparing the neutralisation capacity induced by the different variants of SARS-CoV-2, a team from the UNIGE and the HUG reveals the exceptional capacity of Omicron to evade our immunity. The current wave of COVID-19 highlights a particularly high risk of reinfection by the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.

A study conducted by the UNIGE and the consulting firm EBP reveals that the entire Cannabis system in Switzerland generates an annual turnover of one billion francs. Cannabis generates an annual turnover of around one billion Swiss Francs. This sum does not only contain production, import and trade in the shadow economy but also legal economic activity such as policing, the judicial system, social work and healthcare.

A team led by the UNIGE has identified a molecular mechanism that causes degeneration of the eye's photoreceptors, which can lead to blindness. Retinitis pigmentosa , a degenerative genetic disease of the eye, is characterized by progressive vision loss, usually leading to blindness. In some patients, structural defects in the photoreceptor cells have been observed, but the molecular mechanisms involved are not understood.

An international team led by astronomers from the UNIGE has succeeded in developing a model to solve part of the 'solar problem'. All was amiss with the Sun! In the early 2000s, a new set of data brought down the chemical abundances at the surface of the Sun, contradicting the values predicted by the standard models used by astrophysicists.

Scientists highlight the unexpected effect of certain immunotherapies to prevent cancer metastases. To grow, tumours rely on a specific structure, the tumour stroma. This includes blood vessels, which provide the nutrients necessary for the multiplication of diseased cells, and of lymphatic vessels, through which they migrate to metastasise.

A team from the UNIGE has highlighted the great variability and continuous adaptation of olfactory neurons. Olfactory receptors, present on the surface of sensory neurons in the nasal cavity, recognize odorant molecules and relay this information to the brain. How do these neurons manage to detect a large variability of signals and adapt to different levels of stimulation? A joint team from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva investigated the gene expression profile of these neurons in the presence or absence of odorant stimulation.

A team from the University of Geneva reveals that hydrating the surface of the airways of people with cystic fibrosis restores their protective barrier against unwanted bacteria. Cystic fibrosis is a rare genetic disease which can cause very serious symptoms. In particular, patients suffer from chronic bacterial infections that can lead to respiratory failure.

A team from the University of Geneva shows that underestimating battery autonomy is a major psychological barrier to buying an electric car. What are the barriers to the adoption of electric cars? Although the main financial and technological obstacles have been removed, their market share still needs to increase.