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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.

Scientists have discovered that changes in temperature cause marked and organ-specific effects in all tissues. Human beings, like most organisms, are constantly exposed to alternating colder or warmer temperatures. These environmental variations cause striking metabolic effects and require constant adaptations.

A team from the University of Geneva shows that cells that make up our tissues increase in volume when tissues bend. A key discovery for the culture of in vitro organs. "Sheet" of curved cells in the form of a tube: the cells initially organized flat were forced to curl. (c) Aurélien Roux How do our cells organize themselves to give their final shape to our organs? The answer lies in morphogenesis, the set of mechanisms that regulate their distribution in space during embryonic development.

Scientists reveal a surprising mechanism in the formation of copper deposits, an essential metal for the energy transition. Copper is one of the most widely used metals on the planet today due to its electrical and thermal conduction properties. The greatest natural resources of this metal are the so-called "porphyry" deposits that come from magmas deep in the Earth.

By developing a tool to visualize the membrane association and activation status of normal and oncogenic proteins, scientists at the University of Geneva have established the basis for innovative drug discovery. Peripheral membrane proteins have the particularity of temporarily binding to cell membranes, a necessary step for them to be able to fulfil their biological function.

The list of diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection is growing and now includes the retina. This is what suggest a prospective study by the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the University of Geneva. The list of diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection is growing and now includes the retina. This is what suggest a prospective study by the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the University of Geneva , in collaboration with the Adolphe de Rothschild Memorial Clinical Research Center for Ophthalmology.

A team from the UNIGE has succeeded in visualizing crystal nucleation - the stage that precedes crystallization - that was invisible until now. At the interface between chemistry and physics, the process of crystallization is omnipresent in nature and industry. It is the basis for the formation of snowflakes but also of certain active ingredients used in pharmacology.

A team of biologists led by UNIGE has discovered, for breast cancer, a factor that explains the spread of metastases to the bones. 3D image showing the invasion of breast cancer cells (green) expressing ZEB1 into mouse bone tissue (red). (c) Didier Picard When cancer cells break away from a primary tumor and migrate to other organs, this is called 'metastatic cancer'.

UNIGE Scientists show that endocrine stem cells in the pancreas disappear after birth, and detail the genetic identity of the different types of pancreatic hormone-producing cells. Pedro Herrera's team reports new discoveries in the knowledge of the mechanisms of pancreatic cell formation, as well as in the gene expression profile defining the identity of the different types of endocrine cells of the pancreas.

By comparing the infectious viral load caused by ancestral SARS-CoV-2 as well as by the Delta and Omicron variants, scientists from the University of Geneva and HUG highlight the benefits of vaccination. To conduct the research, the UNIGE and HUG team was able to reanalyze samples from previous waves of the disease.

UNIGE and UQ researchers propose novel solution to drastically reduce world's largest waste stream and help avoid a sand sustainability crisis; by making ore-sand. After water, sand is the most exploited natural resource on the planet. However, its extraction from seas, rivers, beaches and quarries has an impact on the environment and surrounding communities.

A team led by UNIGE and EPFL has made a counterintuitive discovery in mice: epileptic seizures are more violent when the energy-producing pathway in their neurons is blocked. Epilepsy, one of the most common neurological disorders, is characterized by the spontaneous repetition of seizures caused by the hyperactivity of a group of neurons in the brain.

A team from the University of Geneva has succeeded in storing a quantum bit for 20 milliseconds. A duration that had never before been achieved by a solid-state quantum memory. Computers, smartphones, GPS: quantum physics has enabled many technological advances. It is now opening up new fields of research in cryptography (the art of coding messages) with the aim of developing ultra-secure ecommunications networks.