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Results 41 - 60 of 298.
Solving a Parkinson's disease puzzle through protein design
EPFL researchers, in collaboration with UTSW and UCSD scientists, have developed a computational protein design approach, and used it to obtain the first ever high-resolution structure of an activated dopamine receptor in its natural cell membrane environment. The breakthrough will open up a new dimension in drug discovery for Parkinson's disease and perhaps other disorders.
EPFL researchers, in collaboration with UTSW and UCSD scientists, have developed a computational protein design approach, and used it to obtain the first ever high-resolution structure of an activated dopamine receptor in its natural cell membrane environment. The breakthrough will open up a new dimension in drug discovery for Parkinson's disease and perhaps other disorders.
Our sleep during lockdown: longer and more regular, but worse
A survey conducted by the University of Basel and the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel has investigated how sleep has changed during the Covid-19 lockdown. The 435 individuals surveyed - most of whom were women - reported sleeping longer but with a deterioration in sleep quality. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Current Biology.
A survey conducted by the University of Basel and the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel has investigated how sleep has changed during the Covid-19 lockdown. The 435 individuals surveyed - most of whom were women - reported sleeping longer but with a deterioration in sleep quality. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Current Biology.
Rain enables crops to grow, but it also causes the run-off of pesticides to rivers and streams. Concentrations of these substances in surface waters can be monitored by means of regular sampling. However, with the traditional approach - grab sampling and determination of mean values - it is rarely, if ever, possible to measure the peak concentrations associated with heavy rainfall.
Researchers at ETH have shown that tiny objects can be made from silicon that are much more deformable and stronger than previously thought. In this way, sensors in smartphones could be made smaller and more robust. Since the invention of the MOSFET transistor sixty year ago, the chemical element silicon on which it is based has become an integral part of modern life.
Scientists of Empa and EPFL have developed a fully transparent surgical mask that will soon be produced on an industrial scale.
Living close to human settlements disturbs the social networks of giraffes. They have weaker bonds with other giraffes and fewer interactions with other members of the species, an international study led by the University of Zurich on the social structure of over 500 female giraffes in Tanzania has shown.
Scientists at EPFL have developed a new method that simplifies the processing of genetic-metabolic data by picking up changes in metabolism, a hallmark of numerous diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. The new method, named redHUMAN, is robust and features guaranteed predictability. In the last two decades, the life sciences have seen a growing partnership with information technology.
A research team from ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen counted over 136,000 rockfalls on the moon caused by asteroid impacts. Even billions of years old landscapes are still changing. In October 2015, a spectacular rockfall occurred in the Swiss Alps: in the late morning hours, a large, snow-covered block with a volume of more than 1500 cubic meters suddenly detached from the summit of Mel de la Niva.
Standardizing organoid growth through controlled guidance systems
A recent innovation from an EPFL laboratory will enable, for the first time, mass production of standardized organoids. This breakthrough was achieved thanks to a customized guidance system that ensures homogenous cell culturing. Described in an article published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the technique paves the way for industrial uses, such as screening new drugs.
A recent innovation from an EPFL laboratory will enable, for the first time, mass production of standardized organoids. This breakthrough was achieved thanks to a customized guidance system that ensures homogenous cell culturing. Described in an article published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the technique paves the way for industrial uses, such as screening new drugs.
Standardizing organoid growth through controlled cell culturing
A recent innovation from an EPFL laboratory will enable, for the first time, mass production of standardized organoids. This breakthrough was achieved thanks to a customized guidance system that ensures homogenous cell culturing. Described in an article published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the technique paves the way for industrial uses, such as screening new drugs.
A recent innovation from an EPFL laboratory will enable, for the first time, mass production of standardized organoids. This breakthrough was achieved thanks to a customized guidance system that ensures homogenous cell culturing. Described in an article published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the technique paves the way for industrial uses, such as screening new drugs.
Producing less sperm cells can be advantageous in self-fertilizing plants. An international study led by the University of Zurich identified a gene in the model plant Arabidopsis that reduces the number of pollen. In addition to supporting the evolutionary theory, these findings could help to optimize plant breeding and domestication in agriculture.
New research from ETH Zurich shows that holding events for new students before they enter university is an investment that pays off. Incoming students benefit from the chance to meet, mingle and form friendships at orientation events, which contributes to their long-term academic success. When students are able to form friendships and build strong networks during their time at university, they benefit in deep ways both during their studies and later in life.
Researchers have developed a strategy that has the potential to improve vision in patients with macular degeneration in the future. Using a gene therapy, they sensitized blind retinas of mice and human organ donors to near-infrared light. The team based at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) has published its results .
New-born piglets often die painfully from infection with an intestinal bacterium. A team of researchers from 3 faculties at the University of Bern has now discovered how the bacterium causes fatal intestinal bleeding.
Cement production has to drastically reduce its environmental footprint. Empa researchers are, therefore working on alternative cement recipes that cause significantly fewer emissions or can even bind the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. It is the most widely used product in the world. Cement is indispensable yet its reputation has become quite tainted in the course of the ongoing climate debate.
Soya and clover have their very own fertiliser factories in their roots, where bacteria manufacture ammonium, which is crucial for plant growth. Although this has long been common knowledge, scientists have only recently described the mechanism in detail. With biotechnology, this knowledge could now help make agriculture more sustainable.
EPFL scientists just published an open tool for predicting the dynamics of ground beetle populations - important bioindicators for sustainable park management and for monitoring ecosystems - in Italy's Gran Paradiso National Park. The tool incorporates satellite and other remote sensing data. Ground beetles may be creepy, but their presence is usually a sign of a healthy ecosystem and is appreciated for pest control in agriculture.
EPFL scientists have developed FloChip, a new microfluidic take on the widely used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) technique. By automating and cutting the cost of ChIP and sequential-ChIP, FloChIP has the potential to become a widely used tool for the study of chromatin biology and gene regulation.
A better model for neutrophil-related diseases
Neutrophils are critical immune cells for antimicrobial defense, but they can exacerbate a number of diseases, perhaps including COVID-19. The traditional approaches to study neutrophils in animal models are limited in specificity and effectiveness. EPFL scientists have now identified the problem and have developed a new, optimized model for studying the role of neutrophils in the context of disease.
Neutrophils are critical immune cells for antimicrobial defense, but they can exacerbate a number of diseases, perhaps including COVID-19. The traditional approaches to study neutrophils in animal models are limited in specificity and effectiveness. EPFL scientists have now identified the problem and have developed a new, optimized model for studying the role of neutrophils in the context of disease.
A genome-scale map of DNA methylation kinetics
While the first genome-wide DNA methylation map in mammalian cells was established over 10 years ago, such maps only provide snapshots and do not inform about the actual dynamics of this epigenetic mark. Researchers from the Schübeler group now quantified actual rates of methylation and demethylation for 860,404 individual CpGs in mouse embryonic stem cells.
While the first genome-wide DNA methylation map in mammalian cells was established over 10 years ago, such maps only provide snapshots and do not inform about the actual dynamics of this epigenetic mark. Researchers from the Schübeler group now quantified actual rates of methylation and demethylation for 860,404 individual CpGs in mouse embryonic stem cells.
