news from the lab 2017

EPFL researchers have created an online platform for monitoring the genetic diversity of livestock and the sustainability of animal farming in Switzerland. This project, which was developed in partnership with the Federal Office for Agriculture, could serve as a model for other countries. "With the GenMon platform, our aim was to develop a practical tool for automating the process of monitoring livestock in Switzerland," explains Solange Duruz, a PhD student in the Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems (LASIG) and lead author of the article, which appeared in the journal PLOS One .

Coral reefs in the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba can resist rising water temperatures. If they survive local pollution, these corals may one day be used to re-seed parts of the world where reefs are dying.

Two research teams from the University of Bern and the ETH Zurich have developed a new method to shed light onto a mostly unknown process of bacterial protein production. Their results could be used for the design of new antibiotics. Ribosomes are the factories of the cell and, as such, are responsible for the fabrication of proteins.

A team of researchers have developed a new method that enables the identification of proteins imported into mitochondria. This leads to a better understanding of disease mechanisms linked to defective cellular functions. Eukaryotic cells contain thousands of proteins, which are distributed to different cellular compartments with specific functions.

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.

Whey protein nanofibrils loaded with iron nanoparticles: ETH researchers are developing a new and highly effective way of fortifying iron into food and drinks.

Honesty plays a key role in social and economic life. Without honesty, promises are not kept, contracts are not enforced, taxes remain unpaid. Despite the importance of honesty for society, its biological basis remains poorly understood. Researchers at the University of Zurich, together with colleagues from Chicago and Boston, now show that honest behavior can be increased by means of non-invasive brain stimulation.

Brain researchers at ETH Zurich and other universities have shown for the first time that a region of the brain associated with empathy only activates very weakly in autistic people. This knowledge could help to develop new therapies for those affected by autism. Professor Nicole Wenderoth and her senior scientist Joshua Balsters, both researchers at ETH, have used functional MRI images (fMRI) from autistic adolescents to discover unusual activity in a particular region of the brain, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

Scientists at EPFL and NTU have discovered that combining an anticancer drug with an antirheumatic produces improved effects against tumors. The discovery opens a new path for drug-drug synergy. One of the goals in pharmacology is to increase the efficiency of drugs by minimizing their side effects.

The inflammatory response that is supposed to ward off pathogens that cause intestinal disease makes this even worse.

Huntington's disease is caused by a gene mutation that causes a protein to build up in the brain. In a world first, EPFL scientists have synthesized and studied modified forms of a mutant part of the protein, deepening our understanding of how it contributes to the disease, and pointing to new therapeutic strategies for treating it.

EPFL scientists have fully modeled the metabolism of the deadliest malaria parasite. The model offers unprecedented tools for developing a new generation of antimalarial therapies to overcome drug resistance. Image: Computational analysis of the malaria parasites' metabolism aids in the understanding of observed phenotypes.

Chronic Granulomatous Disease is a hereditary disease of the immune system. Due to a gene defect, phagocytes of affected patients are unable to kill ingested bacteria and fungi.

Not much plant sex happens without pollinator insects: Bees, flies or butterflies transfer the male pollen grains to the stigma of a plant's female style, thereby ensuring its sexual reproduction.

EPFL scientists have carried out a genomic and evolutionary study of a large and enigmatic family of human proteins, to demonstrate that it is responsible for harnessing the millions of transposable elements in the human genome. The work reveals the largely species-specific gene-regulatory networks that impact all of human biology, in both health and disease.

Researchers funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) studied laboratory mice growing up in a cowshed. This enabled them to investigate how the farm environment modifies the immune system and provides protection against allergies. Improved hygiene has largely eliminated infectious diseases from everyday life.

Until recently, genomics was a 'read-only' science. But scientists led by Rory Johnson at the University of Bern and the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, have now developed a tool for quick and easy deletion of DNA in living cells. This software will boost efforts to understand the vast regions of non-coding DNA, or 'Dark Matter', in our DNA and may lead to discovery of new disease-causing genes and potential new drugs.