news 2019

Thanks to their expertise in single-molecule imaging of RNAs, researchers from the group of Jeff Chao at the FMI helped to reveal the biological mechanism of a small molecule that restricts Ewing's sarcoma cell growth. The study - published - is further evidence that each step of the gene expression pathway may be druggable, and a great example of a Novartis-FMI collaboration.

Between 2007 and 2017, children in eight lowand middle-income countries received, on average, 25 antibiotic prescriptions from birth through age five - up to five times higher than the already high levels observed in high-income settings. Many of the prescriptions are unnecessary and might exacerbate resistance.

EPFL scientists have developed a computational method modeling and designing protein allostery that allows the accurate and rational engineering and even re-purposing of cell receptors. The method can be a significant tool for drug development. Called the "second secret of life", allostery is one of the most fundamental processes of biology and has been a central focus among scientists across the life sciences spectrum, from fundamental biology to drug development.

Patient safety in intensive care units could be significantly improved if false alarms could be greatly reduced and critical complications such as epileptic seizures could be predicted. This is where the "ICU Cockpit" project of the National Research Programme "Big Data" (NRP 75) comes in: The large amounts of data from intensive care medicine will be used to develop procedures for early warning systems and therapeutic recommendations.

New migraine medications block αCGRP, a neuropeptide which causes vasodilation, for example in the meninges. The very same peptide, which is formed in the muscles during physical activity, protects the heart ' which is vital for people with chronic high blood pressure. The innovative migraine prophylaxis could endanger these people, as researchers at the University of Zurich have demonstrated in mice.

By successfully strengthening pancreatic islets before transplantation, researchers at UNIGE and HUG are hoping for a significant improvement in the success of cell transplants in patients with severe diabetes. To save patients with a severe form of type 1 diabetes (characterized by the absence of functional insulin-producing cells), pancreatic cell transplantation is sometimes the last resort.

Many liver tumors have long been difficult or impossible to remove. Since 2015, however, it has been possible to treat these tumors by combining noninvasive surgical techniques, radiological imaging and a navigation system. For the first time, a new study by University of Bern and Inselspital, Berne University Hospital has impressively demonstrated the success of this technique.

Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the clinical application of classic psychedelics in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. Researchers of the University of Zurich have now shown that mindfulness meditation can enhance the positive long-term effects of a single dose of psilocybin, which is found in certain mushrooms.

Many life-threatening bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to existing antibiotics. Swiss researchers co-headed by the University of Zurich have now discovered a new class of antibiotics with a unique spectrum of activity and mechanism of action - a major step in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

This spring, as they have now done for the past eight years, the international research team SCORE (Sewage analysis CORe group Europe), co-founded by Christoph Ort from Eawag, once again examined the wastewater from European metropolises for four illegal drugs - amphetamine, cocaine, MDMA (Ecstasy) and methamphetamine.

By identifying a protein that helps regulate blood glucose and lipids, researchers at UNIGE hope for the rapid development of treatments more effective than current insulin therapy. Insulin, a hormone essential for regulating blood sugar and lipids, is normally produced by pancreatic - cells. In many people with diabetes, however, pancreatic cells are not (or no longer) functional, causing a chronic and potentially fatal insulin deficiency that can only be controlled through daily insulin injections.

Scientists from the Universities of Geneva and Lyon have discovered which molecule is held responsible for tissue necrosis due to an infarctus, and how to reduce the tissue damage by 30% in mice. Each year, heart attacks kill almost 10 million people in the world, and more than 6 million die from stroke.

Efficacy of Alecensa (alectinib) in people identified to have ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer using liquid biopsy is consistent with efficacy in those identified by tissue analysis in the pivotal Phase III ALEX study Roche will today announce positive results from a single-arm cohort of the Phase II/III Blood First Assay Screening Trial (BFAST), the first prospective study to use only blood-based next generation sequencing (NGS) to detec

The first results of the NAMSAL study, conducted by Swiss, French and Cameroonian teams, have enabled WHO to revise its AIDS treatment recommendations to better adapt them to the most diverse contexts. Until very recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended two drugs  - dolutegravir and efavirenz  - for the treatment of HIV infection.

A fast and reliable machine learning tool, developed by the ARTORG Center, University of Bern and the Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital brings Artificial Intelligence (AI) closer to clinical use in Ophthalmology. The novel method published in Nature Scientific Reports on September 19, 2019 presents a tool that reliably extracts meaning from extensive image data.

Early combination treatment strategy with vildagliptin (Galvus ) and metformin was superior to standard of care in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients ,   The landmark VERIFY study is the first to investigate the long-term clinical benefits of this early combination strategy in type 2 diabetes (T2DM)   Novartis is committed to optimizing patient management of T2DM to achieve better glycemic control and favorable long-term clinical outcomes 

A reliable prognosis for coma patients in the intensive care unit is crucial. Improved transparency will boost the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support end-of-life decisions. For the first time, a research team has succeeded in identifying specific patterns in Electro-Encephalogram (EEG) analyses that the deep-learning network uses for making prognosis decisions.

An international research team led by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, affiliated to the Università della Svizzera italiana, has discovered why some patients with multiple sclerosis make an immune reaction that curtails the effectiveness of natalizumab, a therapeutic antibody used for the treatment of the disease and used this information to engineer a new version of the antibody that avoids this problem.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute, together with colleagues from the pharmaceutical company F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, have taken an important step towards the development of an agent against the metastasis of certain cancers. Using the Swiss Light Source, they deciphered the structure of a receptor that plays a crucial role in the migration of cancer cells.

EPFL researchers have developed biodegradable microresonators that can be heated locally with a wireless system. Doctors could soon be using them in implants to control the release of painkillers within tissue. Patients fitted with an orthopedic prosthetic commonly experience a period of intense pain after surgery.