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Life Sciences - Pharmacology - 23.12.2020
Genetic Engineering without Unwanted Side-Effects Helps Fight Parasites
Genetic Engineering without Unwanted Side-Effects Helps Fight Parasites
Modified CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing scissors are enabling researchers at UZH to make alterations to the genetic material of single-cell organisms that are indistinguishable from natural mutations. This method is making it possible to develop a (harmless) experimental live vaccine for the widespread parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

Health - Pharmacology - 16.12.2020
Digipredict digital twin will predict the evolution of Covid-19
Digipredict digital twin will predict the evolution of Covid-19
Under a cross-disciplinary program spearheaded by EPFL, scientists will develop an AI-based system that can predict whether Covid-19 patients will develop severe cardiovascular complications and, in the longer term, detect the likely onset of inflammatory disease. Covid-19 comes with a range of symptoms - from a sore throat and the loss of taste to more serious ones like lung failure.

Health - Pharmacology - 11.12.2020
A data-driven approach to identify risk profiles and protective drugs in COVID-19
A study performed in Ticino between Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), USI Università della Svizzera italiana and Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele (UniSR, Milan, Italy) has shown how drugs against hypertension can reduce by more than 60% the risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients. The multidisciplinary study concerned 576 patients admitted to the EOC during the first wave of the epidemic, and was published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Pharmacology - Health - 30.11.2020
New cancer-fighting method leverages the mechanical force of T cells
New cancer-fighting method leverages the mechanical force of T cells
Scientists have developed a cancer treatment method that destroys tumor cells using the mechanical force of our bodies- own T cells. They have just completed a proof of concept for their novel immunotherapy approach. Immunotherapy is a promising weapon in the fight against cancer. It has proven to be much more effective than chemotherapy and radiotherapy in treatment of some cancers.

Health - Pharmacology - 25.11.2020
Iron Infusion Proves Effective to Treat Anaemia in Rural Africa
Iron Infusion Proves Effective to Treat Anaemia in Rural Africa
Iron-deficiency anaemia is a major concern in low-income settings, especially for women. In a new study by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and partners published yesterday in The Lancet Global Health, researchers found that iron infusion was feasible, safe and in contrast to the standard iron-deficiency anaemia treatment of oral iron tablets, highly effective in Tanzania.

Health - Pharmacology - 12.11.2020
Anti-ageing therapy against metastases
A preclinical study conducted at the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR, affiliated to USI) reveals the role of aging cells in the formation of metastases and identifies a drug capable of blocking them. The work of the group of researchers in Switzerland, Italy and the United States, led by Prof. Andrea Alimonti, is published in the important scientific journal Cancer Cell.

Health - Pharmacology - 10.11.2020
Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids promote health in subgroups of active elderly people
The DO-HEALTH study examines the effect of simple measures on the health of healthy adults aged 70+. The first evaluation shows no significant improvement in terms of bone fractures, leg and memory function through the intake of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and strength training. However, certain groups could still benefit.

Pharmacology - 28.10.2020
Paracetamol poisonings up
Paracetamol poisonings up
In 2003, the painkiller paracetamol became available in Switzerland in tablets with a higher dose of the active ingredient. This correlates with an increase in cases of paracetamol poisoning in the country, as a data analysis by ETH researchers shows. Paracetamol is a popular source of pain relief. In Switzerland, it is available over the counter in 500 milligram tablets, but also in double the dose, in 1,000 milligram (1 gram) tablets when prescribed by a physician.

Health - Pharmacology - 23.10.2020
School children benefit from preventive malaria treatment
A large study shows that preventive treatment of children with antimalarial drugs reduces clinical malaria and anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. In several regions affected by the tropical disease malaria there are programmes in schools to preventively treat children with antimalarial drugs. An international consortium of researchers, including Michael Zimmermann, Professor of Human Nutrition at ETH Zurich, has now for the first time analysed the effectiveness of such programmes in a meta-analysis using individual data.

Pharmacology - Health - 06.10.2020
Colorectal cancer treatment: the winning combinations
Colorectal cancer treatment: the winning combinations
A technique developed by scientists from the University of Geneva and HUG has made it possible to identify in vitro and validate in vivo, an optimised combination of anticancer drugs that are more effective than chemotherapy and that do not have side effects. A schematic drawing of colon and colorectal carcinoma.

Life Sciences - Pharmacology - 05.10.2020
Millimetre-precision drug delivery to the brain
Focused ultrasound waves help ETH researchers to deliver drugs to the brain with pinpoint accuracy, in other words only to where their effect is desired. This method is set to enable treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders and tumours with fewer side effects in the future. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a method for concentrating and releasing drugs in the brain with pinpoint accuracy.

Health - Pharmacology - 30.09.2020
New research from Ticino on the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2
New research from Ticino on the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2
After the announcement, in May, of the first results of serological tests carried out on healthcare personnel in Ticino [ www.usi.ch/en/feeds/13622 ], significant data on the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 is now available, thanks to the analysis carried out - among others - by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB, affiliated to USI) and Humabs BioMed (subsidiary of Vir Biotechnology), in close collaboration with hospitals and COVID-19 centers in Ticino (Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale EOC and Clinica Luganese Moncucco).

Health - Pharmacology - 28.09.2020
New technique for ultrafast tumour therapy
New technique for ultrafast tumour therapy
For the first time, researchers at the Centre for Proton Therapy at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in Switzerland have tested ultrafast, high-dose irradiation with protons. This new, experimental FLASH technique could revolutionise radiation therapy for cancer and save patients many weeks of treatment.

Pharmacology - 21.09.2020
An acoustically actuated microscopic device
An acoustically actuated microscopic device
Researchers at EPFL have developed remote-controlled, mechanical microdevices that, when inserted into human tissue, can manipulate the fluid that surrounds them, collect cells or release drugs. This breakthrough offers numerous potential applications in the biomedical field, from diagnostics to therapy.

Health - Pharmacology - 18.09.2020
Increasing the effectiveness of immunotherapy against skin cancer
Researchers at the University of Bern have discovered a mechanism in the body's own immune system which is responsible for the maturing and activation of immune cells. In the fight against skin cancer, the results have the potential to help immunotherapy succeed, even for patients on whom it previously had no effect.

Pharmacology - Chemistry - 17.09.2020
Computational pharmacology ’made in USI’ scores again
Another important result for research in computational pharmacology "made in USI": Prof. Vittorio Limongelli of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and his PhD candidate Stefano Raniolo have developed a protocol that allows to simulate accurately the interaction between a drug and its molecular "target".

Health - Pharmacology - 15.09.2020
Only One Third of Children Receive Appropriate Malaria Care
Only One Third of Children Receive Appropriate Malaria Care
Despite lots of progress made in the past decade, more than 270,000 children die from Malaria each year. Most of these deaths could be avoided through timely diagnosis and treatment. Despite better availability of tests and medication, a new study shows that large gaps remain in the quality of malaria care for children.

Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 04.08.2020
Blood-thinner with no bleeding side-effects is here
Blood-thinner with no bleeding side-effects is here
In a study led by EPFL, scientists have developed a synthetic blood-thinner that, unlike all others, doesn't cause bleeding side-effects. The highly potent, highly selective, and highly stable molecule can suppress thrombosis while letting blood clot normally following injury. Patients who suffer from thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or stroke are usually put on drugs that help their blood flow more smoothly through their body.

Pharmacology - Chemistry - 31.07.2020
Towards faster drug design
Towards faster drug design
A powerful new computational tool to identify the most promising pharmacological compounds and thus allow a much faster "screening". That is what has been developed thanks to the research carried out by Prof. Vittorio Limongelli's group of USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences in collaboration with Prof. Siewert Marrink's group of University of Groningen (Netherlands).

Health - Pharmacology - 30.07.2020
New approach for targeted cancer immunotherapy
New approach for targeted cancer immunotherapy
A new study from researchers at the University of Basel demonstrates that a novel cancer immunotherapy, based on a locally focused activation of immune cells, could help to more efficiently eradicate tumor cells and reduce side effects. Cancer immunotherapies make use of the ability of the immune system to attack cancer cells: they unleash the killer function of T cells, which then attack and eradicate the cancer cells.
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