news 2022
« BACK
Health - Life Sciences - 15.09.2022 
Immunotherapy Reduces Lung and Liver Fibrosis in Mice
Chronic diseases often lead to fibrosis, a condition in which organ tissue suffers from excessive scarring. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now developed an immunotherapy that specifically targets the cause - activated fibroblasts - while leaving normal connective tissue cells unharmed.
Life Sciences - Health - 13.09.2022 
A window into the fruit fly's nervous system
Scientists at EPFL have developed an implantation technique that allows unprecedented optical access to the "spinal cord" of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This work can potentially lead to breakthroughs in the fields of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and bio-inspired robotics. Understanding biological motor control requires the ability to record neural activity while animals are behaving," says Professor Pavan Ramdya at EPFL's School of Life Sciences.
Health - 12.09.2022
Health - Life Sciences - 07.09.2022 
Stressed mitochondria help cells survive respiratory infections
Mildly stressing mitochondria with an antibiotic can increase tolerance against respiratory infections, shows a study by scientists at EPFL. Many respiratory infections, such as influenza or COVID-19 add significant stress to cells and organs, which can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which itself can eventually cause death in aged or sensitive individuals.
Health - 05.09.2022 
Causes of Long Covid in young adults
Healthy young people with just a mild Covid infection can sometimes suffer temporary post-infection consequences such as tiredness, loss of smell and taste or reduced fertility. These symptoms usually improve with time. But a new UZH study conducted with Swiss Armed Forces personnel shows that young people post Covid are likely to have increased cholesterol, a high BMI, and a reduced level of physical stamina.
Health - Life Sciences - 02.09.2022 
Challenging the standard paradigm of schizophrenia research
Analyzing EEG measurements of almost two hundred schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, researchers at EPFL now challenge the standard paradigm underlying research in the field. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that impairs a person's ability to think, feel, and behave, often making them seem that they have "lost touch with reality".
Health - Innovation - 01.09.2022 
Technological advances in cancer therapy
Researchers from the University of Bern and Inselspital provide an overview of the latest technologies in precision oncology. Translating these into clinical application is still a major challenge. With research projects, the Bern Center for Precision Medicine (BCPM) contributes to bringing technological progress to the patient.
Life Sciences - Health - 30.08.2022 
Genetic Testing Before Pregnancy Detects up to Half of the Risk
Are would-be parents carrying a genetic risk of serious illnesses that they could potentially pass on to their children? In the USA, doctors recommend that couples have genetic screening before trying to conceive. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now shown that a maximal variant of this test detects the risk in 44 percent of couples who are related by blood, and in just 5 percent of other couples.
Health - Life Sciences - 30.08.2022 
Insufficient insulin processing leads to overweight
Overweight increases the risk of an imbalance in sugar metabolism and even of diabetes. A research group at the University of Basel has now shown the opposite is true as well: deficits in the body's insulin production contribute to overweight. Poor nutrition, too little movement and too many pounds on the scale - lifestyle influences the risk of metabolic diseases like diabetes.
Health - Life Sciences - 30.08.2022 
Genetic discovery could improve treatment of colorectal cancer
Scientists have discovered a rare gene in the tumors of some colorectal cancer patients. This finding could lead to more accurate diagnoses and, eventually, personalized treatments that target the protein expressed by the gene. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the Western world, especially in people over 50.
Health - 29.08.2022 
Artificial intelligence improves treatment of women with heart attacks
Compared with men, women die more frequently of a heart attack. Reasons are differences in age and concomitant diseases, which also complicate risk assessment in women. Using artificial intelligence, researchers at the University of Zurich have developed a new risk assessment that improves personalized care for women with heart attacks.
Life Sciences - Health - 29.08.2022 
Protein ’traffic jam' in neurons linked to neurodegeneration
A new study by researchers reveals how a malfunctioning protein complex can lead to the buildup of toxic forms of Tau, a protein involved in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease are associated with atypical proteins that form tangles in the brain, killing neurons.
Health - Psychology - 29.08.2022 
Sensor-based early detection of age-related diseases from home
Researchers at the University of Bern and Inselspital, Bern University Hospital have demonstrated how sensors that record movement patterns could help detect health problems in the elderly, including old-age depression, risk of falls or cognitive impairment, at an early stage. In the future, this could help seniors to live a self-determined life at home for longer and relieve increasing pressure on the healthcare system.
Health - Physics - 23.08.2022 
Cell receptors: of voids and void fillers
Nearly all vital functions in the human body are regulated by so-called G protein-coupled receptors on the cell surface. These receptors thus serve as attractive drug targets to treat various diseases. Researchers have now discovered that empty spaces inside these receptors are important for their activation and thus for relaying messages to the inner cell.
Health - 18.08.2022 
A coat of fat and sugar helps cancer cells to spread
Changes to tumor cells during metastasis depend on certain molecules on the cell surface. Here, the importance of -glycolipids- in the spread of ovarian cancer has been deciphered by a Basel-led international team. These findings could pave the way for new treatment methods. Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal cancers among women.
Life Sciences - Health - 17.08.2022 
Monitoring gene activities in living cells
Researchers from ETH Zurich and EPFL are expanding the emerging field of single-cell analysis with a ground-breaking method: Live-seq makes it possible to measure the activity of thousands of genes in a single cell without having to isolate and destroy it. Modern biology is increasingly seeking to understand why individual cells behave differently.
Health - 16.08.2022 
Detecting diabetes among people at risk
A team from the UNIGE in collaboration with the HUG has discovered a molecule that can identify the development of diabetes before the first symptoms appear. Diabetes is a severe and growing metabolic disorder. It already affects hundreds of thousands of people in Switzerland. A sedentary lifestyle and an excessively rich diet damage the beta cells of the pancreas, promoting the onset of this disease.
Environment - Health - 16.08.2022 
The unequal distribution of noise
In cities, those who earn more are better able to protect themselves against noise and its associated health risks. This is shown by two new ETH studies conducted in Bern, Zurich, Hannover and Mainz. Too much noise is detrimental to health: it leads to sleep disorders, increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Health - Life Sciences - 05.08.2022 
Hydrogel keeps vaccines alive
Most vaccines require constant refrigeration during shipment to remain effective. An international research team led by ETH Zurich has now developed a special hydrogel that vastly improves the shelf life of vaccines, even without refrigeration. The development could save many lives and lower the cost of cold chains.
Life Sciences - Health - 03.08.2022 
Low addiction risk with medical use of ketamine
By demonstrating that ketamine induces only a brief increase in dopamine and does not alter neuronal communication, a team from the UNIGE suggests that its therapeutic use may be safe. Commonly used in medicine as an anaesthetic, ketamine is also increasingly prescribed to relieve depressive symptoms.
Health
Results 61 - 80 of 187.
Chronic diseases often lead to fibrosis, a condition in which organ tissue suffers from excessive scarring. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now developed an immunotherapy that specifically targets the cause - activated fibroblasts - while leaving normal connective tissue cells unharmed.
Scientists at EPFL have developed an implantation technique that allows unprecedented optical access to the "spinal cord" of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This work can potentially lead to breakthroughs in the fields of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and bio-inspired robotics. Understanding biological motor control requires the ability to record neural activity while animals are behaving," says Professor Pavan Ramdya at EPFL's School of Life Sciences.
When innuendo is no longer heard
Ironic remarks or indirect requests are part of our everyday dialogue. But certain brain lesions can alter the grasp of the hidden meaning of these expressions. During her PhD, speech therapist Natacha Cordonier studied these disorders, from diagnosis to treatment. Exclaiming 'What a great weather! during a picnic, when the weather is rainy.
Ironic remarks or indirect requests are part of our everyday dialogue. But certain brain lesions can alter the grasp of the hidden meaning of these expressions. During her PhD, speech therapist Natacha Cordonier studied these disorders, from diagnosis to treatment. Exclaiming 'What a great weather! during a picnic, when the weather is rainy.
Mildly stressing mitochondria with an antibiotic can increase tolerance against respiratory infections, shows a study by scientists at EPFL. Many respiratory infections, such as influenza or COVID-19 add significant stress to cells and organs, which can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which itself can eventually cause death in aged or sensitive individuals.
Healthy young people with just a mild Covid infection can sometimes suffer temporary post-infection consequences such as tiredness, loss of smell and taste or reduced fertility. These symptoms usually improve with time. But a new UZH study conducted with Swiss Armed Forces personnel shows that young people post Covid are likely to have increased cholesterol, a high BMI, and a reduced level of physical stamina.
Analyzing EEG measurements of almost two hundred schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, researchers at EPFL now challenge the standard paradigm underlying research in the field. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that impairs a person's ability to think, feel, and behave, often making them seem that they have "lost touch with reality".
Researchers from the University of Bern and Inselspital provide an overview of the latest technologies in precision oncology. Translating these into clinical application is still a major challenge. With research projects, the Bern Center for Precision Medicine (BCPM) contributes to bringing technological progress to the patient.
Are would-be parents carrying a genetic risk of serious illnesses that they could potentially pass on to their children? In the USA, doctors recommend that couples have genetic screening before trying to conceive. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now shown that a maximal variant of this test detects the risk in 44 percent of couples who are related by blood, and in just 5 percent of other couples.
Overweight increases the risk of an imbalance in sugar metabolism and even of diabetes. A research group at the University of Basel has now shown the opposite is true as well: deficits in the body's insulin production contribute to overweight. Poor nutrition, too little movement and too many pounds on the scale - lifestyle influences the risk of metabolic diseases like diabetes.
Scientists have discovered a rare gene in the tumors of some colorectal cancer patients. This finding could lead to more accurate diagnoses and, eventually, personalized treatments that target the protein expressed by the gene. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the Western world, especially in people over 50.
Compared with men, women die more frequently of a heart attack. Reasons are differences in age and concomitant diseases, which also complicate risk assessment in women. Using artificial intelligence, researchers at the University of Zurich have developed a new risk assessment that improves personalized care for women with heart attacks.
A new study by researchers reveals how a malfunctioning protein complex can lead to the buildup of toxic forms of Tau, a protein involved in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease are associated with atypical proteins that form tangles in the brain, killing neurons.
Researchers at the University of Bern and Inselspital, Bern University Hospital have demonstrated how sensors that record movement patterns could help detect health problems in the elderly, including old-age depression, risk of falls or cognitive impairment, at an early stage. In the future, this could help seniors to live a self-determined life at home for longer and relieve increasing pressure on the healthcare system.
Nearly all vital functions in the human body are regulated by so-called G protein-coupled receptors on the cell surface. These receptors thus serve as attractive drug targets to treat various diseases. Researchers have now discovered that empty spaces inside these receptors are important for their activation and thus for relaying messages to the inner cell.
Changes to tumor cells during metastasis depend on certain molecules on the cell surface. Here, the importance of -glycolipids- in the spread of ovarian cancer has been deciphered by a Basel-led international team. These findings could pave the way for new treatment methods. Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal cancers among women.
Researchers from ETH Zurich and EPFL are expanding the emerging field of single-cell analysis with a ground-breaking method: Live-seq makes it possible to measure the activity of thousands of genes in a single cell without having to isolate and destroy it. Modern biology is increasingly seeking to understand why individual cells behave differently.
A team from the UNIGE in collaboration with the HUG has discovered a molecule that can identify the development of diabetes before the first symptoms appear. Diabetes is a severe and growing metabolic disorder. It already affects hundreds of thousands of people in Switzerland. A sedentary lifestyle and an excessively rich diet damage the beta cells of the pancreas, promoting the onset of this disease.
In cities, those who earn more are better able to protect themselves against noise and its associated health risks. This is shown by two new ETH studies conducted in Bern, Zurich, Hannover and Mainz. Too much noise is detrimental to health: it leads to sleep disorders, increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Most vaccines require constant refrigeration during shipment to remain effective. An international research team led by ETH Zurich has now developed a special hydrogel that vastly improves the shelf life of vaccines, even without refrigeration. The development could save many lives and lower the cost of cold chains.
By demonstrating that ketamine induces only a brief increase in dopamine and does not alter neuronal communication, a team from the UNIGE suggests that its therapeutic use may be safe. Commonly used in medicine as an anaesthetic, ketamine is also increasingly prescribed to relieve depressive symptoms.
