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Health - Life Sciences - 15.01.2019 
Engineered’T cells promote long-term organ transplant acceptance
Organ transplant rejection is a major problem in transplantation medicine. Suppressing the immune system to prevent organ rejection, however, opens the door to life-threatening infections. Researchers at the University of Basel's Biozentrum have now discovered a molecular approach preventing rejection of the transplanted graft while simultaneously maintaining the ability to fight against infections.
Health - Pharmacology - 14.01.2019 
Conversion of breast cancer cells into fat cells impedes the formation of metastases
An innovative combination therapy can force malignant breast cancer cells to turn into fat cells. This can be used to prevent the formation of metastases in mice, as researchers at the University of Basel's Department of Biomedicine recently reported in the journal Cancer Cell. Tumor cells can adapt dynamically to changing conditions thanks to their ability to reactivate a cellular process that is central to embryonic development.
Health - Pharmacology - 10.01.2019 
New drug against the formation of metastasis
The most deadly aspect of breast cancer is metastasis. It spreads cancer cells throughout the body. Researchers at the University and the University Hospital of Basel have now discovered a substance that suppresses the formation of metastases. The development of metastasis is responsible for more than 90% of cancer-related deaths, and patients with a metastatic disease are considered incurable.
Life Sciences - Health - 10.01.2019
Health - Pharmacology - 02.01.2019
Health - Life Sciences - 20.12.2018 
Bacteria rely on classic business model
The pneumonia causing pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has developed a twin-track strategy to colonize its host. It generates two different cells - motile spreaders and virulent stickers. Researchers at the University of Basel's Biozentrum have now elucidated how the germ attaches to tissue within seconds and consecutively spreads.
Pharmacology - Health - 18.12.2018 
Buruli Ulcer: Promising New Drug Candidate Against a Forgotten Disease
Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) resulting in debilitating skin lesions, disabilities and stigmatisation. The current antibiotic treatment is long and has severe adverse side effects. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) together with colleagues from Singapore have discovered a highly effective compound against Buruli ulcer which has the potential to become a powerful alternative to the existing treatment options.
Pharmacology - Health - 18.12.2018 
Buruli ulcer: New drug against a forgotten disease
Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) resulting in debilitating skin lesions and disabilities. The current antibiotic treatment is long and has severe adverse side effects. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), which is associated with the University of Basel, together with colleagues from Singapore have discovered a highly effective compound against Buruli ulcer.
Life Sciences - Health - 17.12.2018 
How liquid droplets grow in cells
For more than 100 years, biologists have known that cells contain various kinds of membraneless organelles and conjectured what organizing principles underlie them. During the past decade, liquid-liquid phase separation has emerged as one of the concepts that can explain these cellular structures. Phase separation has become an increasingly hot topic, as it can be related to pathologies such as neurodegenerative diseases.
Health - Pharmacology - 14.12.2018 
Modelling for New Schistosomiasis Treatment Thresholds
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic worm infection affecting 250 million people globally. The current prevalence thresholds for preventive chemotherapy of schistosomiasis are based on the Kato-Katz method using stool samples. A new more sensitive point-of-care urine test is now available in particular for settings with low prevalence.
Life Sciences - Health - 12.12.2018 
Enrichment of resistance genes in wastewater treatment plants
Although wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) remove over 95 per cent of human fecal bacteria, many resistant bacteria can still be detected in the final effluent. How is this to be explained? To find out, a group led by microbiologist Helmut Bürgmann investigated the fate and expression of antibacterial resistance genes in the course of treatment at twelve WWTPs.
Pharmacology - Health - 11.12.2018 
Lethal combination: Drug cocktail turns off the juice to cancer cells
A widely used diabetes medication combined with an antihypertensive drug specifically inhibits tumor growth - this was discovered by researchers from the University of Basel's Biozentrum two years ago. In a follow-up study, recently published in "Cell Reports", the scientists report that this drug cocktail induces cancer cell death by switching off their energy supply.
Health - Pharmacology - 06.12.2018
Life Sciences - Health - 05.12.2018
Health - Pharmacology - 28.11.2018
Pharmacology - Health - 19.11.2018 
From Receptor Structure to New Osteoporosis Drugs
Researchers have determined the three-dimensional structure of a receptor that controls the release of calcium from bones. The receptor is now one of the main candidates for developing new drugs to treat osteoporosis. Knowing the receptor's blueprint will be instrumental for designing drugs that could even help to rebuild bones.
Health - Innovation / Technology - 16.11.2018 
Science is keeping pace with marathoners
Thanks to sensors attached to their shoes, long-distance runners can harness the power of algorithms to analyze their stride. The algorithms, developed by EPFL spin-off Gait Up and tested in the Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurement (LMAM), are unmatched in terms of precision and the range of parameters measured, such as objective fatigue, cadence, strike angle and foot impact.
Life Sciences - Health - 14.11.2018 
Insect Antibiotic Provides New Way to Eliminate Bacteria
An antibiotic called thanatin attacks the way the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is built. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now found out that this happens through a previously unknown mechanism. Thanatin, produced naturally by the spined soldier bug, can therefore be used to develop new classes of antibiotics.
Health - Life Sciences - 13.11.2018
Health - 13.11.2018 
A new model calculates infection risks from water
Again and again it happens that humans fall ill with diarrhoea or have to vomit because they have come into contact with virus-contaminated liquids.
Health
Results 1 - 20 of 455.
Organ transplant rejection is a major problem in transplantation medicine. Suppressing the immune system to prevent organ rejection, however, opens the door to life-threatening infections. Researchers at the University of Basel's Biozentrum have now discovered a molecular approach preventing rejection of the transplanted graft while simultaneously maintaining the ability to fight against infections.
An innovative combination therapy can force malignant breast cancer cells to turn into fat cells. This can be used to prevent the formation of metastases in mice, as researchers at the University of Basel's Department of Biomedicine recently reported in the journal Cancer Cell. Tumor cells can adapt dynamically to changing conditions thanks to their ability to reactivate a cellular process that is central to embryonic development.
The most deadly aspect of breast cancer is metastasis. It spreads cancer cells throughout the body. Researchers at the University and the University Hospital of Basel have now discovered a substance that suppresses the formation of metastases. The development of metastasis is responsible for more than 90% of cancer-related deaths, and patients with a metastatic disease are considered incurable.
Speeding up genetic diagnosis of Huntington’s disease
Elongated segments of DNA cause Huntington's disease and certain other disorders of the brain. Researchers have developed a method to determine the length of the mutated genes quickly and easily. People with Huntington's disease suffer from jerky body movements and decreasing mental abilities. The condition usually leads to death 15-20 years after diagnosis.
Elongated segments of DNA cause Huntington's disease and certain other disorders of the brain. Researchers have developed a method to determine the length of the mutated genes quickly and easily. People with Huntington's disease suffer from jerky body movements and decreasing mental abilities. The condition usually leads to death 15-20 years after diagnosis.
Tumors backfire on chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is an effective treatment for breast cancer, yet some patients develop metastasis in spite of it. Researchers at EPFL have discovered that chemotherapy-treated mammary tumors produce small vesicles that may help them spread to other organs. The study is published. Some patients with breast cancer receive chemotherapy before the tumor is removed with surgery.
Chemotherapy is an effective treatment for breast cancer, yet some patients develop metastasis in spite of it. Researchers at EPFL have discovered that chemotherapy-treated mammary tumors produce small vesicles that may help them spread to other organs. The study is published. Some patients with breast cancer receive chemotherapy before the tumor is removed with surgery.
The pneumonia causing pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has developed a twin-track strategy to colonize its host. It generates two different cells - motile spreaders and virulent stickers. Researchers at the University of Basel's Biozentrum have now elucidated how the germ attaches to tissue within seconds and consecutively spreads.
Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) resulting in debilitating skin lesions, disabilities and stigmatisation. The current antibiotic treatment is long and has severe adverse side effects. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) together with colleagues from Singapore have discovered a highly effective compound against Buruli ulcer which has the potential to become a powerful alternative to the existing treatment options.
Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) resulting in debilitating skin lesions and disabilities. The current antibiotic treatment is long and has severe adverse side effects. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), which is associated with the University of Basel, together with colleagues from Singapore have discovered a highly effective compound against Buruli ulcer.
For more than 100 years, biologists have known that cells contain various kinds of membraneless organelles and conjectured what organizing principles underlie them. During the past decade, liquid-liquid phase separation has emerged as one of the concepts that can explain these cellular structures. Phase separation has become an increasingly hot topic, as it can be related to pathologies such as neurodegenerative diseases.
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic worm infection affecting 250 million people globally. The current prevalence thresholds for preventive chemotherapy of schistosomiasis are based on the Kato-Katz method using stool samples. A new more sensitive point-of-care urine test is now available in particular for settings with low prevalence.
Although wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) remove over 95 per cent of human fecal bacteria, many resistant bacteria can still be detected in the final effluent. How is this to be explained? To find out, a group led by microbiologist Helmut Bürgmann investigated the fate and expression of antibacterial resistance genes in the course of treatment at twelve WWTPs.
A widely used diabetes medication combined with an antihypertensive drug specifically inhibits tumor growth - this was discovered by researchers from the University of Basel's Biozentrum two years ago. In a follow-up study, recently published in "Cell Reports", the scientists report that this drug cocktail induces cancer cell death by switching off their energy supply.
Statins Overprescribed for Primary Prevention
Taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, or statins, as a preventive measure can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. A study by the University of Zurich now shows that this measure is recommended too often, as current guidelines fail to take into account the risks of side effects. Even healthy people who don't suffer from a cardiovascular disease are prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, if they meet certain risk criteria.
Taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, or statins, as a preventive measure can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. A study by the University of Zurich now shows that this measure is recommended too often, as current guidelines fail to take into account the risks of side effects. Even healthy people who don't suffer from a cardiovascular disease are prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, if they meet certain risk criteria.
Whole-brain imaging of mice during behavior
In a study published in Neuron, researchers have demonstrated how functional ultrasound imaging can yield high-resolution, unbiased, brain-wide activity maps of behaving mice. These can lead to a brain-wide understanding of how brain activity relates to specific behavior - in healthy mice and in mouse models of neurologic or psychiatric diseases.
In a study published in Neuron, researchers have demonstrated how functional ultrasound imaging can yield high-resolution, unbiased, brain-wide activity maps of behaving mice. These can lead to a brain-wide understanding of how brain activity relates to specific behavior - in healthy mice and in mouse models of neurologic or psychiatric diseases.
New Stem-Cell Therapy to Improve Fight against Leukemia
Stem-cell transplantation is an effective form of therapy to fight leukemia. In many cases, however, the transferred immune cells of the donor also attack the recipients' healthy tissue ' often with fatal consequences. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now identified a molecule that plays a key role in this process.
Stem-cell transplantation is an effective form of therapy to fight leukemia. In many cases, however, the transferred immune cells of the donor also attack the recipients' healthy tissue ' often with fatal consequences. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now identified a molecule that plays a key role in this process.
Researchers have determined the three-dimensional structure of a receptor that controls the release of calcium from bones. The receptor is now one of the main candidates for developing new drugs to treat osteoporosis. Knowing the receptor's blueprint will be instrumental for designing drugs that could even help to rebuild bones.
Thanks to sensors attached to their shoes, long-distance runners can harness the power of algorithms to analyze their stride. The algorithms, developed by EPFL spin-off Gait Up and tested in the Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurement (LMAM), are unmatched in terms of precision and the range of parameters measured, such as objective fatigue, cadence, strike angle and foot impact.
An antibiotic called thanatin attacks the way the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is built. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now found out that this happens through a previously unknown mechanism. Thanatin, produced naturally by the spined soldier bug, can therefore be used to develop new classes of antibiotics.
Immunity connects gut bacteria and aging
EPFL scientists have discovered how a dysfunction in the immune system can cause an overload of a gut bacterium. The bacterium produces excess lactic acid, which in turn triggers the production of reactive oxygen species that cause damage to cells and many age-related pathologies. There is no doubt that gut bacteria have become one of the most important focuses of biological and medical research today.
EPFL scientists have discovered how a dysfunction in the immune system can cause an overload of a gut bacterium. The bacterium produces excess lactic acid, which in turn triggers the production of reactive oxygen species that cause damage to cells and many age-related pathologies. There is no doubt that gut bacteria have become one of the most important focuses of biological and medical research today.
Again and again it happens that humans fall ill with diarrhoea or have to vomit because they have come into contact with virus-contaminated liquids.