wire - news in brief

Treating arthritis with algae
Researchers at ETH Zurich, Empa and the Norwegian research institute SINTEF are pursuing a new approach to treating arthritis.

Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture launch patient trial in Africa for KAF156, a novel compound against multidrug-resistant malaria
Compound has potential to be a game-changer in malaria elimination, rapidly clearing malaria infection, including resistant strains, and blocking parasite transmission   KAF156 is first compound fro

Basel Life: A Showcase for Europe’s Life Sciences
Basel unites many strengths in life sciences: a strong university, strong industry and strong scientists.

Fundamentals of life: How centrosomes direct early embryos
Summer Series: Sarah Herrman is visiting Pierre Gönczy's lab at EPFL from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Hemorrhagic Fevers: Countering Inflammation to Prevent Circulatory Failure
Hemorrhagic fevers are severe viral diseases that are often fatal. Researchers from the University of Basel have now identified messenger substances of the immune system, which in infected mice lead to the development of shock. These results, published in the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe, open up new possibilities for the development of life-saving therapies.

Linking of the Swiss and European emissions trading systems: big step forward
Bern, 16.08.2017 - Switzerland and the European Union are preparing to link their emissions trading systems.

Online campaign against invasive plants
Neophytes - invasive plants that are alien to the region - are a huge burden on the public purse. The ETH spin-off "In-Finitude" has set up a new online platform right on time for the growing season.

The smart grid analysts
ETH spin-off Adaptricity has developed a piece of software that can be used to analyse the increasingly intelligent power grids.

Drug Approval: New Country Comparison Shows Great Savings Potential
The regulatory requirements for the approval of new drugs vary greatly internationally in regards to the resources allocated to the authorities, the evaluation periods for approval and the fees for the pharmaceutical companies. This reports a study of the European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine at the University of Basel.

Ce sont les données, qui font la musique
The ETH spin-off Bonsai Systems helps musicians to improve their movement, use of force and body position.

An expert in tiny medical helpers
Simone Schürle likes to get to the bottom of things. Since August, the microand nanotechnology expert has been working as Assistant Professor of Responsive Biomedical Systems at ETH Zurich to develop tiny machines for medical applications in the human body.

Testing the Limits for the Patients’ Benefit
Radiation therapy using protons is a success story at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI. For several decades now, doctors have been administering a gentle form of radiation treatment to patients with ocular tumours or those located deep inside the body.

Light pollution as a new threat to pollination
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) Artificial light disrupts nocturnal pollination and leads to a reduced number of fruits produced by the plant. This loss of night time pollination cannot be compensated by diurnal pollinators. The negative impact of artificial light at night on nocturnal pollinators might even propagate further to the diurnal community, as ecologists of the University of Bern were able to show.

From Zurich to Berlin in 35 minutes
Fifty students from ETH Zurich and other Swiss universities want to revolutionise transport. For a race set up by Elon Musk, they have developed a zero emission capsule that could in future transport people and goods through a vacuum tube at almost the speed of sound.

An app to help you zero in on summer fun
An app developed by an EPFL doctoral student suggests outings you're sure to like - from sporting events to culture and outdoor fun.

Malaria Already Endemic in the Mediterranean by the Roman Period
Even today, Malaria is one of the greatest medical challenges worldwide, killing hundreds of thousands of people every year. In the past, people have adapted to the threat of malaria in various ways. These methods range from interventions in the environment like draining swamps, to genetic adaptations in the human body.

Large-Mouthed Fish Was Top Predator After Mass Extinction
Possible look of the newly discovered predatory fish species Birgeria americana with the fossil oft he skull shown at bottom right (Artwork: Nadine Bösch) The most catastrophic mass extinction on Earth took place about 252 million years ago - at the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geological periods.

Neolithic Farmers Practiced Specialized Methods of Cattle Farming
Swiss farmers practiced various different methods of animal farming as early as 5,400 years ago, as demonstrated by a study by researchers from the University of Basel, as well as research institutions from Germany and the UK. The study focused on the settlement Arbon Bleiche 3 on the south bank of Lake Constance.

Sandoz expands partnership with World Child Cancer, to help children access treatment in four developing countries
Expanded partnership to help "even the odds" of survival for children with cancer in the Philippines, Myanmar, Mexico and Ghana In developed countries, the survival rate for childhood cancer is 80%,

Deforming virtual reality, on purpose
Summer series - Students projects. For his Master's project in computer science, Sidney Bovet developed a system that distorts - or more specifically, amplifies - an avatar's movements relative to the user's.

Roche gains positive CHMP opinion for Actemra / RoActemra in giant cell arteritis
Roche gains positive CHMP opinion for Actemra / RoActemra in giant cell arteritis If approved, Actemra/RoActemra would be the first therapy for the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in Europe GCA can lead to blindness, aortic aneurysm or stroke if left untreated The positive opinion is based on the outcome of the phase III GiACTA study Roche announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positi

Novartis receives positive CHMP opinion for Rydapt (midostaurin) for newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and three types of advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM)
Novartis receives positive CHMP opinion for Rydapt (midostaurin) for newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and three types of advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM) Recommendation ba

"Asphalt has a major downside"
Together with scientists from Empa, ETH Professor Jan Carmeliet studied the latest heatwave last June.

Cities suffer from higher temperatures
June 2017 broke quite a few weather records in Switzerland. Above all the month was extraordinarily hot, the second hottest June on records, peaking in a heat wave between 19 and 23 June. Cities heat up even more than the surrounding regions, an effect known as urban heat islands.

3D imaging of surface chemistry in confinement
EPFL researchers have developed an optical imaging tool to visualize surface chemistry in real time. They imaged the interfacial chemistry in the microscopically confined geometry of a simple glass micro-capillary. The glass is covered with hydroxyl (-OH) groups that can lose a proton - a much-studied chemical reaction that is important in geology, chemistry and technology.

Innate Reaction of Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Severe Infections
If severe infections result, the body must form more white blood cells to fight off infectious agents. Hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow are responsible for their production. These cells, which renew themselves throughout a person's lifetime, form all cells of the hematopoietic system.

Swiss Forestry Statistics 2016 - Declining timber harvest hits ten-year low
Neuchâtel, 20.07.2017 - (FSO) - In 2016 the Swiss timber harvest continued its decline.

Smart walk assist improves rehabilitation
A mobile harness suspended from the ceiling is now equipped with intelligent motion analysis for tailored walking rehabilitation in people suffering from spinal cord injury, stroke and other neurological disorders affecting gait.

"It’s always a compromise"
Digitalisation simplifies many aspects of our everyday life, but it also creates new risks. Srdjan Capkun, Professor for Information Security, explains how to find the right balance between convenience and security.

Manipulating Electron Spins Without Loss of Information
Physicists have developed a new technique that uses electrical voltages to control the electron spin on a chip. The newly-developed method provides protection from spin decay, meaning that the contained information can be maintained and transmitted over comparatively large distances, as has been demonstrated by a team from the University of Basel's Department of Physics and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute.

A uranium-based compound improves manufacturing of nitrogen products
EPFL scientists have developed a uranium-based complex that can allow nitrogen fixation reactions to take place in ambient conditions.

"Don’t rely on your holidays to make you happy"
Travel and happiness have a complicated relationship - even the Stoics were aware of this. An interview with philosopher Michael Hampe on the opportunities and risks that come with travelling.

Low-dose diazepam can increase social competitiveness
EPFL scientists have discovered how low-dose anxiolytics increase the social competitiveness of high-anxious individuals by boosting the energy output of mitochondria in an area of the mammalian brain that controls motivation and reward. Psychologists speak of anxiety in two forms: ‘state' anxiety, which refers to anxiety arising from a particular situation; and ‘trait' anxiety, which refers to anxiety as part of a person's overall personality.

Q2 results confirm full year guidance. Strong pipeline results underpin potential of several highly innovative products
Net sales in line with prior year (0% cc , -2% USD), as growth drivers offset Gleevec/Glivec Gx impact: Cosentyx (USD 490 million, +90% cc) continues strong growth in all three indications Entresto (U

Unbalanced wind farm planning exacerbates fluctuations
If European countries cooperated better in the field of wind energy, wind power output would fluctuate less. This is the conclusion reached by a group of energy and climate researchers at ETH Zürich and Imperial College London, who for the first time have combined a long-term analysis of predominant weather patterns with Europe-wide wind electricity generation.

Roche’s OCREVUS (ocrelizumab) approved for relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis in Australia
Roche's OCREVUS (ocrelizumab) approved for relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis in Australia Second approval after the US for OCREVUS as the first and only approved treatment for peop

From rail to sky in a Clip-Air capsule
Summer series - students works. For his Master's project, Martin Ellwanger worked on the capsules that are an integral part of the Clip-Air modular airplane.

Novartis confirms 5 year data for first and only fully-human IL-17A inhibitor Cosentyx reinforcing sustained efficacy and safety profile in psoriasis
Novartis confirms 5 year data for first and only fully-human IL-17A inhibitor Cosentyx reinforcing sustained efficacy and safety profile in psoriasis 5 year data from long-term Phase III extension study demonstrate sustained efficacy and safety of Cosentyx in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis   Data planned to be presented at a key medical congress in the second half of 2017.

Coupling a Nano-trumpet With a Quantum Dot Enables Precise Position Determination
Scientists from the Swiss Nanoscience Institute and the University of Basel have succeeded in coupling an extremely small quantum dot with 1,000 times larger trumpet-shaped nanowire.

Testing a soft artificial heart
ETH researchers from the Functional Materials Laboratory have developed a silicone heart that beats almost like a human heart.

Novartis CAR-T cell therapy CTL019 unanimously (10-0) recommended for approval by FDA advisory committee to treat pediatric, young adult r/r B-cell ALL
Novartis CAR-T cell therapy CTL019 unanimously (10-0) recommended for approval by FDA advisory committee to treat pediatric, young adult r/r B-cell ALL Recommendation based on review of CTL019 r/r B

Obstacle course for caterpillars
Spines and thorns keep hungry mammals at bay - or at least, that's the conventional wisdom. However, ETH researchers have now shown that spiky growths on plants make life difficult for caterpillars too. This finding could be important for crop breeding. "Caterpillars can occasionally be skewered by the spines," says Rupesh Kariyat, a scientist at ETH Zurich's Institute of Integrative Biology.

Most comprehensive database on past global changes is online
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) Climate scientists will now be able to more accurately study the pattern and causes of global surface temperature chan

Use-inspired basic research: external report recommends targeted adjustments
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) commissioned an external evaluation of its funding category "use-inspired basic research" last year. Based on the evaluators' recommendations, it has now decided to introduce targeted changes in its processes. Based on a mandate from the federal government, the Swiss National Science Foundation promotes scientific research; the focus is on basic research.

From Bangalore via Cambridge to Zurich
Priyank Kumar became a materials scientist mainly by chance. His enthusiasm for complex simulations of material properties took him from India to MIT, and then to ETH.

Positive phase III results for Roche’s emicizumab in haemophilia A published in The New England Journal of Medicine
Positive phase III results for Roche's emicizumab in haemophilia A published in The New England Journal of Medicine HAVEN 1 showed emicizumab reduced bleed rate by 87% compared with on-demand bypassing agents All 12 secondary endpoints in HAVEN 1 were positive, including an intra-patient comparison that showed emicizumab reduced bleed rate by 79% compared to prior prophylactic bypassing agents Data from HAVEN 1 in adults and adolescents and inte

Synapses in the Brain Mirror the Structure of the Visual World
The research team of Prof. Sonja Hofer at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, has discovered why our brain might be so good at perceiving edges and contours. Neurons that respond to different parts of elongated edges are connected and thus exchange information. This can make it easier for the brain to identify contours of objects.

Fine particles come into greater focus
An EPFL study has deepened our understanding of the fine particles produced by adhesive wear. This breakthrough could lead to cost savings and environmental benefits. Adhesive wear occurs when two surfaces - such as a brake pad and a wheel's disc, or a car tire and the road - rub against each other.

Eight professors appointed at ETH Zurich
The ETH Board appointed new professors at ETH Zurich as part of its meeting of 5/6 July 2017, in accordance with the application submitted by ETH Zurich President Lino Guzzella.