wire - news in brief

Novartis’ new analyses reinforce the potential of Ultibro Breezhaler for COPD patients historically treated with steroids
New analyses from the FLAME study suggest dual bronchodilator Ultibro Breezhaler provides similar or better efficacy versus steroid-containing therapies, regardless of blood eosinophil (a type of white blood cell)  counts   Data was published in the centenary issue of the American Thoracic Society's 'American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine'   Together with the International Primary Care Respiratory Group, Novartis is launching

Discovery of a Key Regulatory Gene in Cardiac Valve Formation
Researchers from the University of Basel in Switzerland have identified a key regulator gene for the formation of cardiac valves - a process crucial to normal embryonic heart development. These results are published in the journal Cell Reports today. The heart is the first functional organ that develops in vertebrate embryos.

FDA approves Roche’s Actemra/RoActemra (tocilizumab) for giant cell arteritis
FDA approves Roche's Actemra/RoActemra (tocilizumab) for giant cell arteritis Actemra/RoActemra is the first FDA-approved treatment for adults with giant cell arteritis (GCA) FDA previously granted Priority Review and Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Actemra/RoActemra in GCA Sixth FDA approval for Actemra/RoActemra since its US launch in 2010 Roche today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Actemra /RoActemra (tocilizumab) ) subcutaneous injection for the treatment of GCA, a chronic and severe autoimmune condition.

The race to trace TRAPPIST-1h
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) After 60 hours of non-stop work, researchers at the University of Bern being part of an international team reached their hoped-for goal: They were the first to measure the orbital period for the outermost planet of the famous TRAPPIST-1 system which made headlines worldwide.

Digital birdhouses make studying owls easier
EPFL students have developed a system that can detect when barn owls fly into and out of their nests, without disturbing the birds.

Wafer-thin Magnetic Materials Developed for Future Quantum Technologies
Two-dimensional magnetic structures are regarded as a promising material for new types of data storage, since the magnetic properties of individual molecular building blocks can be investigated and modified. For the first time, researchers have now produced a wafer-thin ferrimagnet, in which molecules with different magnetic centers arrange themselves on a gold surface to form a checkerboard pattern.

Novartis receives positive CHMP opinion for first-line use of Zykadia in ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Phase III trial, first-line treatment with Zykadia resulted in improved progression-free survival (PFS) over SOC chemotherapy with maintenance, including in patients with brain metastases Zykadia is

Building trust and intelligence in a digitalised world
ETH Meets New York to explore Blockchain technologies, machine learning, and artificial intelligence with academia and industry.

Light Exposure in the Evening Improves Performance in the Final Spurt
Athletes often have to compete late in the evening, when they are no longer able to perform at their best. As reported in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, however, researchers from the University of Basel have shown that athletes who are exposed to blue light before competing can significantly increase their performance in the final spurt.

Novartis data at ASCO, ICML and EHA meetings demonstrate meaningful advancements in cancer care
Updated analyses from the Kisqali pivotal Phase III MONALEESA-2 trial in hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer to be presente

15 new professors
At its meeting of 17 May 2017, the ETH Board appointed 15 new professors upon application of ETH Zurich President Lino Guzzella.

XENON1T: the most sensitive detector on Earth
Dark matter is one of the basic constituents of the Universe, five times more abundant than ordinary matter.

Stable demand for SNSF funding
In 2016, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) supported around 3200 research projects involving more than 14,000 researchers from universities, universities of applied sciences, universities

Novartis Foundation and partners launch initiative to tackle hypertension and its root causes in low-income urban communities
Better Hearts Better Cities is a Novartis Foundation initiative to improve cardiovascular health in low-income urban communities by addressing the prevention, management and control of hypertension.

Reconstructing a lake’s history by simple means
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) The sediments of Lake Van in Eastern Anatolia (Turkey) are a valuable climate archive.

Persistent and curious
As Professor of Particle Physics, Felicitas Pauss played a key role in the discovery of the Higgs boson.

The future’s bright, the future’s OLED
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) will soon show our world in a new light: the days of small light sources are numbered; in future, entire walls, ceilings, façades and car exteriors will light up our lives.

Hydrogen Bonds Directly Detected for the First Time
For the first time, scientists have succeeded in studying the strength of hydrogen bonds in a single molecule using an atomic force microscope. Researchers from the University of Basel's Swiss Nanoscience Institute network have reported the results Advances. Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe and is an integral part of almost all organic compounds.

Pauli Lectures take a look under the microscope

Better a ‘No’ Than No Answer at All
After experiencing social exclusion, a minimum of attention suffices to reduce individuals' negative emotions. Even rejection or unkind comments are better for well-being than being ignored by other people. This finding has important implications for the treatment of applicants during selection processes, report psychologists from the University of Basel and Purdue University in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Roche to present new data on personalised medicines and cancer immunotherapies at the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting
Roche to present new data on personalised medicines and cancer immunotherapies at the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 20 Roche medicines are included in more than 190

Two major projects drive genetics research forward at Campus Biotech
Good news for the fields of genetic research and gene therapy: two major projects based at Campus Biotech, EPFL's outpost in Geneva, were announced simultaneously today.

Roche provides update on phase III study of TECENTRIQ (atezolizumab) in people with previously treated advanced bladder cancer
Roche provides update on phase III study of TECENTRIQ (atezolizumab) in people with previously treated advanced bladder cancer IMvigor211 study did not meet its primary endpoint of overall survival (

EPFL to participate in a concrete canoe race for the first time
This semester, eight civil engineering students at EPFL will take part in a slightly off-the-wall challenge: they are building a reinforced-concrete canoe that they will then race in a university regatta in Germany.

Quartz powder for the battery of the future
The invisible becomes visible within lithium-sulphur batteries Materials researchers of the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in Switzerland have, in collaboration with the Université Grenoble Alpes (France), developed a method that could enable a breakthrough for the lithium-sulphur battery. In theory, lithium-sulphur batteries can deliver considerably more energy than today's conventional lithium-ion batteries, but current prototypes show a distinct loss of capacity after just a few charging cycles.

Immersive virtual-reality creation software for everyone
Imverse, an EPFL spinoff, has developed a software that lets users convert 360-degree images from 2D into 3D and both manipulate and create virtual-reality content in real time with the help of virtual-reality glasses.

What silver fir aDNA can tell us about Neolithic forests
Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) A new technique makes it possible to cost-effectively analyse genetic material from fossil plant and animal remains. Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL and the universities of Lausanne and Bern have used this technique to examine the DNA of silver fir needles found in lake sediment in Ticino.

Immersive virtual-reality software for everyone
Imverse, an EPFL spinoff, has developed software that lets users convert 360-degree images from 2D into 3D and both manipulate and create virtual-reality content in real time with the help of virtual-reality glasses.

Women Perform Worse in CPR
Does it matter whether a man or a woman carries out CPR? Researchers at the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel have shown that female resuscitation teams performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation less efficiently than their male counterparts. The study suggests that there is a need for action in the training of young female physicians.

Construction start for NEST unit ’dfab
On May 2, at the ground-breaking ceremony for the NEST unit ‘dfab house', the project team, consisting of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) ‘Digital Fabrication', ETH Z

How does trust work on the internet?
A secure and reliable internet generates trust. Just how the internet creates trust is a matter for debate between ETH computer scientists and social scientists - for example, in a public session on 9 May 2017.

Comprehensive Atlas of Immune Cells in Renal Cancer
Renal cell carcinoma is one of the most frequent and deadly urogenital cancers. Even if the tumors are treated, they ultimately end in metastasis in about half of the patients. 90 percent of these patients die within five years. Thanks to new kinds of immunotherapies, the outlook of this patient group has improved, but the treatment only works for a minority of patients.

A magic hood for artificial heart pumps
Ten million people in Europe alone suffer from cardiac insufficiency, or a weak heart. One day, many of them may require a heart transplant.

Sustainable biomedical textiles for the
The textile and clothing industry has a long history in Switzerland. In order to remain competitive in the international market, the industry relies on innovations.

Photography: An unusual and surprising picture of science
The winning entries from the first SNSF Scientific Image Competition offer a view of science that is aesthetic, nuanced and complex.

Novartis exercises exclusive option agreement with Conatus for the treatment of NASH
Exclusive license for emricasan supports rapidly growing development portfolio in chronic liver diseases, including NASH   Conatus has initiated the Phase IIb ENCORE-LF clinical trial with emricasan in NASH.

Making a valuable resource usable with water
New reaction for converting methane into methanol In oil extraction sites, gaseous methane is simply burned, even though it could actually be a useful precursor material for fuels and products of the chemical industry. One way to make methane usable is to convert it to methanol. Being liquid, methanol is easier to transport than methane, and it can be used both as fuel and as raw material for the chemical industry.

Materials in a digitalized world
We hope to lead you on a gripping journey through the world of research and innovation; you may be surprised at how broad the term «applied research» is defined at Empa.

Photographs of a pioneer’s adventures
Walter Mittelholzer is one of the most sought-after photographers in the ETH Bibliothek's Image Archive.

Preserving alpine architecture through drawings
A new publication, a panel discussion and projects by EPFL students consider the future of alpine villages and their often-abandoned architectural heritage - particularly their emblematic granaries.

Sodium and magnesium to replace lithium
Scientists supported by the SNSF have produced novel electrolytes for rechargeable sodium and magnesium batteries. The research group's objective was to develop alternatives to lithium-ion technology. A project supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) aims to find new materials which can be used in rechargeable batteries and eventually provide alternatives to the current lithium batteries.

Two's company when it comes to 3D mapping
EPFL researchers have developed the terrestrial and aerial components of a European spatial and urban mapping project.

The stories of survivors and life after the Holocaust
The «Last Swiss Holocaust Survivors» exhibition, which opens today at the ETH Zurich Archives of Contemporary History, tells the stories of how fourteen eyewitnesses survived the Holocaust and then went on with their lives.

Scientastic festival held in Valais for the first time
EPFL's Valais Wallis campus in Sion hosted the school's third annual science festival this past weekend, drawing a large public turnout.

Novartis receives FDA approval for Rydapt in newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and three types of systemic mastocytosis (SM)
Novartis receives FDA approval for Rydapt in newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and three types of systemic mastocytosis (SM) Approval in newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated AML repre

Getting a Handle on Safety
Protons can accurately target and eliminate cancerous cells by erasing their genetic substance DNA. Doctors at the Centre for Proton Therapy at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI use protons to treat patients with deep-seated tumours or ocular cancer.

A new EPFL incubator for education technology