wire - news in brief

A team from the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the CHUV, has developed a new method of encapsulating fecal bacteria to treat a serious intestinal infection.

As the population ages, the number of people with Alzheimer's disease in Europe will double by 2050.

The University of Geneva is putting a platform online to monitor variations in the composition and carbon emissions of the electricity mix consumed by the Swiss population. Where does the electricity we use come from? And what is its impact on the environment? It all depends on the time of day and the season.

An international team highlights the importance of localising BRCA gene mutations for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are inherited by 1 in 400 and 1 in 800 people respectively, significantly increase the risk of certain cancers such as ovarian, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer.

A team from the UNIGE has found an alternative for patients who have developed resistance to chemotherapy treatments. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers. Its treatment is mainly based on chemotherapy. However, over time, chemotherapy induces resistance in the majority of patients, who end up being unresponsive to the drugs.

The European data processing and analysis consortium for Gaia, in which the UNIGE participates, publishes its third catalogue of data. A colossal amount of new information about our galaxy. The European consortium for the data processing and analysis of the Gaia satellite, led by the European Space Agency (ESA), has published its third catalogue.

The Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases (UNIGE / HUG) shares the first sequencing results of the monkeypox genome from Switzerland.

A team from the University of Geneva demonstrates that eye-tracking can be used to assess the perceptual abilities of people with multiple disabilities.

A team from the UNIGE has identified a potential target for restoring the efficacy of standard treatment in resistant patients. Many breast cancer patients develop resistance to standard drug treatments aimed at preventing the growth of cancer cells. A team from the University of Geneva has identified a molecular regulator involved in these resistance mechanisms.

A European research team led by the UNIGE and the HUG propose a new framework for analysing Alzheimer's disease, and call for early and differentiated treatment for at-risk people.

A team from the UNIGE has developed an application that makes it possible to monitor the frequency and intensity of the symptoms of people at risk for psychosis on a daily basis, in order to be able to adapt their medical follow-up and determine the cause of the appearance of symptoms.

By upgrading a biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratory, the UNIGE is increasing its capacity to conduct research on highly pathogenic viruses, in particular on SARS-CoV2.

A team from the UNIGE and the HUG has shown that during the COVID-19 pandemic, women researchers submitted significantly less research for publication than their male counterparts did.

This new partnership offers Geneva-based start-ups easier access to research laboratories and new funding opportunities.

An international team, led by the UNIGE, has investigated five astronomical objects that could help us understand the mysterious nature of brown dwarfs.

Researchers at the University of Geneva have found that emotion knowledge, cooperative social behaviour and locomotor activity are three key skills for promoting numerical learning in children aged 3 to 6.

Swiss specialists in data semantics define the national strategy for the interoperability of research data to enable a strong policy of promoting personalised medicine.

By studying the structure of cellular receptors and of the molecules that activate them, scientists at the Universities of Geneva and Basel are deciphering the details of immune cell activation. Chemokine receptors, located at the surface of many immune cells, play an important role in their function.

The UNIGE is awarding its 3R prize to the creator of a cell model which, by reproducing a lung infection, has enabled the identification of a promising treatment. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium responsible for many lung infections, particularly in people with cystic fibrosis or a weakened immune system.

Scientists from the University of Geneva and IRSET have established a link between poor semen quality in adult men and their mothers' occupational exposure to endocrine disruptors during pregnancy.

Scientists from the INRAE, ALLICE and UNIGE have discovered the genetic causes of the abnormal presence of an additional pair of horns in Bovids. Bovidae sometimes display supernumerary horns. For instance, local breeds of sheep genetically selected by generations of breeders, are known for their multiple horns, a condition referred to as 'polyceraty'.

A team from the University of Geneva and HUG managed to save a woman whose aggressive cancer left her with only five months to live.

A team from the University of Geneva and MSF has shown that a vial of insulin can be stored for 4 weeks after opening and at up to 37°C,without losing efficacy.

Blind children do not apprehend the world in the same way as their sighted counterparts. A research team from the University of Geneva and Université Lumière Lyon 2 have developed tactile books that are tailored specifically to their needs.

Gifted students improve their grades when they take online courses, whereas students in difficulty do not.

The unpredictability of epileptic seizures is a severe handicap for patients. Scientists have devised a technique that can predict seizure periods from one to several days in advance.

Pretend play promotes the development of socio-emotional competences in children aged five and six. Being socially and emotionally competent from an early age is likely to help children win acceptance by their peers, build better relationships with teachers, and facilitate academic learning.

Physicians in Geneva have shown that some of the troublesome symptoms of COVID-19 could last more than 6 weeks, even in patients without underlying risk factors.

The coronavirus crisis is a powerful indicator of the global challenges facing the health sector. The eighth Geneva Health Forum will pull together key players in the quest for concrete solutions.

The contributions to people provided by trees in Geneva outweigh their disadvantages, regardless of whether they are of native or non-native origin. Trees planted in urban spaces provide a multitude of ecosystem services: they reduce air pollution and noise, provide habitat and shelter for other species, and reduce erosion during heavy rains.

Wildcats in the Swiss Jura will undergo an irreversible genetic replacement by domestic cats if no preventive measures are taken. European wildcats, thought to be extinct 50 or so years ago in the Jura mountains, have since recolonised part of their former territory. This resurgence in an area occupied by domestic cats has gone hand-in-hand with genetic crosses between the two species.

An international team has demonstrated the fundamental importance of public parks based on nine «protected needs» that are essential for our well-being.

The Square Kilometre Array , or SKA, will be the biggest radio telescope ever built. Thanks to this ambitious tool, some of the universe's greatest mysteries will be resolved.

Using brain imaging, a team from the University of Geneva and the HUG show that elderly people with low agreeableness are better protected against Alzheimer's disease.