Medicine and Life Sciences

Scientists reproduce key features of pathological protein aggregates found in the brain of patients with Lou Gehrig's disease and other neurological diseases, providing insight into the underlying mechanism and offering promising avenues for new therapies. 

In the case of blood poisoning, the bacteria in the blood must be identified as fast as possible so that a life-saving therapy can be started. researchers have now developed "sepsis sensors" with magnetic nanoparticles that detect bacterial pathogens within a short period of time and identify suitable candidates for antibiotic therapies.

Health professionals are in urgent need of new antibiotics to tackle resistant bacteria. Researchers at the University of Zurich and the company Spexis have now modified the chemical structure of naturally occurring peptides to develop antimicrobial molecules that bind to novel targets in the bacteria's metabolism.

A team from the University of Geneva has discovered how the influenza A virus hijacks the mechanism for importing iron into cells to invade its host.