news 2017

Cancer is one of the most frequent diseases not only in people, but in pets as well. Like people, dogs can also suffer from cancer of the mammary glands (mammary tumors). Dog mammary tumors are very similar to breast carcinoma in humans, and much more so than those of rats or mice, for example. For this reason, research on canine mammary tumors is important for human medicine as well.

Roughly 2-3 percent of all people suffering from cancer have kidney cancer. The most common form of this disease is called clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). In roughly half of all patients with this disease, the tumor develops metastases and generally cannot be cured. New Mouse Model for Investigating Kidney Cancer The research of different types of cancer and the testing of new treatments depends on accurate mouse models.

Transport proteins in the cells of our body protect us from particular toxins. Researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Basel have now determined the high-resolution three-dimensional structure of a major human transport protein.

Scientists at the University of Basel in Switzerland have, for the first time, described a new T'cell population that can recognize and kill tumor cells.

A study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, describes a new treatment pathway for antibiotic resistant bacteria and infectious diseases with benefits for patients and healthcare providers. Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Newcastle University found that the unusual approach of removing antibodies from the blood stream reduced the effects of chronic infections, the requirement for days spent in hospital and the use of antibiotics.

A team of EPFL scientists has developed several antibody-based biosensors that have the potential to help healthcare centers in developing countries or even patients in their own homes keep track of drug concentration in the blood. Being able to monitor drug concentration in the blood of a patient is an important aspect of any pharmaceutical treatment.

Two research teams from the University of Bern and the ETH Zurich have developed a new method to shed light onto a mostly unknown process of bacterial protein production. Their results could be used for the design of new antibiotics. Ribosomes are the factories of the cell and, as such, are responsible for the fabrication of proteins.

EPFL scientists have improved the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy by blocking two proteins that regulate the growth of tumor blood vessels. Cancer immunotherapy aims to enhance or restore the ability of the patient's immune system - namely T'cells - to recognize and attack cancer. But tumors use several strategies to fight back immune attacks, making immunotherapy efficacious only in a minority of the patients.

Physical violence, war or a natural disaster can trigger posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those affected keep reliving the traumatic event - through memories that hit them out of the blue or as recurring nightmares. As this psychological wound can't always be treated successfully with psychotherapy, scientists have long been looking for a way to influence trauma memory using drugs.

Scientists at EPFL and NTU have discovered that combining an anticancer drug with an antirheumatic produces improved effects against tumors. The discovery opens a new path for drug-drug synergy. One of the goals in pharmacology is to increase the efficiency of drugs by minimizing their side effects.

Research led by University of Birmingham scientists has found that people suffering from the adrenal disorder known as Addison's disease suffer from an immune system defect which makes them prone to potentially deadly respiratory infections. The study, published online in the European Journal of Endocrinology, shows for the first time that patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) have natural killer immune cells (NK) - providing frontline protection against invading pathogens - which are not functioning properly.

The social stigma associated with diabetes and a fear of being poisoned by medical drugs may contribute to patients of South Asian origin failing to take their medication, a new study shows. South Asians in the UK are six times more likely than the general population to be affected with diabetes at a younger age and at greater risk of developing cardiovascular complications.

Around 3,000 heroin addicts currently receive opioids such as methadone, buprenorphine or morphine as part of their treatment in the Canton of Zurich.

EPFL scientists have created a new computer model that can help better design of allosteric drugs, which control proteins 'at a distance'. Enzymes are large proteins that are involved in virtually every biological process, facilitating a multitude of biochemical reactions in our cells. Because of this, one of the biggest efforts in drug design today aims to control enzymes without interfering with their so-called active sites - the part of the enzyme where the biochemical reaction takes place.

The sharp pain shoots to the face or teeth and seriously torments patients. Known as trigeminal neuralgia, it is one of the worst chronic nerve pains. The bouts are triggered by touch, such as shaving, putting on make-up, showering, talking and tooth brushing, or even a gust of wind. The cause is usually an irritation of the trigeminal nerve, the cranial nerve responsible for the sensory innervation of the facial area, parts of the scalp, and the oral cavity.

Media releases, information for representatives of the media Media Relations (E) The first clinical studies for a new type of immunotherapy for leukaemia are beginning at Bern's University Hospital and the Department of Clinical Research (DCR) of the University of Bern. Antibodies discovered in the laboratory should inhibit the growth of tumour cells.

When a certain human enzyme is left uncontrolled, it breaks up chromosomes into tiny pieces. This is damaging to cells, but useful for killing tumours. ETH researchers have now come to understand the underlying mechanism. Our cells contain the enzyme MUS81; this is called on in emergencies, for example, when cells are unable to replicate because the DNA-replication machinery gets tangled up in strands of DNA.