Prizes for biomedical research in the Lake Geneva region

Three scientific prizes will be awarded this year by the Leenaards Foundation, including two for research carried out in partnership with EPFL. The first research deals with antibiotic resistance, and the second seeks to better understand the link between genetic markers and cardiovascular diseases. This year, the Leenaards Foundation will hand out its annual Science Prize, together with over CHF 1.5 million in award money, to three research groups in the Lake Geneva region The research groups are headed by Dr. Sylvain Meylan, who is addressing the problem of antibiotic resistance with a new antibiotic-treatment strategy based on sugar; Dr. Indrit Bègue, who is investigating cerebellar stimulation as a method for alleviating certain symptoms of schizophrenia, such as apathy; and Prof. Julien Vaucher, who is working to better understand the causal link between genetic markers and cardiovascular disease. EPFL is involved in two of these researches. Treat post-operative urology infections The research team is led by Dr Sylvain Meylan (CHUV), Prof. John McKinney (EPFL), Prof. Beat Roth (CHUV). "We're exploring the possibility of using cerebellar stimulation to expand the range of treatment options for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, such as apathy," says Dr. Meylan, the chief resident in infectious diseases at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). This work is important because up to 40% of patients who are given a urinary probe or catheter go on to develop a severe urinary tract infection.