News
At the University of Zurich and at ETH Zurich, Life Science research covers a huge range of different topics. There is plenty of new information about all these research activities is every day and you easily lose track of what is really important. Under “News”, we have selected some of the reports and articles on new and relevant findings in the Life Science research for you. If you are looking for more detailed knowledge of a specific subject you might find an answer here. If you miss your favorite research topic, please let us know.
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Why Kidneys Form Stones
Our kidneys filter all the blood in our body 36 times a day. How on earth do the kidneys manage this herculean task? That is the question being researched by the National Center of Competence in Research Kidney.CH, for which UZH is the home institution. On World Kidney Day, we take a brief glimpse behind the scenes of Swiss kidney research.
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Accelerating Diagnostics of Multi-Resistant Tuberculosis
UZH molecular biologist Prajwal and a team of researchers have developed a comprehensive rapid diagnostic test for multi-resistant tuberculosis pathogens. He now wants to turn the test into a commercial product with the help of a UZH Entrepreneur Fellowship.
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ETH Podcast on #CRISPRbabies
In the new episode of the ETH Podcast, Effy Vayena, Professor of Bioethics, and Hantan Zhao, a Chinese PhD student at ETH Zurich, discuss the ethical implications of the case.
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Platinum nanoparticles for selective treatment of liver cancer cells
Researchers at ETH Zurich recently demonstrated that platinum nanoparticles can be used to kill liver cancer cells with greater selectivity than existing cancer drugs.
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How do proteins become embedded in a cell membrane?
Many proteins with important biological functions are embedded in a biomembrane in the cells of humans and other living organisms. But how do they get in there in the first place? Researchers in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich investigated the matter.
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Embracing the Wilderness
Ecologist Florian Altermatt has presided over the Swiss Biodiversity Forum since the beginning of the year. He’s committed to researching biodiversity and facilitating the cooperation of scientists and policy-makers.
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Wheat Resistance Gene also Protects Corn and Barley against Fungal Disease
Plant researchers at the University of Zurich have developed transgenic corn and barley lines with improved resistance against several fungal diseases thanks to the wheat resistance gene Lr34. Following successful tests in the greenhouse, the researchers are now planning to carry out field trials at the Agroscope site in Zurich-Reckenholz.
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Discovery of bacterial signature of intestinal disease
Researchers from the University of Bern a the Inselspital Bern, Switzerland, have discovered, also due to a collaboration with the University of Zurich and the ETH Zurich, that changes in the composition of the intestinal bacteria in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease affect the severity of the disease and the success of therapy. The advance provides an important basis to improve treatment of these diseases.
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Cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce brown adipose tissue
ETH Zurich scientists have shown that statins, one of the most commonly prescribed classes of pharmaceuticals, reduce beneficial brown adipose tissue. But this is no reason to demonise these drugs, the researchers insist.
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Firing Up the Brain
Children learn to read in playful ways. But it’s not always easy for them to connect the abstract groups of letters with their meaning. Neurobiologist Silvia Brem researches how children learn to read and how those with reading difficulties can be helped.
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After the CRISPR babies, what next?
What the Chinese scientist He Jiankui has done is utterly irresponsible, asserts Jacob Corn in the ETH Zukunftsblog. Nonetheless, we should not vilify germline therapy for good.
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Turning Up the Heat on Cancer
A new kind of heat treatment could be an effective way of supporting cancer therapy. Caroline Maake heats up tumors using naturally occurring nanoparticles, which has shown to eliminate cancer cells in animal models. Thanks to two funding projects, the UZH professor can continue to develop this promising approach and use it on horses suffering from tumors of the connective tissue.