A new switch for the cell therapies of the future

A new gene switch can be activated using a commercially available nitroglycerine patch applied to the skin

18-Feb-2025 - The body regulates its metabolism precisely and continuously, with specialised cells in the pancreas constantly monitoring the amount of sugar in the blood, for example. When this blood sugar level increases after a meal, the body sets a signal cascade in motion in order to bring it back down. In ...

Obese and healthy

Scientists are trying to work out why some obese people become unhealthy while others do not

11-Feb-2025 - Body weight and body mass index alone are not enough to predict whether someone will develop a metabolic disease. A new atlas of cells in fat tissue could help to explain why some overweight people stay healthy, while others do not. Although obese individuals are at greater risk of diabetes, high ...

How dangerous are nanoplastics for babies in the womb?

The focus is on nanoplastic particles, which could lead to the development of a hypersensitive immune system in the child

07-Feb-2025 - Allergies and asthma are widespread diseases that could arise during embryonal development in the womb. A team led by Empa researcher Tina Bürki is investigating the possible causes of this. The focus is on nanoplastic particles, which could lead to the development of a hypersensitive immune ...

New agent blocks stress response

In the future, this could enable stress-​related conditions such as chronic depression to be treated much more specifically and with fewer side effects

24-Jan-2024 - If the body’s natural stress response gets knocked off balance, it can result in physical and mental health disorders. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed an agent capable of selectively inhibiting this response. Stress isn’t merely an oppressive feeling we experience when we’re overwhelmed; ...

Increased deep sleep benefits your heart

Setting up a start-​up to further develop the findings and transfer them into practice

10-Oct-2023 - Stimulating the brain with gentle sounds during deep sleep significantly enhances cardiac function, according to a new study. This discovery could have implications not only for cardiovascular diseases but also for competitive sports, among other areas. Sleep is a vital aspect of human life, with ...

Treating anaemia with gene scissors

Gene therapies that could be used to cure two of the most common types of inherited anaemia

04-Aug-2023 - Many hereditary diseases have largely been considered to be incurable. The intervention in the genome is too unpredictable and complex and the results of this manipulation too uncertain. This is because these diseases often involve not just one but several genes, which can be located on different ...

What previous bird flu outbreaks teach us

“Our findings highlight the importance of not waiting until bird flu cases are discovered, because then the virus has probably already been circulating for quite some time”

25-Apr-2023 - Researchers at ETH Zurich have analysed the bird flu epidemic caused by the H7N9 strain that affected China from 2013 to 2017. New phylogenetic trees will help to improve monitoring of future bird flu epidemics. There are many different bird flu viruses. Besides the subtype H5N1, which has been ...

Acids help against airborne viruses

22-Dec-2022 - A new study by various Swiss universities shows that aerosols in indoor air can vary in acidity. This acidity determines how long viruses remain infectious in the air – with profound implications for virus transmission and strategies to contain it. Viruses such as SARS-​CoV-2, influenza virus and ...

Severe flu risk as immune cells swap with age

Evidence of similar processes with Covid-​19

12-Jul-2022 - ETH researchers found that in mice, long-​lived embryonic macrophages in the lungs die upon aging and during infection and are replaced by inflammatory bone marrow-​derived macrophages. This causes severe disease progression when infected with viral flu. Lung infections with the influenza virus ...

Controlling insulin production with a smartwatch

Green light from the smartwatch activates the gene

09-Jun-2021 - ETH Zurich researchers have developed a gene switch that can be operated with the green LED light emitted by commercial smartwatches. This revolutionary approach could be used to treat diabetes in the future. Many modern fitness trackers and smartwatches feature integrated LEDs. The green light ...