Research

Scientists led by EPFL have successfully engrafted breast cancer cells on mice, allowing them to study in vivo the cross-talk between the estrogen and progesterone receptors that hampers hormone therapies. Their findings suggest that endocrine therapy may need to be personalized, and that abrogating progesterone receptor expression can be a therapeutic option.

How the plates of the Earth’s crust move depends largely on the behaviour of the rocks below them in the mantle. A new ETH study now shows that the grain size of these rocks is a key factor.

Graphene-based particles released from polymer composites after abrasion induce negligible health effects. Under the leadership of Empa, an international research team of the Graphene Flagship project conducted a study on the health risks of graphene-containing nanoparticles and recently published the results in Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Scientists at EPFL and the Karolinska Institute have tested and confirmed a protocol for growing human embryonic stem cells into retina cells to treat eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration.

Since the 1990s, Valais and other dry Alpine valleys have seen repeated mass diebacks of Scots pines. Oddly, however, the amount of precipitation in the all-important summer months has not decreased at all over this period. WSL researchers have now found an explanation.

Researchers from ETH Zurich and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute have created a risk map showing which regions in Africa may see a faster spread of infectious diseases due to lacking infrastructure.

EPFL scientists have discovered how an anti-cancer drug could be repurposed to improve memory. It does so by supporting the cell’s ability to read the very genes that are important for learning. The epigenetic mechanism of the drug is shown in mice.

Researchers from ETH Zurich and TU Delft have developed a model to generate hundreds of ways in which Europe’s energy system can become green and self-​sufficient by 2050. They have made their results available on an interactive platform to provide a clearer picture of all the various options and their associated trade-​offs.

EPFL’s Platform of Hydraulic Constructions has been commissioned to model a future hydropower plant in Australia. As part of its work, the team has built an outsize replica on campus.

In the middle of the 20th century, many countries around the world were suffering from a poor supply of food. However, in response to the devastation of two world wars, science had prepared the ground for major advances in agriculture. A key question was how to combat hunger. The answer came in the decades-​long process of constantly increasing yields and the mechanisation of farming.

Cryospheric ecosystems are some of the oldest on the planet. EPFL scientists have found that the microorganisms living in them have a unique genetic signature. They performed an inventory of the microorganisms in these ecosystems and complied the information into a database, which will be a useful resource for future studies on climate change microbiology.

The InSight mission on Mars is running out of power and most of its functions could be shut down in the months to come. Some have already been deactivated. However, the attached seismometer, SEIS, will remain in operation for as long as possible. ETH Professor Domenico Giardini takes stock of three years of marsquake measurements.

For ancient artefacts and modern technologies alike, examination methods that leave the object completely intact are required. For this, researchers at PSI use elementary particles called muons and are developing a new experimental method that is useful for archaeology and can also answer questions relevant to battery development.

A blood clot in the brain that blocks the supply of oxygen can cause an acute stroke. In this case, every minute counts. A team from Empa, the University Hospital in Geneva and the Hirslanden Clinic is currently developing a diagnostic procedure that can be used to start a tailored therapy in a timely manner, as they write in the current issue of the scientific journal Scientific Reports.

From banking to communication our modern, daily lives are driven by data with ongoing concerns over privacy. Now, a new EPFL paper argues that many promises made around privacy-preserving mechanisms will never be fulfilled and that we need to accept these inherent limits and not chase the impossible.