Practically all drugs for the HI-virus which causes AIDS were developed in Europe and North America. They are also effective in containing other variants of the virus found in Africa and Asia, as a study sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has now shown.
Do better with less. That is the challenge the researchers of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) have set for themselves, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Federal Office of Energy. Their specialty: manufacturing solar cells that are one thousand times thinner than conventional cells. In order to boost the output of the cells, they have developed a new nanopatterning technique.
The crossroads of chemistry and biology inspires the research of organic chemist Karl Gademann. By isolating and synthesising natural materials he discovers surprising relationships which open up new research fields. He receives the National Latsis Prize 2011 in recognition of his achievements in the total synthesis of natural products of biological interest. Worth 100,000 Swiss francs, the National Latsis Prize is awarded once a year by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) on behalf of the Latsis Foundation of Geneva.
After carbon dioxide, methane is the second most important greenhouse gas. It is not the result of industry and traffic but largely of agriculture. If calculated in carbon dioxide equivalents, it amounts to 7% of Swiss greenhouse gas emissions. This calculation of the national greenhouse gas inventory is based on a rough estimate. The team of Werner Eugster at the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the ETH Zurich would like to verify this estimate. The researchers attach equipment to captive balloons and motorised gliders to measure the concentration of methane near the ground. Their work will provide the basis for a sound judgement on whether Switzerland is fulfilling its obligation to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases as defined in the Kyoto protocol and to bring it below the level of 1990.
In the scope of the National Research Programme "Smart Materials" (NRP 62), researchers from the Adolphe Merkle Institute in Fribourg are taking cues from sea cucumbers to develop shape memory polymers. An initial application could comprise the development of an artificial bait for fishing. The researchers from Fribourg are also planning further, more high-tech applications in the medical field.
In 2010, researchers submitted substantially more projects to the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) than in previous years. A steep increase of 17% compared to 2009 means that competition for research funding has become very intense. With overall funding of 726 million Swiss francs, the SNSF supported more projects than ever before (+2.7 % compared to the previous year).
Electromagnetic fields and radiation produced by radio antennae or mobile phones can influence biological processes, for instance electrical brain activity during sleep, as researchers from the National Research Programme "Non-Ionising Radiation - Health and Environment" (NRP 57) have shown. However, they have not been able to establish any links between everyday exposure to radiation and health problems.
Developmental biologists at the University of Basel are devoting a lot of time and effort to understanding the processes that steer the formation of limbs in the embryo. Whether fins, wings or legs - the genetic network controlling their growth has remained unchanged in the course of evolution. A team led by Rolf Zeller was able to show that mouse embryos form a symmetrical front paw with additional fingers instead of a thumb if the cells lose their orientation due to genetic defects. The fins found in fish fossils are also symmetrical. At a later stage in evolution, living organisms became capable of forming more complex and sophisticated limbs. This development enabled vertebrates to leave the water and conquer the land and the skies.
Avalanches and debris flows are dangers that mountainous regions such as Switzerland face to a particularly high extent. Numerical models would be beneficial to the security of these regions as they would be able to identify hazardous zones with the highest degree of precision. However, those wishing to develop such models must first unravel the dynamic processes that occur inside these natural phenomena. This is precisely what researchers from the EPFL Lausanne are attempting to do with the help of lasers. Understanding such complex processes is not just of interest to experts on natural disasters, but also in far less obvious areas of application.
Nanomaterials are causing a revolution in fields as far apart as medicine, energy systems and consumer products. Despite their enormous potential, the production, use and disposal of these materials can entail risks for humans and the environment. The National Research Programme "Opportunities and risks of nanomaterials" (NRP 64) aims to identify both the risks and the opportunities of nanomaterials for human health, the environment and natural resources.
Switzerland’s future climate is likely to be warmer with longer dry spells during the summer months. Sessile oak trees and – somewhat surprisingly – ash trees are pretty frugal and can cope with water shortages better than others. Copper beeches and wild cherry trees are slightly more vulnerable to dryness, while sycamore maples and broad-leaved limes find patches of dry weather the most challenging.
With its new funding scheme "Agora", the SNSF wishes to intensify the dialogue between science and society. Recognising the key role of researchers in this dialogue, the SNSF invites them to submit public science communication projects. "Agora" is open to researchers from all disciplines. The first call for proposals will be launched in mid-May 2011.
Medicine in miniature: The instruments developed by a team of researchers funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) might even be used to operate on a fly. While research is still in its initial stages, the long-term aim is to entrust minute, autonomous robots with medical tasks within the (human) body – a popular theme from science fiction would thus become routine hospital work one day. The little helpers could carry substances directly to the tissue where they are needed or even conduct extremely precise and efficient surgical operations.
Mandalas are symbolic illustrations in Hinduism and Buddhism that have been created for religious purposes for many thousands of years. The circular patterns – "mandala" is a Sanskrit word meaning circle – are mainly known from colouring books in our part of the world. Now they have found their place in molecular biology.
To illustrate the results of their statistical DNA analyses, a team led by Jeremy Luban at the University of Geneva created chromosome mandalas. They show which sites are targeted by retroviruses when integrating their DNA into the DNA of humans to become part of our genome.
Researchers of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study have identified a simple method to establish when a patient contracted the virus causing . The time of infection can be of importance for the treatment of the illness and it contributes to the understanding of the course of the epidemic.
If you regularly take pain killers – even those available over the counter – you often expose yourself to higher risks of heart attack and apoplexy. This is the result of a meta-analysis of 31 clinical studies which was done as part of the National Research Programme «Musculoskeletal Health – Chronic Pain» (NRP 53).
On 13 January, Marianne Sommer, who holds an SNSF-funded professorship at Zurich University’s Research Centre for Social and Economic History, will receive the National Latsis Prize 2010 at the Rathaus in Bern. The SNSF awarded the prize, which is worth 100,000 Swiss francs, on behalf of the Latsis Foundation for Som-mer’s interdisciplinary research on life sciences. The prize is one of Switzerland’s most prestigious and awarded to researchers of up to 40 years of age.