Research

When scientific curiosity paves the way for improved healthcare: Read more about promising studies and trials that lead to more effective drugs, procedures as well as medical guidelines.

News • Post-injury axon regrowth

Lab-grown model shows ‘irreversible’ spinal cord damage may be reversed

When the spinal cord is damaged, the resulting paralysis is usually considered permanent. Now, a new research approach using lab-grown organoid models suggests that it actually might be reversed.

News • Prediction of myocardial viability

Heart’s ‘natural bypass’ could spare patients from risky procedures

A new study reveals how a simple angiogram scoring system could help identify patients whose heart muscle is still alive - even when a major artery has been completely blocked for months.

News • Sex-specific effects of bariatric surgery

Why weight-loss surgery lowers cancer risk in women

Substantial and sustained weight-loss after bariatric surgery has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer and cancer-related death, mainly in women. Two new studies now provide clues as to why.

Article • San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS)

Young women and breast cancer: research in focus

At the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), three experts presented new approaches and study results for the treatment of breast cancer in young women.

News • Hooked to help

Bioengineered hookworms could serve as drug factories inside the gut

A hookworm can survive in the human gut for years. Researchers have now harnessed that biological mechanism, engineering a hookworm to produce and deliver a drug within a living host.

News • TSPO PET study

Brain inflammation unlikely to explain long Covid symptoms

Persistent long Covid symptoms are often linked to brain inflammation. However, results from a new study point at a different explanantion for fatigue, cognitive impairment, anxiety, and depression.

News • Research on proximity impacts

Health harm from wind turbines? Study clears the air

Sleep disturbances, anxiety, suicide – wind turbines have been linked to a long list of health problems. But a new analysis finds no adverse outcomes. The danger, researchers say, lies elsewhere.

News • Drug safety research

Under the influence: Which medicines affect driving most?

A more comprehensive system for drug safety evaluation: Researchers have developed a new tool to estimate the risk of using medicines while driving.

News • Biomimetic scaffolds

3D-printed ceramic implants mimic natural bone

Researchers have developed a novel 3D‑printed ceramic implant material that closely mimics real human bone. The findings may lead to more effective and accessible treatments for bone defects.

News • Effects on autoimmune disease

Will pregnancy make myasthenia gravis worse? Study sheds new light

Many women with myasthenia gravis choose not to have children due to fear that the disease will get worse during or after pregnancy. Now, a study investigated the connection to the autoimmune disease.

News • Targeted immunotherapy

Implantable cytokine factories to help treat ovarian cancer

Researchers have reported results from a first-in-human trial evaluating a novel cell-based platform for localized delivery of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

News • Impact on type 2 diabetes

Gut microbiota shape metabolic health after bariatric surgery

Changes in gut microbiota after bariatric surgery are strongly linked to altered metabolic health and sustained improvement in type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

News • Larger sample yield

Ultrasonic needle could reshape cancer diagnostics

A new ultrasonic needle for tumour diagnostics could be used to diagnose salivary gland tumours with far greater precision, a new study finds. The device also shows potential for other cancers.

News • Polycystic ovary syndrome

Study links PCOS and heart disease

Heart disease risk has been found to increase in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), even in those with normal weight, according to new research.

News • Neurology

When the ageing brain loses its molecular balance

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute on Aging have shown that oxidative stress impairs protein quality control in the brain – and that this process is reversible.

News • Oncology

Nanozymes take on brain tumours from the inside

Researchers are developing nanozymes to improve treatment of aggressive brain tumours. The tiny particles can be activated by near-infrared light and applied directly during surgery.

News • Immuno-Oncology

Killer cells caught in the act: a 3D view of T lymphocytes

Researchers have used cryo-expansion microscopy to capture cytotoxic T lymphocytes destroying cancer cells in unprecedented 3D detail, opening new paths in immuno-oncology.

News • Microscopy

New microscopy method maps lipids without labels

A new microscopy method reads lipids' natural spectral fingerprints using mid-infrared light and ultrasound – no fluorescent labels needed, less stress for living cells.

News • Study shows challenges in primary care

Why diagnosing endometriosis often takes years

Endometriosis affects up to one in ten women and girls of reproductive age, but for many, the path to diagnosis is both long and complex. Now, two new studies explain the diagnostic challenges in primary care.

News • Insights into asymptomatic disease cases

Some brains stay sharp in spite of Alzheimer’s – here's why

Why do some older adults remain mentally sharp despite having Alzheimer's? Decoding this natural resilience could pave the way for earlier detection and new strategies to prevent memory loss.

News • Ventricle morphology

Hydrocephalus: 3D brain marker helps predict shunt surgery success

A 3D brain marker may help identify which patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) benefit from shunt surgery – improving outcomes and sparing others from ineffective treatment.

News • Mammary tumorigenesis

New marker identifies which breast lesions will progress to cancer

Not all precancerous lesions will develop into tumours, yet the majority are treated as if they were already breast cancer. A new marker could help identify the relevant cases and avoid overtreatment.

News • Lowering tissue reactivity

Towards more biocompatible brain implants

Neural implants show great potential, but the brain's reaction to foreign objects remains a challenge. New research insights could now pave the way for more biocompatible brain implants.

News • Methylation-sensitive editing by Cas9

Targeting tumour DNA with CRISPR variant

Researchers have taken an early but promising step toward a cancer therapy that targets and destroys tumor cells with high precision, using a variant of the DNA editing tool CRISPR.

News • Immunology

How obesity impairs vaccine response

Being overweight can reduce vaccine effectiveness, new research finds. The findings explore differences in immune response, and may lead to more effective vaccines for patients with obesity.

News • Behavioural, lifestyle and psychosocial information

“Digital twin” AI links mental health to type 2 diabetes

A new study using a “digital twin” AI model has found that factors such as loneliness, insomnia and poor mental health substantially raise a person’s future risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

News • Potential osteoarthritis treatment

Researchers investigate menstrual blood for cartilage repair

New research reveals that extracellular vesicles derived from menstrual blood stromal cells can improve cartilage repair, suggesting an innovative cell-free therapy for osteoarthritis.

News • Study explores reason for health benefits

How sauna bathing boosts the body's immune responses

Regular sauna bathing has been associated with several beneficial health effects. A new study from Finland may help explain how these effects develop in the body.

News • Genetic CAD risk scores

Researchers link diabetes subgroups to coronary heart disease risk

Researchers have now investigated whether a person’s genetic predisposition to different diabetes subgroups can help assess the risk of developing coronary artery disease.

News • Biomechanical mapping of tumor growth

New biomarker helps assess glioblastoma aggressiveness

Researchers have developed a new MRI-based method that enables objective quantification of the growth of the most aggressive brain tumours, particularly glioblastoma.

News • Environmental medicine

New study links pesticide exposure to cancer risk

A new scientific study reveals a strong link between exposure to agricultural pesticides in the environment and the risk of developing cancer on a national scale.

News • Dynamic in vitro platform

“Breathing” organoid offers new insights into lung disease

A new type of “breathing” lung organoid enables quantitative measurement of how easily the lung expands - and may provide a new way to study diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis.

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