News EPFL

Scientists apply genetic methods to linguistics

Published:24.06.22 — EPFL scientists have produced a series of maps showing historical migration events, including the migration of mountain farmers native to Upper Valais who began to settle in German-speaking Switzerland in the 13th century, by applying methods from population genetics – but using linguistic data rather than genes.

Renovating 19th-century buildings without losing their character

Published:22.06.22 — Researcher and architect Catarina Wall Gago has published a guide to renovation best practices, drawing on a study of historic housing in Lisbon, Oporto and Geneva. In her book, she explains how to make these homes fit for modern living while retaining their original features.

EPFL Innovation Park to expand with a focus on co-creation

Published:20.06.22 — EPFL Innovation Park is turning 30 this year and poised to expand with a new site, called Ecotope, where startups, researchers and outside companies will be able to pool their resources in order to explore groundbreaking ideas. The Canton of Vaud is its main partner.

Boosting light power revolutionizes communications and autopilot

Published:17.06.22 — EPFL scientists have built a compact waveguide amplifier by successfully incorporating rare-earth ions into integrated photonic circuits. The device produces record output power compared to commercial fiber amplifiers, a first in the development of integrated photonics over the last decades.

Breakthrough study of hormone “crosstalk” in breast cancer

Published:16.06.22 — 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.

Streamlining stem cells to treat macular degeneration

Published:14.06.22 — 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.

An anti-cancer drug acts as an epigenetic memory aid, scientists find

Published:13.06.22 — 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.