http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from University of Geneva At the University of Geneva (UNIGE), the team led by Professor Jean Gruenberg has long been interested in the movement of lysosomes, the sub-compartments of cells to where endocytic vesicles deliver their waste content and the molecules destined to be destroyed. Within this context, researcher Christin Bissig, along with her international colleagues, carried out a detailed study of the route taken by Alix which is lodged inside the endosomal membrane. This tailing has highlighted how protein contributes to avoiding cellular digestion, like a door opening into the endosomal transporter garbage bin, bringing about a final waste sorting operation which determines the cell's health. The researchers also showed how vesicular stomatitis makes use of the same route to penetrate the inside of the cell and infect it. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-exit-cellular-garbage-truck-immersed.html Medical research Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:16 EST news287307934 Highly expressed in various cancers and known for its cytoprotective properties, TRAP1 protein has been identified as a potential target for antitumor treatments. As a result of the research conducted by Len Neckers, from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, and Didier Picard, from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, this outlook is now being called into question. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-metabolic-weathervane-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:00:10 EST news284032874 So, is it a girl or a boy? This is the first question parents ask at the birth of an infant. Though the answer is obvious, the mechanism of sex determination is much less so. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) attempt to shed light on this complex process by identifying the crucial role played by insulin and IGF1 and IGF2 growth factors, a family of hormones known for its role in metabolism and growth. In the absence of these factors at the time of sex determination, embryos do not differentiate into either male or female and have no adrenal glands. The results of this study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, allow us to better understand sexual development and will eventually improve diagnosis and genetic counseling practices for individuals with disorders of sex development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-embryo-male-female.html Genetics Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:00:10 EST news276442976 The causes underlying the development of certain types of common cancers have not yet been elucidated. In order to better determine the origin and the sequence of events responsible for the onset of colon cancer, the teams led by Thanos Halazonetis and Stylianos Antonarakis, professors at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have sequenced the DNA of biopsied tissue from colon polyps. The results show that these precancerous lesions have a specific profile called 'mutator', which is associated with an increased frequency of acquisition of certain mutations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-mechanism-colon-polyps.html Cancer Sun, 02 Dec 2012 02:22:43 EST news273637341 We are not all the same when it comes to illness. In fact, the risk of developing a disease such as diabetes or heart disease varies from one individual to another. A study led by Emmanouil Dermitzakis, Louis-Jeantet Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (UNIGE) reveals that the genetic predisposition to develop certain diseases may differ from one individual to another depending on their sex. Together with his collaborators, the professor has shown that genetic variants have a different impact on the level of gene expression between men and women. The results of this research have been published in the scientific journal Genome Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-men-women-terms-genetic-predispositions.html Genetics Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:14:41 EST news267354818 Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with UK company Proteome Sciences plc (PS) describe a simple blood test that could substantially increase the number of patients eligible for highly effective ischaemic stroke therapy in a paper "Blood Glutathione S-Transferase-pi (GSTP) as a Time Indicator of Stroke Onset", published last week in the journal PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-blood-effective-treatment-five-fold.html Cardiology Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:22:44 EST news267340957 An international team of researchers from King's College, Oxford University, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Faculty of Medicine of University of Geneva, has discovered several thousands new genetic variants impacting gene expression some of which are responsible for predisposition to common diseases, bringing closer to the biological interpretation of personal genomes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-genetic-role-predisposition-common-diseases.html Genetics Sun, 02 Sep 2012 13:00:19 EST news265786724 Having identified the important role in controlling insulin secretion played by the protein Cx36, a team of scientists at the University of Geneva have perfected an innovative method which enables testing the effectiveness of thousands of molecules potentially usable in the fight against diabetes. This results of this research have already been published in the scientific review PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-diabetes.html Diabetes Thu, 26 Jul 2012 10:08:04 EST news262516074 The oxygen and food we consume are converted into energy by tiny organelles present in each cell, the mitochondria. These 'power plants' must be continuously supplied with fuel, to maintain all vital functions. A team led by Jean-Claude Martinou, professor at the University of Geneva, has identified this fuel's carrier, baptized Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier. The study, published online by Science, henceforth allows the researchers to investigate how the activity of the carrier is modulated. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-cells-petrol.html Medical research Thu, 24 May 2012 14:00:04 EST news257081216 What happens at the level of individual neurons while we learn? This question intrigued the neuroscientist Daniel Huber, who recently arrived at the Department of Basic Neuroscience at the University of Geneva. During his stay in the United States, he and his team tried to unravel the network mechanisms underlying learning and memory at the level of the cerebral cortex. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-neurons.html Neuroscience Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:29:48 EST news254577648