ETH News

Despite digitalisation being a mainstay in many areas of life, the healthcare sector is lagging behind. Jörg Goldhahn explains what the medical field can learn from banks and travel companies.

How productive are we when we work from home? It’s an increasingly common question. But Gudela Grote believes it’s the wrong question, because it says more about our conceptions of human nature than about effective ways of working.

Scientists have a duty to initiate a dialogue with the public on cellular engineering, says Daniel Müller. The discussion must be held now – before complex engineered cellular systems are ready for widespread use in humans.

The latest CRISPR-based genome editing systems function more like molecular taxis rather than a pair of molecular scissors. This makes them much safer for patients who will soon benefit from gene therapies, as Eric Aird explains.

A presumed consent system for organ donation, which is to be put to the vote in Switzerland, would likely increase the organ donation rate, writes bioethicist Agata Ferretti. In her view, however, there is an even better solution: the obligation to decide.

Politicians and the media struggle with predictions. This is more a problem resulting from a poor understanding of uncertainties than from the reliability of models, argues Reto Knutti.

Erika Meins explains the science behind why returning to the office is good for our performance as well as our well-being.   

Johannes Bohacek explains why it’s misleading to think we can completely replace animal testing with alternative methods, and why we should lower rather than raise the hurdles to research.

It’s a good thing if animal testing is widely discussed in society, says Detlef Günther, but it’s important that these discussions are fair and fact-based.

José Antonio Pérez Escobar studied who was best able to cope with the pandemic. People who are able to deal with negative emotions were particularly successful. This skill can be learned, he says.  

Technologies that interfere with our brains have great potential. But their ethical implications are such that they may require an expansion of human rights frameworks, argues Marcello Ienca.

In his doctoral thesis, Dario Meili explores discrimination. Although there are instances of discrimination in our society, the certificate requirement is not one of them, he says.

Artificial intelligence can help predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins. Beat Christen describes how such algorithms should soon help to develop tailored artificial proteins.

How do you get more people to have vaccinations? Gudela Grote firmly believes that it’s worth looking at team dynamics.

Conferring benefits on vaccinated persons by means of a vaccine passport is a controversial issue. Alexander Stremitzer argues that governments are not only legally permitted to lift restrictions for those vaccinated, but may even be obligated to do so.  

We look for certainty in uncertain times. But that is not something statistics can necessarily provide. Tanja Stadler explains why it is important to consider statistical uncertainty through describing the COVID-19 R value estimation which she performs for Switzerland.

Without animal experiments there would be no COVID-19 vaccine: animal testing is essential for medical research. A ban on testing – even a gradual phase-out – would be extremely damaging for research policy, writes Detlef Günther.

Widespread and repeated testing, including of healthy people, is an effective tool in the fight against COVID-19, write Patrick Jenny and Wolf-Dietrich Hardt. With this approach, we have a chance against the new and more infectious viral strains.

Mental illnesses do not receive the attention they deserve and they are treated as taboo, writes Gerhard Schratt. Taking a cue from the Green New Deal, he proposes a Grey New Deal.

Roman Stocker, member of the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force, explains why it is so important in this pandemic that experts exchange information across national borders.

If we are to minimize the impact of future disease outbreaks, we must recognize the importance of immunization and invest in preemptive vaccine development, writes Tim Keys.

Even if we succeed in combatting the COVID crisis, the challenges for the health system will not simply disappear. Digital technologies can be developed to help meet ongoing challenges; Nicole Wenderoth explains what should be borne in mind here.

Whether or not patients will respond to a drug can be determined in advance. In this way, side effects can be avoided and patients benefit, writes Ernst Hafen.

As we age, our lung tissue becomes stiffer – and this is a phenomenon that SARS-CoV-2 may be exploiting. Caroline Uhler and G. V. Shivashankar outline their hypothesis.

Robots allow people to interact with each other without physical contact. This means they can protect us from infectious diseases, which has been given too little consideration in robotics, says Brad Nelson.

Torbjørn Netland advocates a global approach to the production of ventilators and defines six areas of activity.

Biology shows us that there are additional ways to reduce the risk of serious coronavirus infections, in addition to hand hygiene and keeping distance, Viola Vogel writes.

When making decisions, we’re often influenced by our social environment. This can be used in a targeted way to encourage people to adopt a healthier, cleaner lifestyle, writes Suchita Srinivasan.

Bioengineers are on the brink of developing artificial organisms that will open up new applications in medicine and industry. Beat Christen discusses their risks and benefits.

Genetic modification of babies in China one year ago was universally condemned. At the same time, CRISPR treatments are on their way into our clinics. Jacob Corn explains the difference.

Promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities calls for open dialogue with them. Robert Riener says that talking about technology helps to break the ice.

It will still be a long way before brain-computer interfaces are able to read thoughts. And many limitations need to be considered, according to Roger Gassert.

The medical sector must now learn from the consequences of the recent Boeing 737 MAX catastrophes, warns Walter Karlen, pointing out parallels.

Conventional physical therapy for stroke survivors is not intensive enough, says Robert Riener. Therapy robots could help patients get back on track more quickly.

Using artificial intelligence in drug design would give pharmaceutical research a boost, says Gisbert Schneider. In the medium term, computers could even carry out experiments autonomously.

If the federal popular initiative for a blanket ban on animal testing succeeds, drug development in Switzerland would become virtually impossible, ETH Vice President Detlef Günther believes.

Obtaining relevant patient data for pharmaceutical and medical research in Europe is no easy task. Ernst Hafen outlines a possible way forward.

To combat epidemics, the local population must be more involved and respected, says Ursula Jasper. This is one of the lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.

What the Chinese scientist He Jiankui has done is utterly irresponsible, asserts Jacob Corn. Nonetheless, we should not vilify germline therapy for good.

Yes, says Jörg Goldhahn. Artificial intelligence systems will continue to evolve and outperform doctors in many ways earlier than we think.

No, says Vanessa Rampton, because health and disease are strongly influenced by emotional, subjective and social factors that for machines are difficult to access.

No other class of substances is as stable and as frequently used in everyday products as fluorosurfactants. It's high time for action, says Martin Scheringer.

Artificial intelligence can help make medicine more efficient and safer. China is a forerunner in this field; we must not miss the boat, says Walter Karlen.

Science and technology have the potential to stop future epidemics in their tracks, says Tanja Stadler. But this requires better collaboration between scientists and the authorities.

Safeguarding both humanitarian traditions and the interests of the domestic pharmaceutical industry creates tension in the Swiss health-related foreign policy, says Ursula Jasper.

Ernst Hafen argues that society and research will benefit when we have control of our personal health data and manage this data cooperatively.

Assistive devices may soon allow people to perform virtually superhuman feats. According to Robert Riener, however, there are more pressing goals than developing superhumans.

Sabine Werner explains why there’s an urgent need to improve research into wound healing disorders, and why we have good reason to be confident in this area.

Medical researchers often only focus on a single disease. As older people often suffer from multiple diseases at the same time, however, we need to rethink this approach, writes Ralph Müller.

Ernst Hafen is convinced that new teaching methods will make it easier for students to learn relevant skills. He helped to develop the new course in medicine at ETH.

Martin Fussenegger is convinced that the digital world in which we live will become interlinked with the biological world. He envisages that we will be able to cure diseases with electronic pills in the next 50 years.