École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne ‐ EPFL

Mechanical force of T cell automatically breaks the DNA – thereby releasing the drug © my SCImage / 2020 EPFL

New cancer-fighting method leverages the mechanical force of T cells

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EPFL

EPFL scientists have developed a cancer treatment method that destroys tumor cells using the mechanical force of our bodies’ own T cells. They have just completed a proof of concept for their novel immunotherapy approach.

“Our spin-off will follow in Logitech's footsteps”

27.11.20NewsInnovation

On 17 November, Kandou Bus, an EPFL spin-off, announced that it had raised CHF 92 million in a Series C funding round. This brings the total funds the company has raised since 2011 to over CHF 130 million, placing it in the top five EPFL spin-offs by this measure. Its sophisticated computer chips form an integral part of the race to boost data transfer speed while lowering power consumption. Amin Shokrollahi, the company’s founder and CEO, is convinced that their technology could potentially be used in all types of communication systems, including satellites, within the next decade or so. We spoke with Shokrollahi about his vision for Kandou Bus.

Foreign vs own DNA: How an innate immune sensor tells the difference

26.11.20NewsResearch

Scientists at EPFL and the Friedrich Miescher Institute have used cryo-electron microscopy to explain how a DNA-sensing biomolecule that is key to our innate immunity response is inactivated when it comes in contact with the cell’s own DNA.

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“You can count yourself lucky when you fail”

26.11.20EPFL

Philippe Renaud, an EPFL professor, has just won the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Electrophoresis Society for his exceptional contribution to the fields of dielectric cytometry and nanofluidics. We spoke with him about his career marked by teaching success and scientific innovation.

Athanasios Nenes was elected on November 18th a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the world’s pre-eminent organization of geophysicists © Alain Herzog

“This is a time when we must listen to science”

20.11.20EPFL

Athanasios Nenes, an EPFL professor and one of the world’s foremost experts in aerosols, was recently made a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union in recognition of his exceptional contribution to atmospheric science. An avid proponent of research and knowledge-sharing, Nenes is heavily involved in the study of atmospheric particles and their impact on health, climate and ecosystems – subjects that are more pressing than ever.