Department of Biomedicine Basel

The liver niche accelerates, while the lung niche restrains secondary spread of breast cancer

Breast cancer progression to visceral organs such as the lung and liver is associated with poor prognosis. Yet, these organs have diverse cellular microenvironments that may differentially influence cancer cell behavior. Here, we show that breast cancer metastases differ in their...

FOXC1 and its lncRNA FOXCUT link DNA methylation to a chondrocyte phenotype dysfunction

Abstract Objective With current osteoarthritis (OA) therapies limited to symptom management, understanding molecular drivers of disease progression is critical. As epigenetic mechanisms increasingly appear central to OA pathogenesis, this study aimed to identify epigenetically dy...

Using social dimensions to inform the development of engagement tools for energy communities

The development of digital tools for energy communities is crucial as these can play a significant role increasing efficiency and leading to less grid congestion. However, these tools frequently suffer from a disconnect between technical design and end-user social contexts, leadi...

Postmortem dental health in a Swiss population: a 10-year retrospective cross-sectional computed tomography study

Abstract Background Population-based studies have reported improved oral health and tooth retention in Switzerland over recent decades, yet little is known about dental status at the end of life and how it can be assessed using postmortem imaging. This study used postmortem compu...

From established biology to candidate archetypes in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma: the ARCHETYPE-PX evidence framework and consensus method

Background. High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) causes most deaths from ovarian cancer, and treatment remains largely empirical outside the homologous-recombination-deficient subgroup. Genomic, immune, stromal and treatment-induced states with different therapeutic vulner...

CAF-mediated immune exclusion in osteosarcoma: mechanisms, translational vulnerabilities, and therapeutic strategies

Abstract Background Osteosarcoma remains a highly aggressive bone malignancy with limited therapeutic progress in metastatic and treatment-refractory disease. Beyond tumor-intrinsic drivers, the tumor microenvironment has emerged as a critical determinant of immune escape, therap...

Treatment with Cistus incanus and Rosmarinus officinalis reduces inflammatory processes in an in vitro virus mimicry approach

Acute respiratory viral diseases caused by single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses like influenza A infection occur frequently in all age groups, with significant impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide. The severity and burden of the disease is tightly connected to host inflamma...

Leveraging large language models to map triggers of contamination-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms

Abstract Recent advancements in natural language processing and large language models (LLMs) facilitate the study of under-researched areas in mental health. Their capacity to automatically and meaningfully analyze large-scale text data makes them particularly valuable for studyi...