News and media

In this article molecular biologist Christoph Messner explains what lies behind the enigmatic naming ‘Precision Proteomics’.

Durch die Analyse des persönlichen Musters der Werte aus den digitalen Daten kann die Ärztin oder der Arzt eine individuellere Behandlung ermöglichen. Das heisst, die Technologie ist vorhanden, klinisch validiert und von medizinischem Fachpersonal empfohlen – und doch werden viele Schweizer skeptisch bei dem Gedanken, dass ihre Vitalzeichen von einem Gerät erfasst werden. Fragen wie etwa jene, wo die persönlichen Gesundheitsdatenabgelegt werden, ob sie sicher sind vor unbefugtem Zugriff oder ob die Krankenkasse ein Interesse daran hat, beschäftigen die Menschen.

The Davos Course is taking place for the fortieth time this year. From April 15 to 20, 2023, two hundred and sixty aspiring surgeons will practice surgical techniques on organs in the abdominal cavity under the guidance of seventy medical specialists at the “Davos Course” at the Davos Congress Center. The spectrum of practice ranges from making a correct surgical knot to performing a gallbladder removal using minimally invasive (keyhole) surgery.

Since 2020, the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons (FHGR) has been training bachelor students to become engineers in the “Mobile Robotics” study program. Director of Studies Christian Bermes has been involved from the beginning and is enthusiastic that the first class will graduate in late summer 2023. Bermes’ projects also include the ongoing development of the boarAI prototype – a ground robot for search and rescue missions.

For intelligence to be artificially replicated and used for practical applications, completely new approaches are needed. Lab42 therefore relaunched a global competition last fall: the ARC Challenge, which was first launched by AI pioneer François Chollet back in 2019. ARC tests basic logical principles of reasoning, quantifying an important part of human-like intelligence.

What are the values on which our relationship with nature is based? In Graubünden, nature is omnipresent. The environmental social scientist Mollie Chapman and the environmental ethicist Anna Deplazes Zemp research the relationship between humans and nature.

For his master’s thesis at the University of Zurich, wildlife biologist Sven Buchmann studied how environmental and climate factors affect the distribution and abundance of alpine marmots in the Swiss National Park.

Manal Bel imam has been researching eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) at the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research SIAF since 2020 for her doctoral thesis. EoE is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the esophagus.

How exhausted are people with stress disorders? Sports scientist Wiebke Turner recently presented her research project that she started in February 2022 at the Clinica Holistica Engiadina in Susch at the conference “Graubünden forscht”. Turner wants to explore whether heart rate variability provides clues to the severity of certain symptoms in individuals with burnout and depression.

Innovative Methoden in der humanen Immunologieforschung kommen im SIAF zum Einsatz und dienen letztlich dem Wohl der Betroffenen.

In February 2020, the “Solar Orbiter” space probe was launched from Kennedy Space Center/USA in the direction of the sun. The Solar Orbiter mission is intended to answer questions about the solar wind, the solar poles, the solar magnetic fields, and space weather. On board the European Space Agency (ESA) satellite are ten instruments that have been tested in advance specifically for conditions in space. Two of them were developed with contributions from the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos.

«Forschende leben im Elfenbeinturm, Museumsmitarbeitende setzen Staub an.» Beide Aussagen vermitteln ein überholtes Bild. Eines allerdings, welches sich hartnäckig hält und mit einem «Leben in der Blase» assoziiert wird. Es lohnt sich, genau hinzuschauen.

The diversity of research carried out in Graubünden was the focus of the two-day "conference Graubünden forscht" at the Davos Congress Center. The most important aim of "Graubünden forscht" was to boost the exchange between the different research disciplines. Based on the audience vote and a prior expert evaluation, the best presentations in the different disciplines were determined. Seven researchers were awarded prize money of five hundred Swiss francs each.

Simonne Bosiers and Onna Rageth, scientists at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons, have developed the smartphone app “Augmented Swiss Heritage” together with the company afca. ag, using technically sophisticated spatial anchors. The app has been online since this summer and makes Davos points of interest from the fields of art, culture, health and sport come alive by supporting their viewing with digital elements.

Das Christine Kühne – Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE) lancierte 2016 die «ProRaD»-Studie. Die Studie hat unter anderem zum Ziel, die Mechanismen, die den Verlauf der Neurodermitis beeinflussen, sowie die Zusammenhänge mit anderen Erkrankungen besser zu verstehen.

The Christine Kühne - Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), based in Davos launched the “ProRaD” study in 2016. One of the aims of the study is to better understand the mechanisms that influence the course of atopic dermatitis and its relationships with other diseases.

Im Februar 2020 wurde die Raumfahrtmission Solar Orbiter der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation ESA von Cape Canaveral aus gestartet. Seitdem befindet sich die Sonde auf grosser Reise durch unser Sonnensystem, bei der sie an Planeten vorüberfliegt, um in ihre einzigartige Umlaufbahn um die Sonne zu gelangen.

In the Corvatsch/Upper Engadine ski area, at 2500 meters above sea level, Jonathan Blank-Pachlatko is investigating how successful revegetation is in terms of maintaining or restoring biodiversity.

Research at SRISM addresses pressing questions in sports immunology: Why are athletes more susceptible to infections, allergies and asthma? Are there measurable characteristics that can be used to identify and subsequently better protect particularly susceptible athletes? What is the impact of intense sport on the human immune system and metabolism?

Musicologist and philosopher Mathias Gredig embarked on a “treasure hunt”, so to speak, when in 2020 he seized the idea of researching the - hitherto undocumented - history of the spa and hotel orchestras in the Engadine.

The brochure "Research in Graubünden 2021-22" provides an attractive picture of the diversity of research performed in Graubünden. The wealth of ideas in the mountain canton is impressive - showcasing this is of great importance for us. 

Daphne van der Heide, a native of the Netherlands, has been conducting research at the AO Research Institute since September 2020 for a major EU project aimed at developing a new bone substitute material.

High blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, water retention: If these symptoms occur during pregnancy, perhaps preeclampsia could be behind it. In Switzerland, the condition affects about two percent of all pregnant women. The CSEM Center Landquart and the Empa spin-off MOMM Diagnostics, which was founded in 2018, are researching a point-of-care test for the early detection of pre-eclampsia.

Gemäss dem Rückenreport 2020 der Rheumaliga verspüren 88 Prozent der Schweizerinnen und Schweizer mindestens einmal im Jahr Rückenschmerzen. Die Beschwerden sind meist vorübergehend und klingen nach wenigen Tagen oder Wochen ab. Wenn dies nicht der Fall ist, kann sich eine chronische Beeinträchtigung entwickeln. Die Folgen sind Einschränkungen der Mobilität bis hin zur Arbeitsunfähigkeit.

"After completing my studies at ETH Zurich, I was looking for a versatile, creative project where I could apply the methods I had learned during my studies. At the SLF I found what I was looking for. My knowledge of imaging methods also benefits me in researching glide-snow avalanches.” Amelie Fees

Schon seit mehr als 20 Jahren existiert das von der Weltmeteorologischen Organisation (WMO)  in Auftrag gegebene Trübungsmessnetz. Verantwortlich dafür ist ein kleines Team von Wissenschaftlern und Technikern am Physikalisch-Meteorologischen Observatorium Davos.

Circulatory disorders of the coronary arteries are the most common cause of death worldwide. If heart attacks occur in a family over generations, the offspring are also more likely to suffer a heart attack. But what role do genes play in this? If we can discover genes that are in part responsible for a heart attack, it may be possible to develop new treatments based on this knowledge.

The aim of the research project with students of the UAS Grisons is to expand the state of the art in alpine rescue. The use of technologies from the field of robotics should simplify rescue operations and increase the rescue spectrum. For the pre-development, the students received a construction kit with propeller, battery, motor and electronic board for testing control algorithms, which will later be used in a real system.

Karin Fieten vom Niederländischen Asthmazentrum Davos (NAD) und SIAF hat in enger Zusammenarbeit mit den Davoser Instituten CK-CARE (Claudia Traidl-Hofmann), NAD (Lous Rijssenbeek-Nouwens) und SIAF (Cezmi A. Akdis) die Wirksamkeit von Höhenklimatherapie wissenschaftlich untersucht.

Dank Studien an Schafen konnten wichtige Erkenntnisse darüber gewonnen werden, wie Knochen heilen und welche Implantate besonders geeignet sind. Stephan Zeiter vom AO Forschungsinstitut berichtet dazu in der Davoser Zeitung.

T cells circulating in the blood play an important role for the human immune system. They specialize into different types of T helper cells (Th cells) when activated by antigens. Th cells help our body fight off bacteria and viruses. But they also play a central role in diseases such as allergies.

"With CERC, we are expanding the SLF’s research spectrum without starting from scratch. Our ambition is that CERC will quickly be perceived as a center of excellence for alpine natural hazards and the alpine environment."

Auf dem Dürrboden in Davos werden dieser Tage wiederum temporär Messgeräte für den Winter installiert. Sie dienen dazu, automatisch Lawinen zu detektieren und sollen künftig zur Verbesserung des Lawinenbulletins beitragen.

At the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF) in Davos Wolfgang, the research team of Mübeccel Akdis and Willem van de Veen has developed methods for purifying B cells. These are used in the study of the immunological memory.

Bioengineer Tiziano Serra has developed a new process at the AO Research Institute in Davos that uses sound to stimulate cells to form new human tissue.

According to “Parkinson Schweiz”, Parkinson’s is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system. The non-profit association puts the number of people affected in Switzerland at 15’000. Veit Mylius, head physician at the Kliniken Valens, describes which symptoms can provide an indication of the disease.

"Here, you can experience all the different seasons. And you can always step out of the door and be surrounded by nature. People from all over the world come here and perform their research or their work. This is a really nice interconnection that you can establish and use for the future and brings you a lot of experience, which then you can use for your future career."

Nicola Di Marzio, PhD Student, AO Research Institute Davos

Scientists and climatologists around the world have been dealing with this question for more than 100 years. What exactly is meant by the “strength” of solar radiation and how is it measured?

Researchers from SLF and WSL have analyzed data from more than 200 landslides with the aim of identifying large-scale landslide-prone slopes, implementing measures to improve forest structure in the long term, and thus reducing susceptibility to landslides.

500 years of history crisp and compact on 250 pages – The “Atlas of the history of the Grisons 1524-2024” is intended to appeal equally to all Grisons residents, therefore the atlas will be published in all three cantonal languages.

Italian, German, Romansh, English, French - what memories do you have of foreign language lessons during your school years? A research team from the Graubünden University of Teacher Education (Pädagogische Hochschule Graubünden) is investigating this question.

Italiano, tedesco, romancio, inglese, francese - che ricordi hai delle lezioni di lingua straniera durante gli anni di scuola?

Die Gefahr von implantat-assoziierten Infektionen - Infektionen also, die nach dem Einsetzen eines Implantats auftreten - kann leider bis heute nicht restlos ausgeschlossen werden.

The "closed psychiatric ward" - a term that evokes associations and perhaps also fear. After all, who wants to be locked up when the mind becomes ill? The "Stationsklimastudie" of the Psychiatric Services Graubünden PDGR, has been investigating the therapeutic climate in the psychiatric ward since 2018.

Jan Mosedale and his four-person project team from the Institute for Tourism and Leisure at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons are investigating the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of robots in the Swiss hotel industry.

Das Problem unserer chinesischen Kollegen nach der Integration eines Messgeräts des Physikalisch-Meteorologischen Observatorium Davos/World Radiation Center auf dem FY-3E-Satelliten erwies sich als nicht ganz so dramatisch wie dasjenige von Apollo 13.

Das Forschungsteam um Professor Akdis möchte die Erforschung der Epithelbarriere fortsetzen, um die Faktoren und molekularen Mechanismen einer "undichten Barriere" besser zu verstehen.

Physician Stefanie Petzold analyzes how the health of Covid-19 patients changes during rehab at the rehabilitation center Walenstadtberg.

At the initiative of the two museums Regiunal Surselva and Waltensburger Meister, mira!cultura was launched in 2015. The aim was and still is to convey regional culture to visitors in a lively way with the help of local guides.

Seit über 80 Jahren misst das WSL-Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung SLF das Schneewasseräquivalent (SWE). Dieses sagt aus, wie viel Wasser im Schnee gebunden ist.

In February 2020, the space probe "Solar Orbiter" was launched from Kennedy Space Center/USA in the direction of the sun. On board this mission of the European Space Agency ESA are two instruments of the PMOD/WRC in Davos.

After a few weeks of being patient, the bone has usually healed and life can resume its usual course. But how does it work?

 “If it was easy, someone would have done it already. Our goal is to develop a commercial prototype of the first optical glucose sensor based on single-walled carbon nanotubes."

In February 2020, the space probe "Solar Orbiter" was launched from Kennedy Space Center/USA in the direction of the sun. On board this mission of the European Space Agency ESA are two instruments of the PMOD/WRC in Davos.

Die Coronavirus-Pandemie 2019 (COVID-19) verzeichnet bisher über 100 Millionen bestätigte Fälle und den Tod von fast 2 Millionen Menschen. Sie hat weltweit beispiellose soziale und wirtschaftliche Auswirkungen.

An overview of science and research in the Grisons in 2020 that is well worth reading.

An overview of science and research in Graubünden in 2019 that is well worth reading.

An overview of science and research in Graubünden in 2018 that is well worth reading.

An overview of science and research in Graubünden in 2017 that is well worth reading.

An overview of science and research in the Grisons in 2016 that is well worth reading.

An overview of science and research in the Grisons in 2015 that is well worth reading.

An overview of science and research in Graubünden in 2014 that is well worth reading.

An overview of science and research in Graubünden in 2013 that is well worth reading.

An overview of science and research in the Grisons in 2012 that is well worth reading.