Department of Clinical Research

Hintergrund: Die zellfreie DNA (cfDNA) ist ein pro-inflammatorischer und pro-thrombotischer Mediator im akuten ischämischem Hirnschlag. CfDNA wird von sterbenden Gehirnzellen freigesetzt und ist auch wichtiger ein Bestandteil von „neutrophil extracellular traps“ (NETs) und damit in die Immunothrombose involviert. Die genaue Herkunft von cfDNA und ihre Bedeutung für die Ätiologie und Therapie des Hirnschlags sind jedoch unklar.

Ziel: Die CANTO-Studie untersucht cfDNA im akuten Stadium des Hirnschlags durch kombinierte Blut- und Thrombusanalysen. Ziel ist es, cfDNA in verschiedenen Schlaganfallätiologien sowie in Bezug auf sekundäre Embolien und die Reperfusionswahrscheinlichkeit zu analysieren.

Methodik: In einer prospektiven Kohortenstudie werden Patienten mit akutem ischämischem Hirnschlag untersucht, die einer mechanischen Thrombektomie unterzogen werden. Blutproben werden vor dem Eingriff entnommen, Thromben schockgefroren und mittels Nanopore-Sequenzierung analysiert. Ein 90-Tage-Follow-up wird durchgeführt.

Bedeutung: CANTO wird neue Erkenntnisse zur Rolle von cfDNA im Hirnschlag liefern und damit potentiell neue diagnostische und therapeutische Ansätze ermöglichen.

Background: Electroencephalography (EEG) is a valuable diagnostic tool recording real-time bio-electric neuronal activity of the brain. This allows the detection or exclusion of several aetiologies of altered mental or neurological status, including life-threatening neurological emergencies, such as status epilepticus (SE) or encephalopathies accompanying a variety of primary diseases. 

Objectives: This retrospective, observational, single-center cohort study aims to investigate the optimal duration of EEG monitoring, particularly in relation to the time required for diagnostic workup leading to the initiation and modification of real-world treatment regimens of adult critical care patients admitted to a specialized unit for neurological monitoring and CVEM. Subsequently, the study seeks to compare the diagnostic yield of different EEG duration intervals to the initiation, changes and timing of treatment regimes.

Methods: We will retrospectively extract demographic, clinical, laboratory, and electrophysiological data from the digital medical records, the electrophysiological and microbiologic database of all consecutive adult patients from 2014 to 2025, who received a Spot-EEG or continuous EEG and were admitted to the hospital for monitoring and/or treatment at the University Hospital Basel. The already collected and reviewed data from the electrophysical database will be evaluated again and compared with the reports. Further therapy related data will be compared to the electrophysiological data.

New plant breeding technologies (NBTs) such as genome editing enable more efficient and flexible innovations in agriculture and food production than conventional breeding methods. Therefore, they can potentially contribute to global food security and improve public health and environmental sustainability. However, NBTs are currently covered by the Swiss moratorium on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The regulation of NBTs is difficult due to the low societal and political acceptance of GMOs and their ethical and social impacts. These issues need to be addressed to overcome polarization and enable a conscious public and political debate. This project aims to provide an ethical assessment of the social and societal impacts of NBTs. We will combine ethical analysis with empirical analysis of public debates and stakeholder perceptions, with a focus on the social acceptance of NBTs in Switzerland. The results of the research project will help to analyze the nature and possible reasons for the low societal acceptance of GMOs in Switzerland and its implications for the regulation of NBTs in Switzerland and the European Union.

EQUIMED investigates sex and gender inequalities in implantable medical devices. Through interviews and multidisciplinary research, it aims to improve equity in medical technology.

Despite technological advancements, medical devices do not function the same way for men and women, with women experiencing more adverse effects. Implantable devices are particularly affected by sex and gender biases. EQUIMED studies this issue in Switzerland, the UK, and Germany by analyzing data, interviewing experts and patients, and evaluating ethical policies. Its goal is to make these devices safer and more effective for everyone.

EQUIMED seeks to understand and reduce these inequalities by exploring why women and gender minorities face higher risks and what factors contribute to these disparities. Its research will support the development of fairer solutions for implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers and neural implants, while also setting new ethical standards in medical technology.

By addressing biases in research, design, and regulation, EQUIMED aims to improve the safety of medical devices for all. The project will provide evidence-based recommendations to help policymakers, manufacturers, and healthcare professionals create more inclusive technologies. Collaboration between regulators, industry, and healthcare providers is essential to ensuring safer and fairer medical devices for everyone.

This randomized open-label study will evaluate the acceptance and patient preference of a new treatment involving protein supplementation of 80g per day over five days. This will be compared to the current first-line treatment, which is fluid restriction of <1000ml per day, in hospitalized patients with hyponatremia due to SIAD.

Whether pelvic lymph node dissection offers an oncological benefit remains unknown. This study will compare extended pelvic lymph node dissection versus no dissection in PSMA PET-negative, T3, or Grade Group > 2 prostate cancer patients. The study will be conducted across all major urological clinics in Switzerland (KFS-5775-02-2023).

An international collaboration of methodologists and health researchers to optimize the development process, trustworthiness and usefulness of methods guidance. Start: Feburary 2025

Disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, whether due to inflammation, tumours, or head trauma, can lead to AVP deficiency (AVP-D) – formerly known as central diabetes insipidus (cDI) – characterized by polyuria and polydipsia. Desmopressin, an AVP receptor analogue, is the established treatment for AVP deficiency. 

Despite treatment, patients frequently report residual psychological symptoms, including reduced empathy, heightened anxiety, social interaction difficulties, and decreased sexual desire, substantially affecting their quality of life. Given the anatomical proximity, local disruptions of the AVP system could also disturb the oxytocin (OXT) system, resulting in an additional OXT deficiency. Our recent study utilized a novel stimulation test with MDMA, and revealed for the first time an additional OXT deficiency in patients with AVP-D. These findings may potentially explain the observed psychopathology in these patients. Although psychological changes in patients with anterior pituitary dysfunction are well-recognized and managed with respective hormonal replacement therapy, few efforts have been made to assess psychological comorbidities in patients with isolated AVP deficiency. Research on this condition is generally limited due to its rarity (currently affecting approximately 15,000 patients in Europe), especially on sexual desire and related outcomes.