Health and Medicine
Looking back at research under high pressure
Numerous researchers at the University of Bern dealt intensively with SARS-CoV-2 and its health, social, economic and psychological effects in 2020.
At the start of 2020, the coronavirus threw the year’s plans for many researchers from Bern into total disarray. Some were dealing almost exclusively with the pandemic and its effects, although their research focus actually lay elsewhere. Others, on the other hand, had already been researching coronaviruses for years and have excellent international networks – a great advantage for Bern’s corona research – giving the University something of a head start.
Bern expertise was in high demand in international research groups, in the media, and for consulting services, such as on how to handle infectious samples and in the federal COVID-19 Task Force. In total, six experts from the University of Bern were part of the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force in 2020.
The knowledge gained from one year of interdisciplinary coronavirus research will now be bundled and continued in a new research center: In December 2020, a strategic research center for infectious diseases was founded at the University of Bern with the financial support of the Vinetum Foundation. The aim of this center is to ensure that we are all better equipped against future epidemics and pandemics.
A selection of research successes on the coronavirus front in 2020:
2020/01/31 – Bern warns of the possibility of a pandemic
Epidemiologists Christian Althaus and Julien Riou from the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine use data from China and calculate that, on average, one person will infect another two. They warn that without strong control measures, there is a risk of global spread.
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2020/02/21 – Coronavirus is cloned for the first time
The group headed by virologist Volker Thiel succeeds in producing the world’s first synthetic clone of the coronavirus. These clones are now being used by research groups around the world to test corona samples, find antiviral drugs and develop vaccines as quickly as possible. This breakthrough, which was achieved in just one week in the lab, is making headlines around the globe.
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2020/03/25 – Help during lockdown
A psychologist from Bern, Thomas Berger, is involved in providing free online counseling for couples. The goal is to strengthen relationships in times of stress and to strengthen mutual support.
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2020/04/17 – Bern involved in an EU research project
How dangerous is the coronavirus and what containment measures work? The project which involves Christian Althaus and Nicola Low from the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) aims to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare, the economy and society in Europe.
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2020/06/16 – New laboratory with more possibilities
Bacteria and viruses that are highly infectious and for which no vaccination is available are examined under the strictest safety measures in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory at the Institute of Infectious Diseases. This is strengthening the joint efforts into research into the coronavirus of the University of Bern and Bern University Hospital.
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2020/07/16 – Ethical recommendations for triage of COVID-19 patients
An international expert group led by Mathias Wirth has developed recommendations for avoiding triage of COVID-19 patients in the event of an overload of the healthcare system. The recommendations help when it comes to making difficult medical decisions and improve the care of patients suffering from severe cases of COVID-19.
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2020/07/18 – Immunoprotein impairs SARS-CoV-2
An international team with researchers from Bern shows that a protein produced by the human immune system prevents the novel coronavirus from fusing with our cells. This raises hopes for new therapeutic approaches.
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2020/07/30 – Rapid test for the determination of antibodies developed
A conventional neutralization test usually takes two to three days and has to be carried out in a high security laboratory with infectious coronaviruses. A Swiss-German research team from Bern and Bochum is now presenting a test which takes just 18 hours without any sophisticated safety precautions being necessary.
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2020/09/14 - Mechanism discovered how the coronavirus hijacks the cell
Together with researchers from ETH Zurich, Bern’s biochemists Oliver Mühlemann and Evangelos Karousis have discovered a mechanism the virus uses to ensure its own replication. This knowledge will help to develop drugs and vaccines.
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2020/09/16 – Swiss National Science Foundation supports Bern’s research into COVID-19 research with CHF 8 million
Fifteen Bernese research projects are being supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) to find solutions to combat the pandemic in Switzerland. Their focuses range from the effects of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system to the use of AI in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in hospital.
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2020/09/22 – Most of those infected develop symptoms
For a long time it was unclear how important asymptomatic cases are in the spread of the virus. Epidemiologist Nicola Low and her team now show that they do not play a major role: only 20% of those infected show no symptoms, while 80% develop symptoms.
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December 2020 – University of Bern founds new center to fight pandemics
The research center combines medical, social and economic issues. It is intended to conduct interdisciplinary research into infectious diseases so that coming epidemics and pandemics can be combated more effectively. The Vinetum Foundation is supporting the center with CHF 30 million.
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Did you know?
"All circulating SARS-CoV-2 pathogens would have a volume of about 160 ml when bunched together. This would not even fill your standard yogurt carton, which usually holds 200 ml – a fact calculated by a British mathematician."