GenevaLunch

Interview: Ariel Ruiz i Altaba on silencing cancer stem cells

"The silencing of the wolves" could be the title of an uplifting film based on the work of a team of biologists in Geneva. Their most recent discovery, published 28 March in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, could shake the foundations of current approaches to cancer treatment.

"The survival rates for many cancers haven't really changed. Even though early detection has vastly improved and terminal patients live a little bit longet with current treatments, there is no cure for many cancer types, including glioblastoma – a deadly form of brain cancer, and metastatic tumors such as those of the prostate, lung or skin. We have nothing that cures cancer once metastis sets in," Ariel Ruiz i Altaba, professor of stem cells at the University of Geneva's medical school, who led the team of eight researchers. "We have only treatments that reduce the tumour burden with highly toxic and non-specific agents." (continue reading)→

Le Temps, Fre - An education experiment in Onex, one of the poorest parts of Geneva with a high percentage of immigrants, appears to be bearing fruit. In September 2006 the Tattes/Gros-Chêne primary school hired an educateur (early childhood specialist) as a backup for the teaching staff. Better integration was a goal but in the six months the programme has been in place teaching staff have found they spend less time focusing on one troubled student and more time teaching. Children who arrive in the morning suffering from problems at home have someone to turn to who is able to help them learn the ropes in a new country, new culture, new school - where they are often learning a new language, as well. (continue reading)→

GenevaLunch - A group of university students from around the world cemented new friendships over weekend fondue after the annual Harvard MUN (World Model United Nations) conference closed Friday. The conference, attended by 1,700 people, was organized at the International Conference Centre in Geneva by EPFL students with some Geneva students participating. In recent years conferences have been held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Edinburgh and Beijing.

Students participated in debates using UN conferences as their model. They were assigned topics by the organizing committee that ranged from "Afghanistan - combating communicable disease in a post conflict country" to "The rights of migrant labourers." (continue reading)→

Ruth Milne is a Scottish teacher who works with children attending schools in the Geneva educational system and nearby areas, to help them learn in English.

Ruth Milne came to Geneva five years ago and purely by accident discovered a need in the market for teaching in English, to pre- and primary school children in the Swiss educational system in the Lake Geneva area.

She says that her business Dynamic Learning, gives her "the advantage of small class sizes so it is easy to monitor the progress of each child." (continue reading)→

romandie/ats, Fre - Police in Zurich closed a school at noon today and sent the students home after phone calls from a 16-year-old who threatened to harm teachers and other students. Police arrested the youth who was found after a massive hunt.