On 12 December, Petra Dittrich and her group invited the public to learn about microchips and their great use for medical and diagnostic applications or for biological analyses. After a short introduction on the principles of ‘lab-on-a-chip’ technologies, the visitors to the fully booked tour saw some of the labs from inside and had the opportunity to discuss open questions with the young scientists.
Upon application of the President of ETH Zürich, the ETH Board appointed Basile Wicky, currently Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Design at D-BSSE, starting this position in June 2024. Basile’s research focuses on computational protein design and synthetic biology for programming biomolecular and cellular systems.
By communicating with one another, cells collectively drive biological functions. The direct neighbourhood of a cell influences its behaviour, gene expression and the cellular crosstalk. The development of diseases is often the consequence of disrupted cell-cell communications. In a study published by Nature Communications, researchers from the Systems Physiology lab of Andreas Moor, developed a method to characterise microenvironments at single-cell resolution.
ETH spin-off Engimmune Therapeutics, a D-BSSE start-up from the Reddy group, has developed technologies to engineer T-cell receptors (TCRs) which are part of immune cells. Guided by machine learning, the technologies enable the development of TCR drugs that specifically target solid tumours. This emerging therapeutic approach is scalable and less costly than other modalities such as cell therapies.
Pregnancy and motherhood lead to brain remodeling. Researchers at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, and the Systems Physiology Lab of Andreas Moor, have now discovered in experiments with mice that distinct pools of stem cells in the adult brain are turned on during pregnancy. They give rise to specific types of olfactory bulb neurons, the team reports in the journal Science.
On 12 December, at 6:15 PM, the public is invited to learn about microchips and their great use for medical and diagnostic applications or for biological analyses. After a short introduction by Professor Petra Dittrich you will go into the labs and discuss with young scientists their research and experimental set ups. Please register for this tour (in German)!
The ETH Golden Owl honours lecturers distinguished by exceptional teaching and motivates them to continue with their excellent teaching. The Owl is warded by ETH Zurich’s student association. This year, the Owl was awarded to Andreas Moor, Professor of Systems Physiology at D-BSSE. Congratulations!
Memo Therapeutics, a late-stage biotech company specialised in the development of therapeutic antibodies, has announced the successful closure of a CHF 25 million Series C financing round. The raised capital will be instrumental to complete the Phase 2 clinical development of the antibody AntiBKV, designed to combat BK polyomavirus infections in kidney transplant recipients. Founded in 2012, Memo Therapeutics originated from the Bioprocess lab of Sven Panke.
Barbara Treutlein receives a Synergy Grant of the European Research Council (ERC) for her research on the European project “AxoBrain” which focusses on the organisation and evolution of the brains of axolotl salamanders, extraordinary animals that can regenerate parts of their brains after severe injury. Congratulations, Barbara!
On 25 October, researchers from the D-BSSE, the University of Basel, the University Hospital and the University Children’s Hospital Basel met at the new ETH-building on Schällemätteli campus to mark the kickoff of a joint seminar series dedicated to translational projects and clinical applications. Spearheading the roll-out of the Engineering Translational Medicine research hub, this first event brought together experts from bench and bedside to spark innovative approaches and collaborations.
ETH Zurich and Roche are joining forces to advance the development of new methods that facilitate the search for medicines. By launching two programmes in Basel for doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, D-BSSE together with Roche's IHB and pRED will train specialists for the biomedical challenges of our time. More information on the Next-gen Bioengineers programmes.
From the Theory of Biosystems to Understanding and Engineering Cells and Organisms
Research in life sciences is central to overcoming the challenges of human health and disease, production processes in industry and their impact on the environment. The magnitude and complexity of these challenges call for a paradigm shift towards holistic, systems-based and interdisciplinary approaches. At the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE), experimental and computational biologists and engineers work together in an interdisciplinary team in order to conduct comprehensive analysis of complex processes in cells and organisms. They develop strategies and techniques for the programming and rational design of cell functions, and implement these in complex biological systems. D-BSSE research is driven by open scientific questions and unmet societal needs in biotechnology and life sciences.
The mission of D-BSSE is the understanding, rational design and programming of complex biological systems from the nanoscale up to whole organisms.
