News and Events

Researchers from the Computational Biology group led by Dagmar Iber aim to understand how the lungs develop in the foetus so they are fully functional by the time the baby is born. The group’s computer-based method could, in the future, help improve the diagnosis of certain respiratory diseases and reduce animal experiments.

Researchers around Prisca Liberali, Professor at D-BSSE and the Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI), and their collaborators have shown how regenerating intestinal tissue turns small initial differences between cells into stable patterns. The findings reveal a general principle for how tissues rebuild order after injury, with possible implications for regenerative medicine.

Today, upon the recommendation of ETH Zurich President Joël Mesot, the ETH Board appointed seven new professors and promoted four existing faculty members. Among those promoted was D-BSSE faculty member Dagmar Iber, Head of the Computational Biology lab, who was appointed Full Professor. Congratulations, Dagmar!

Potravitug, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody designed to prevent BK polyomavirus reactivation in kidney transplant recipients, has demonstrated promising results in Phase II clinical trials. Following its acquisition by the French biopharmaceutical company Ipsen, the therapy is now advancing to Phase III trials – the final stage of clinical testing before potential regulatory approval and market launch.

The partnership between CSCS, the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre, and the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) has led to a promising new approach to drug discovery: a novel AI model architecture that appears capable to predict antibody-antigen binding with unusually high data efficiency. Should the results be confirmed experimentally, the approach could accelerate not only antibody development, but also the discovery of small-molecule drugs.

Researchers across Europe will benefit from Swiss expertise in secure sharing and analysis of health data, with the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) and ETH Zurich joining the EOSC-ENTRUST project of the European Open Science Cloud.

Researchers from D-BSSE, institutions in Basel and their international collaborators show how mechanobiology is evolving – from studying individual molecules to understanding complex cellular systems. This shift helps reveal how physical forces such as pressure and stiffness shape tissues in development, health and disease.

On 9 June, the Multicellular Systems lab of Prisca Liberali opened its doors to the public, offering insights into the organisation and regeneration of intestinal organoids (“mini-guts”) and their significance for the future of biomedical research. After a short introduction by Prisca, three of her team members took the visitors onto a guided lab tour.

The latest Scientific Staff Survey at ETH Zurich – broken down to the level of departments – offers insights into doctoral and postdoctoral experiences. Despite moderate participation rates, the survey remains an important tool for shaping future improvements and guiding institutional priorities.