D-BSSE News

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.

Wastewater analyses provide information on the spread of diseases in the population - an important tool for monitoring the further course of the pandemic. D-BSSE researcher Niko Beerenwinkel on the national surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 genomic variants in wastewater.

Microfluidic devices offer a new way to speed up drug screening and toxicity tests, but some of the basic processes such as purification and separation are difficult to implement in these tiny devices. Petra Dittrich, Head of the Bioanalytics Group, and her team member Mario Saucedo-​Espinosa took up the challenge and invented in-​droplet electrophoresis. Watch their video!

Burcak Yesildag from the D-BSSE spinoff InSphero and Patrick Misun from the Bio Engineering Laboratory at the D-BSSE talk about a new testing platform that will help diabetes researchers to find new drugs and to get deeper insights into underlying biological mechanisms.

The threat of millions of deaths due to antibiotic resistance by 2050 has challenged an interdisciplinary group of ETH Zurich students to enter the annual competition iGEM with their solution for this global problem. The team gained a lot of experience and is happy with the positive feedback and their gold medal.

Increasing drug resistance makes the search for new antibiotic substances essential. ETH Pioneer Fellows from D-BSSE and co-founders of SpheroBiotics Drs Irene Wüthrich and Steven Schmitt have developed a technology to find new microorganisms in nature that produce antibiotics.