D-BSSE News

"We will rock you": Researchers around Martin Fussenegger, head of the D-BSSE Biotechnology and Bioengineering group, are developing a gene switch that triggers insulin release in designer cells by playing certain rock and pop songs.

A fuel cell under the skin that converts blood sugar from the body into electrical energy sounds like science fiction. Yet it works perfectly, as a D-BSSE research team led by Martin Fussenegger, Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, has shown.

Researchers from the group of Barbara Treutlein are growing human brain-​like tissue from stem cells and are then mapping the cell types that occur in different brain regions and the genes that regulate their development.

D-BSSE researchers around Martin Fussenegger have developed a gene switch that can be operated with the green LED light emitted by commercial smartwatches. This revolutionary approach could be used to treat diabetes in the future.

Researchers from the D-BSSE Control Theory & Systems Biology Lab led by Mustafa Khammash have discovered that they can use light-​sensitive molecules to switch genetic networks on and off as required. Their finding gives rise to an easy method for dynamically controlling biotechnological substance production.

A team of researchers led by ETH professor Martin Fussenegger has succeeded in using an electric current to directly control gene expression for the first time. Their work provides the basis for medical implants that can be switched on and off using electronic devices outside the body.  

Researchers around Professor Martin Fussenegger have integrated two CRISPR-Cas9-based core processors into human cells. This represents a huge step towards creating powerful biocomputers.

Researchers led by Mustafa Khammash have developed a new method that uses blue light to control the transcription of DNA into RNA in single cells. The technology could also be used in tissue engineering and stem cell research.

Researchers around D-BSSE professor Randall Platt are using the CRISPR-Cas system to develop a novel recording mechanism: the snippets of DNA it produces can provide information about certain cellular processes. In future, this cellular memory might even be used in diagnostics. The study on the discovery of biological data loggers was published on 3 October in Nature.

Researchers working with D-BSSE Professor Martin Fussenegger have developed an early warning system for the four most common types of cancer. Should a tumour develop, a visible mole will appear on the skin.