D-BSSE News

A study in Nature co-authored by Tanja Stadler highlights how integrating AI into global health systems over the next five years could save lives by predicting disease outbreaks and improving healthcare resource allocation. The study emphasises the need for collaboration across academia, government, and industry to ensure AI is used ethically and effectively. While AI's potential is immense, experts caution that human oversight and high-quality data are crucial to avoid risks.

On 6 March, the next 'Bench meets Bedside' seminar organised by the Engineering Translational Medicine (ETM) initiative will take place on Campus Schällemätteli. Speakers include Judith Zaugg (UniBas) and Basile Wicky (ETH/D-BSSE), followed by short science talks from Luana Frias Guerra (UniBas) and Paweł Czyż (ETH Zürich). This seminar series builds a platform for researchers and clinicians to connect and collaborate.

Researchers around Martin Fussenegger from the Biotechnology Lab have developed a new gene switch that can be activated using a commercially available nitroglycerine patch applied to the skin. One day, researchers want to use switches of this kind to trigger cell therapies for various metabolic diseases.

On 29 January, BioVersys launches its Initial Public Offering on the SIX Swiss Exchange. “Today marks the first step of us engaging with the public so that we may make the next clinical phase of developing BV100 and alpibectir and their eventual approval a reality,” says Marc Gitzinger, CEO and Co-Founder of BioVersys. BV100 and alpibectir are novel antimicrobial drug candidates targeting the most drug-resistant bacterial pathogens Acinetobacter baumannii and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Last year was our first year in the new building on campus Schällemätteli in Basel: we celebrated the official opening of the BSS-building in May, and along the year many awards, prizes and scientific milestones; we welcomed five new faculty members; we became the leading partner in the new academic alliance for the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering; and we saw great progress in the Next-gen Bioengineers and ETM partnerships. See what was going on at D-​BSSE in 2024!

A study in Nature Physics on the early stages of bladder cancer shows the importance of mechanical changes in tumour tissue during growth. The study was led by the Computational Biology group of Dagmar Iber in collaboration with Lukas Bubendorf’s pathology lab at the University Hospital Basel and the D-BSSE group of Biophysics.

On 27 January, the next public seminar organised by the ETH Zürich - Roche Partnership Next-gen Bioengineers will take place at ETH Basel premises. Prof. Bart Deplancke, Head of the Laboratory of Systems Biology and Genetics at EPFL, will talk about advancing biology through single cell phenomics. The seminar will start at 11:30am and will be live-streamed.

D-BSSE wishes all members and friends Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful Year 2025! At the Townhall on 28 January, we will review the year 2024 and look into the future, putting a spotlight on our quest to advance molecular and cellular systems engineering and its translation into medicine and other applications. Until then: Stay safe and all the vey best!

The recent scientific retreat for the ETH Zurich-Roche partnership, Next-gen Bioengineers, brought together a dynamic mix of researchers, scientists, programme sponsors, and distinguished guests to foster innovation and collaboration and reflect on the successful first year of the programmes. The event featured insightful presentations and chalktalks, inspirational keynotes and forward-looking plenary sessions aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry.

In two pioneering studies published in Nature Communications, researchers unveil novel light-based technologies to control cellular behaviour with unprecedented accuracy. Led by Mustafa Khammash, head of the Control Theory and Systems Biology Lab at D-BSSE, and Matias Zurbriggen at Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, these studies showcase a great advancement in synthetic biology by using light to guide cell behaviour in engineered two- and three-dimensional tissues.