D-BSSE News

Randall Platt, head of the Biological Engineering Lab, receives the 25th Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators for his pioneering work developing a method to record timelines of gene expression events using a CRISPR-Cas system. Randall’s work focuses on living diagnostics - engineered bacteria that act as biographers of their environment by continuously recording gene expression information.

Konrad Tiefenbacher, an expert in the synthesis of functional modules who is affiliated with both the D-BSSE and the University of Basel, receives the Alfred Werner Prize 2020 from the Swiss Chemical Society. The Prize is awarded to promising young scientists in Switzerland for their outstanding research in the field of chemistry. Congratulations, Konrad!

Christian Beisel, Head of Genomics Facility Basel at D-BSSE, and Francis Jacob from the Basel University’s Department of Biomedicine, receive the 2019 Novartis FreeNovation Award covering 18 months of research. Using single-cell genomics, they will analyse the potential of the glycocalyx, the cell-specific surface made of sugar moieties, in translational research and diagnostics. The glycocalyx also plays a key role in cancer development and progression and hence, therapeutics.

As part of ETH Day celebrations on 16 November, Randall Platt will be awarded the ETH Zurich Latsis Prize. The D-BSSE professor has carried out exceptional work in the field of genome engineering – an achievement made all the more impressive given his young age.

The European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) honours Barbara Treutlein and Randall Platt with the 2019 Young Investigator Award. They join a network of nearly 500 Young Investigators which all were selected because of their "excellence in life science research". Benefits include networking opportunities, training in leadership skills and responsible practices as well as access to EMBO lab facilities granted to the awardees and their lab members.