Meet Dr Fabian Tolle working on gene expression
The German chemical biologist in the Biotechnology and Bioengineering Group of Professor Fussenegger works on functional nucleic acid elements that act as regulators and sensors in gene expression. His expectations to find an interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial environment at D-BSSE are certainly met. Unexpected are the challenges posed by Swiss German dialects outside D-BSSE.
Dr Fabian Tolle, what did you know about D-BSSE before you came here, and what was your motivation to come to ETH Zurich?
I was drawn to the D-BSSE by its interdisciplinary and applied focus. As a chemical biologist I am particularly interested in the interface between chemistry, molecular biology, and the pharmaceutical sciences, thus I thought that the D-BSSE with its state of the art equipment and infrastructure would be the ideal place to thrive scientifically. Another factor that drew my attention was the high number of successful start-up companies the ETH, and the D-BSSE in particular, have spun out in the past.
What were your expectations and were your expectations met since you arrived in Basel?
My expectations were definitely met. I have experienced a well-organized environment where innovative research is performed to highest scientific standards.
In addition to its outstanding scientific community, Basel is overall a great city to live in. The city has so much to offer and for me personally, it has just the right size.
What were your first impressions?
I experienced a very friendly welcome from the group. So far everybody has been super helpful and supportive. I am thankful to be blessed with excellent, highly motivated and very dedicated colleagues and I am looking forward to more stimulating scientific discussions and opportunities for fruitful collaboration.
One thing I did not expect as a German native speaker was the "language barrier" I sometimes encounter in everyday communication outside D-BSSE. However, I am confident that I will quickly improve my ability to follow conversations in Swiss-German dialects.
Which research will you pursue at D-BSSE?
I am interested in nucleic acid-based regulators and sensors and their application in modulating gene expression. I am excited to expand my knowledge in the field of synthetic biology.
Which hobby do you hope to pursue in Switzerland?
I like to do outdoor sports, especially kayaking and mountain biking. I am looking forward to pursuing these and other outdoor activities in the gorgeous Swiss countryside. Making good use of the great transportation infrastructure, I am hoping to explore many interesting places in the future.
Thank you and all the best with your research!
Dr Fabian Tolle is a German researcher specializing in the chemical biology and in vitro selection of nucleic acids. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Biology at the TU Dortmund (2008) and his Master's degree in Biochemistry at the LMU in Munich (2011), both in Germany. He then moved to the University of Bonn to pursue his PhD with Professor Günter Mayer. During his PhD he developed a versatile method for the identification of nucleobase-modified DNA aptamers as a new class of highly selective affinity reagents ("Click-SELEX"). After completing his PhD, he moved to Cambridge (UK) where he gained further professional experience as a Research Scientist in the biotech sector. At Base 4 Innovation Ltd. he was working on enzymatic assay development projects supporting a novel microdroplet-based single molecule next-generation sequencing technology. At Camena Bioscience he developed molecular biosensors for rapid small molecule detection from complex matrices. Since June 2018, he is a Postdoc in the Biotechnology and Bioengineering Group of Professore Fussenegger.