05
“In this global pandemic D-BSSE is capable of tackling every aspect”
The startup community is hit particularly hard by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The D-BSSE spinoff deepCDR Biologics is making the best out of this extraordinary situation - and realises that the pandemic provides the perfect platform to showcase the deepCDR technology and antibody discovery and development. Interview with the co-founder Derek Mason.
Botnar-funded COVID-19 research at D-BSSE
The Botnar Research Centre for Child Health (BRCCH) announced the funding of 11 research consortia including three teams at D-BSSE. Sai Reddy’s lab will focus on large-scale testing and a high-throughput platform for detecting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2; the lab of Andreas Moor aims at identifying high-affinity antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in B-cells; and Randall Platt’s lab will develop a CRISPR-based screening approach to identify host factors related to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Meet Felix Hensel applying mathematics on Alzheimer’s disease
Transitioning from pure mathematics to the field of machine learning and applied topology, the Swiss national will analyse changes of brain connectivity over time to improve the detection of Alzheimer's disease. He started on 1 April 2020 during COVID-19 times as a postdoctoral researcher in the Machine Learning and Computational Biology group of Professor Karsten Borgwardt.
ETH medal for Shadi Fatayer
Shadi Passam Fatayer, former PhD student of IBM Zürich and the Biophysics group of Daniel Müller, receives the 2020 Silver Medal of ETH Zurich for his doctoral thesis (2018) on the chemical reactions of individual molecules after atom manipulation on multilayer insulating films using atomic force microscopy. Shadi is currently a postdoctoral researcher at IBM Science and Technology Zurich. Congratulations!
“I have a feeling of unease”
SRF studio guest Tanja Stadler, mathematical expert for reproduction numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, answered questions in view of the relax-measures implemented on 11 May: “We will only see the effects on the statistics of confirmed cases about 10 days later”. Watch “10 vor 10” on Swiss news TV broadcasted on 8 May (in German).
What is it like to help out in a hospital pharmacy during COVID-19 times?
When ETH Zurich switched to emergency operations and D-BSSE announced its shutdown, David Schweingruber, a 2nd-year PhD student in the group of Kobi Benenson, was looking for possibilities to make good use of his time. He came across a possibility to actively support the Swiss health care system. An interview.
Swiss COVID-19 situation report based on work led by Tanja Stadler’s team
On 4 May, the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force launched its situation report, which publishes the effective reproduction number Re for Switzerland. This work is based on the Swiss Medical Weekly paper co-authored by Tanja Stadler and team members Jérémie Scire, Sarah Nadeau and Tim Vaughan. Daily updates to Re will help guide policy decisions on federal measures against the coronavirus. Tanja Stadler is a member of the Science Task Force’s Expert Groups Data and Modelling.
TWIST workshop series: Female entrepreneurs
On 7 May, the Towards more Women in Science and Technology (TWIST) Basel initiative is holding another webinar: Ronja Bruhn, Co-founder of and CEO of STIMIT which develops a med-tech device that helps patients in intensive care to breathe. Find more TWIST events and the link for registration at twistbasel.com.