Working together to train and empower the next generation of biomedical researchers

ETH Zurich and Roche are to collaborate more closely in two new research and training programmes. The focus of this collaboration is on the development and application of new methods in bioengineering and new human cell- and gene-based model systems. Both partners expect these future technologies will help them better examine, understand and influence the molecular mechanisms of healthy and diseased human organs. After all, such models may represent powerful tools in the search for new molecular targets for potential treatments and in testing the efficacy of various drugs.

“This kind of collaboration between academia and industry is unique,” says Vanessa Wood, Vice President Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations at ETH Zurich. “It enables ETH Zurich’s world-class research on biomedicine to translate into the development of therapies for the benefit of patients.”

The hub of research collaboration will be Basel, home to ETH Zurich’s Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Roche's Pharma Research and Early Development and its new Institute of Human Biology. These units are at the centre of the research cooperation.

Harnessing the synergy effects of both worlds

There are two new research programmes; one aimed at doctoral students, the other at postdoctoral fellows. The plan is to enrol up to 20 doctoral students and up to 20 postdoctoral fellows in the programmes over a provisional period of three to four years. These scientists will work together with colleagues from ETH Zurich and Roche at the partners’ respective locations. This will give them access to both partners’ expertise and infrastructure and allow them to acquire specific knowledge from the academic world as well as the pharmaceutical industry.
"Roche and ETH’s unique capabilities paired with our strong networks of experts will enable us to speed up innovation and address existing and upcoming challenges in translational medicine. We are convinced that through our partnership and collaboration, we will attract and work with some of the best researchers in the world,” says Hans Clevers, Head of Pharma Research and Early Development at Roche.

ETH Zurich and Roche are supporting the two research programmes with the knowledge and expertise of their employees as well as with their research infrastructure. Roche will fully fund the doctoral and postdoctoral positions as well as the joint research projects.
 

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