Engineering Translational Medicine (ETM)
Addressing existing and future medical challenges of our society
Combining gene-based, cell-based and organoid engineering with data sciences has the potential to significantly advance the understanding and treatment of many illnesses that are currently still incurable or inadequately managed.
At D-BSSE, we develop cutting-edge methods and tools in genetic and cellular engineering, organoid development as well as data science and computational engineering. Together with our academic and clinical partners, we have an outstanding and internationally unique expertise in Basel to engineer the complex biological systems and to successfully translate them into clinical applications.
The Engineering Translational Medicine (ETM) initiative brings together these multidisciplinary basic researchers, biosystems engineers, and data scientists working together with clinicians with the overall goal to bring cutting edge research on molecular and cellular engineering and data science into the hospital and to the patients. This is realised through a variety of activities and at various levels.
ETM Initiatives
Networking
Together with our ETM core partners, the University of Basel, the University Hospital Basel and the University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB), we regularly organise a variety of activities to connect researchers and clinicians and to build a vibrant and active scientific community.
In particular, the ETM seminar series "Bench meets Bedside @ Schällemätteli" takes place 4-6 times a year. Each seminar includes a combination of scientific talks and community building activities and provides opportunities to meet and exchange foster new collaborations between experts from different institutions.
Research networks
At D-BSSE, we have initiated and participate in numerous research networks and collaborations dedicated to topics within the scope of ETM. Particularly noteworthy are the external page NCCR Molecular Systems Engineering, as well as collaborative research projects on personalised medicine supported by the Basel Personalised Medicine Initiative, Personalized Health & Related Technologies (PHRT) and the MedLab Fellowships.
Education and training
With our Next-gen Bioengineers programmes, ETH Zurich and Roche jointly train doctoral students and postdocs to become specialists prepared to tackle the biomedical challenges of our time.
In addition, we organise joint workshops and training events for early stage researchers from our academic core partners in Basel.
Institutional collaborations
Institutional collaborations like the Basel Research Centre for Child Health enable continued support for outstanding and innovative research that addresses unmet medical needs and for the benefit of patients and society.
AI know-how and infrastructure
Strong connections to the ETH AI Center and ETH technology platforms like NEXUS Personalized Health Technologies provide a strong framework to apply the computational tools developed at D-BSSE in a medical setting.
Industry
The vibrant ETM ecosystem is completed with robust industry connections. At D-BSSE, ETH Zurich and Roche have joined forces to advance the development and application of new methods in bioengineering for translational medicine and potential therapies. The Next-Gen Bioengineers partnership offers two exciting research programmes aimed at doctoral and postdoctoral fellows, respectively.
Entrepreneurship
The extensive list of spin-off companies originating from the department demonstrates the potential of D-BSSE research results to be translated into applications for the benefit of patients and society.
The entrepreneurial spirit at the department is fostered by initiatives as D-BSSE meets Industry.
Next ETM events
Previous ETM seminars 'Bench meets Bedside @Schällemätteli'
Detailed information can be found in the ETM seminar archive.
ETM News
Developing drugs – with tens of thousands of miniscule droplets on a small glass plate
A glass plate, a delicate tube and an oil bath are all that is required: thanks to a new method, researchers at the D-BSSE Bioanalytics Lab can produce tens of thousands of tiny droplets within minutes. This enables them to test enzymes and active ingredients faster, more precisely and in a more resource-efficient manner than previously.
Upcoming Event: Next-gen Seminar on 27 October
On 27 October, the next public seminar organised by the ETH Zürich - Roche Partnership Next-gen Bioengineers will take place at ETH Basel premises. Prof. Florian Markowetz, Professor of Computational Oncology at the University of Cambridge and Senior Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, will talk about how to make clinical prediction models impactful for patients.
ISREC Foundation awards TANDEM Grant to Andreas Moor and clinical colleague
Congratulations to Andreas Moor, Head of the Systems Physiology lab at D-BSSE, and Viktor Kölzer from the University Hospital Basel for receiving a TANDEM grant for their ‘advanced digital pathology in cancer’ project. Their interdisplinary research focusses on the discovery of new prognostic markers that are correlated with the outcome of the disease in colon-cancer patients. Ultimately, the team hopes to pave the way for advanced diagnostics and personalised cancer treatments.