Bioengineer Randall Platt engineers bacteria that can assess the state of our guts. It is hoped this non-invasive technique could eventually be used to develop more effective interventions against malnutrition among children in the Global South.
Today, we are hosting the Personalised Health Conference with an excellent lineup of keynote speakers: Adrian Egli, Director of the UZH-Institute of Medical Microbiology, Emma Slack, ETH-Professor for Mucosal Immunology, and Jacques Fellay, EPFL-Professor of Genomics and Precision Medicine. Scientists from the D-BSSE and the EU-funded network Machine Learning Frontiers in Precision Medicine also share their latest findings and perspectives on translational research and personalised health.
The idea of ETH Zurich establishing a Department of Biosystems in Basel once seemed unachievable. Today, the department occupies a new building where the dividing lines between biology, computer science and engineering are blurred – and researchers increasingly focus on medical applications.
The International Society for Computational Biology ISCB welcomes Niko Beerenwinkel, head of the Computational Biology Group, in its 2024 class of fellows. Honouring distinguished scientists who advanced the frontiers of computational biology and bioinformatics, the jury highlighted Niko’s groundbreaking contributions to cancer research and viral genomics. Congratulations, Niko!
Developing novel antibacterial products for life-threatening infections, BioVersys announced on 5 March that in partnership with the pharma and biotech company GSK they have successfully completed the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI2) funded programme and reached a key milestone of delivering a Phase 2-ready tuberculosis clinical candidate. The funding scheme is an EU public private partnership programme.
Right from the early developmental stages to fully grown adults, brain cells continuously rely on mechanical cues to migrate to the correct locations in the body, form connections with other neurons or other cell types and communicate with them in a unique language of electrical impulses. In a new study, researchers from the Biophysics group of Daniel Müller and the Bio Engineering Lab of Andreas Hierlemann reveal how neurons sense the magnitude and temporal features of physical forces.
Neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD) are difficult to study in vivo. A study led by the University of Zurich in collaboration with the Lab of Andreas Hierlemann, now identifies potential targets that may cause these diseases and their progression. The scientists developed a novel human-derived in vitro cell-culture model and methods for testing that the cells are functional, paving the way for new therapies.
Last year was a very exciting year for the D-BSSE: we moved into our new building on campus Schällemätteli in Basel, celebrated many awards, prizes and scientific highlights, launched major partnerships such as the Next-gen Bioengineers programmes with Roche and the Engineering Translational Medicine initiative - and hosted a fantastic welcome retreat. See what was going on at D-BSSE in 2023!
In mid-March, the Personalised Health Conference will take place at D-BSSE. The programme includes two exciting days with keynote talks by Adrian Egli, Emma Slack and Jacques Fellay. On the second day the focus lies on translation, entrepreneurship and commercialisation. Registration is free of charge and ends on 10 March.
On 29 January, the two joint programmes of ETH Zurich and Roche kicked off the seminar series «Next-Gen Lunch and Learn» providing opportunities for scientific exchange and networking for scientists and fellows from the Institute of Human Biology, pRED and D-BSSE. On a guided tour to the D-BSSE Single Cell and Lab Automation facilities led by Thomas Horn the young scientists learned about the many resources available for their research.
On 18 April, 3PM, the next 'Bench meets Bedside' seminar of the Engineering Translational Medicine initiative will take place. Find the programme and register.
New collaboration
ETH Zurich and Roche are joining forces to advance the development of new methods that facilitate the search for medicines. By launching two programmes in Basel for doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, D-BSSE together with Roche's IHB and pRED will train specialists for the biomedical challenges of our time. More information on the Next-gen Bioengineers programmes.
From the Theory of Biosystems to Understanding and Engineering Cells and Organisms
Research in life sciences is central to overcoming the challenges of human health and disease, production processes in industry and their impact on the environment. The magnitude and complexity of these challenges call for a paradigm shift towards holistic, systems-based and interdisciplinary approaches. At the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE), experimental and computational biologists and engineers work together in an interdisciplinary team in order to conduct comprehensive analysis of complex processes in cells and organisms. They develop strategies and techniques for the programming and rational design of cell functions, and implement these in complex biological systems. D-BSSE research is driven by open scientific questions and unmet societal needs in biotechnology and life sciences.
The mission of D-BSSE is the understanding, rational design and programming of complex biological systems from the nanoscale up to whole organisms.