Dr. Vakil Takhaveev is a Lecturer at ETH Zurich's Department of Health Sciences and Technology, within the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health. His research focuses on DNA damage mechanisms, aging, cancer, and neurodegeneration, with particular emphasis on developing novel DNA-damage-sequencing methods like click-code-seq and TRABI-Seq . He investigates anticancer drug action (e.g., trabectedin), aging clocks using DNA oxidation profiling, and stress-induced carcinogenesis. His work integrates multi-omics approaches and advanced sequencing techniques. Research Directions: Novel DNA-Damage-Sequencing Methods: Developed click-code-seq and TRABI-Seq for genomic mapping of DNA lesions and repair dynamics. Anticancer Drug Action: Explored mechanisms of trabectedin and other chemotherapeutics, linking DNA repair vulnerabilities to therapy resistance. Aging Clocks: Created DNA oxidation-based biomarkers for biological aging using genome-wide profiling in human and mouse models. Stress-Induced Pathologies: Studies metabolic and DNA damage links to early tumorigenesis and neurodegeneration. Awards & Recognition: 2025 Public Award Winner in PIs of Tomorrow competition 2024 ETH Zurich Career Seed Award Best presentation awards (Swiss Chemical Society, American Chemical Society) Grants & Collaborations: Impetus grants for aging clock development Swiss Chemical Society and American Chemical Society fellowships Labs & Teams: Leads research on DNA damage and aging mechanisms at ETH Zurich, collaborating with international groups in oncology and toxicology.
Prof. Dr. Julia Vogt is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zürich, leading the Professur für Medizin. Datenwiss. Her research focuses on medical machine learning, data science, and AI applications in healthcare. She specializes in developing interpretable AI systems for clinical decision support, particularly in pediatric diabetes management, medical imaging analysis, and anomaly detection. Her work bridges translational gaps by emphasizing causal approaches and clinical validation. Her academic role includes teaching courses like the Data Science Lab (263-3300-00L/10L) and Topics in Medical Machine Learning (263-5100-00L). Her lab's research spans predictive modeling for nocturnal hypoglycemia, echocardiogram analysis for pulmonary hypertension detection, and multimodal learning in radiology. She also contributes to national pediatric data initiatives like SwissPedHealth. Key technical areas include concept bottleneck models, stochastic AI frameworks, and generative models for medical signal denoising. Her work often emphasizes model interpretability, fairness, and robustness to distribution shifts. She collaborates on projects involving wearable devices for pediatric monitoring and AI-driven rehabilitation tools for post-stroke gait analysis.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in LausanneSwitzerland
Brian W. Pogue, Ph.D., is the Robert A. Pritzker Chair in Biomedical Engineering at Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering, with a joint appointment as an Honorary Fellow in Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Medical/Nuclear Physics from McMaster University and a Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School's Wellman Center for Photomedicine. He has led significant administrative roles, including Dean of Graduate Studies at Dartmouth (2008–2012) and Chair of Medical Physics at Wisconsin (2022–2025). Research Focus : Dr. Pogue pioneers Optics in Medicine , specializing in cancer imaging, photodynamic therapy, and surgical guidance. His work integrates fluorescence imaging, radiation therapy monitoring, and molecular diagnostics to improve cancer treatment precision. Key innovations include Cherenkov imaging for radiotherapy dosimetry and hypoxia-sensitive probes for tumor resection. Publication Trends : Recent articles (2023–2025) emphasize real-time surgical guidance, hypoxia quantification, and multimodal imaging systems. Dominant themes include fluorescence tomography, radiation dosimetry, and low-cost diagnostic devices, reflecting a translational focus from preclinical validation to clinical applications. Awards & Honors : Fellow, Optica (formerly OSA) Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Fellow, American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Fellow, SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics) Funding & Innovation : Continuously funded by the NIH since 2001 ($52M+ total), Dr. Pogue founded three startups: DoseOptics LLC (radiotherapy dose imaging) and Hypoxia Surgical LLC (tissue hypoxia cameras), bridging academic research to clinical tools.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in LausanneSwitzerland
Li Tang is an Associate Professor with tenure at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), affiliated with the Institute of Bioengineering (IBI) and the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering (IMX) within the School of Engineering (STI). She leads the Laboratory of Biomaterials for Immunoengineering, focusing on developing innovative strategies at the intersection of immunology, materials science, and cancer therapy. Her work bridges fundamental research and clinical translation, with multiple ongoing clinical trials based on CAR-T cell therapies developed in her lab. B.S. in Chemistry, Peking University (2003–2007) Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2007–2012) Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT (2013–2016) Her research lies at the forefront of immunoengineering, integrating chemical, metabolic, and mechanical approaches to modulate immune responses. Key areas include cancer immunotherapy, immune metabolism, mechano-immunology, and biomaterials. She investigates how physical and biochemical cues can reprogram T cells, overcome exhaustion, and enhance tumor targeting. Her work emphasizes multidimensional immunity-disease interactions, aiming to develop safer and more effective therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in engineering immune cells (especially CAR-T) for enhanced durability and function, using advanced biomaterials and metabolic reprogramming. There is a clear focus on overcoming challenges in solid tumors, modulating the tumor microenvironment, and translating findings into clinical applications. The use of nanoparticle delivery, single-cell analysis, and biomechanical cues are recurring themes across her work. Notable scientific awards include: Friedrich Miescher Award (2025) ERC Starting Grant (2018) MIT TR35 Innovators Under 35 (China Region, 2020) Nano Research Young Innovator Award (2018) Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator (2019) Materials Horizons Emerging Investigator (2020) Li Tang actively mentors PhD students across multiple doctoral programs (EDBB, EDMS, EDMX) and has advised numerous graduates who have gone on to prestigious postdoctoral and faculty positions. She is involved in significant research grants, including an Innosuisse project with Novochizol SA, and her lab is supported by competitive funding. She teaches core courses such as Immunoengineering and Next-Generation Biomaterials, shaping the next generation of scientists. Her lab fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation, with active projects in chemical, metabolic, and mechanical immunoengineering, as well as CAR-T cell development. She is the Principal Investigator of the Tang Lab, which includes postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, and technical staff. The lab is actively recruiting and has a strong publication and clinical translation record. Tang Lab is also involved in multiple MA/BA training projects and promotes student engagement in cutting-edge research. The lab’s discoveries are being translated into clinical trials, reflecting a strong commitment to translational science.
Dr. Andre Kahles is a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zürich, specializing in biomedical informatics. His research focuses on computational methods for analyzing large-scale genomic and transcriptomic data, with applications in cancer genomics, metagenomics, and precision medicine. He has contributed to the development of tools such as SplAdder for alternative splicing analysis, MetaGraph for petascale genomic data exploration, and SECEDO for subclone detection in cancer genomes. His work bridges algorithmic innovation with biological insights, addressing challenges in single-cell analysis, genome graph alignment, and multi-omics integration. Key research themes include: Developing scalable algorithms for processing nanopore sequencing and metagenomic data Characterizing somatic mutations and non-coding drivers in cancer genomes Advancing genome graph-based alignment and annotation methods Integrating multi-omics data for clinical decision-making and tumor profiling His publications span topics like RNA-seq analysis, chromothripsis in cancers, and global urban microbiome tracking through the MetaSUB consortium. Kahles has collaborated on landmark projects including the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) and the Tumor Profiler Study.
Prof. Dr. Soeren Lienkamp is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Anatomy , Faculty of Medicine , University of Zurich . His work bridges digital education and genetic research , focusing on enhancing medical teaching through innovative formats. Research Interests : Genetics, developmental biology, kidney disease modeling, CRISPR applications, digital medical education, and advanced microscopy. Methodologies : Combines Xenopus tropicalis models, deep learning , and bioengineering to study genetic kidney disorders and improve diagnostic tools. Publication Trends : His recent articles highlight predictable genome editing , 3D imaging technologies , and mechanistic insights into kidney and eye development. Earlier works focus on ciliary function , Wnt signaling , and metabolic stress in renal cells.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in LausanneSwitzerland
Francesca Rodino is a Doctoral Assistant and Research Fellow at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), affiliated with the School of Engineering and the Electrical and Microengineering Institute (IEM). She conducts research at the BCI Lab in Neuchâtel, focusing on electrochemical biosensors and precision oncology platforms. She is concurrently pursuing a PhD in Microsystems and Microelectronics (EDMI program) at EPFL. Education: B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino (2019) M.Sc. in Biomedical Instrumentation, Politecnico di Torino (2022) Research Focus: Her work integrates electrochemical sensors, machine learning, and microsystems for therapeutic drug monitoring and biomedical diagnostics. Key areas include: (1) Multi-drug quantification using intelligent sensors for personalized cancer therapy, (2) Machine learning-driven optimization of electrochemical detection, (3) Microfluidic platforms for disease diagnosis (e.g., malaria), and (4) Wearable systems for neural prosthetics. Her research bridges biomedical engineering, electronics, and data science to advance precision medicine. Publication Trends: Recent articles (2022-2024) demonstrate strong emphasis on electrochemical sensors enhanced by machine learning for pharmaceutical monitoring, particularly in oncology. Secondary themes include microfluidic diagnostics, wearable medical devices, and environmental sensors. Over 85% of publications involve interdisciplinary collaborations, reflecting integration of engineering, computational methods, and clinical applications. Teaching & Leadership: Teaching Assistant for Bio-nano-chip design (EE-517) and MEMS practicals II (MICRO-503) EPFL team coach for international SensUs biotechnology competition
Ueli Grossniklaus is an Ordinary Professor at the University of Zurich within the Faculty of Mathematical and Natural Sciences , affiliated with the Department of Plant and Microbiology . His work focuses on plant developmental biology, particularly epigenetic and genetic mechanisms governing reproduction and adaptation. Key Courses: Epigenetics, Plant Biology Workshop, Group Seminars on Current Research Laboratory Techniques: Advanced methods in plant cell mechanics, transcriptomics, and genome editing Research Interests span plant epigenetics, reproductive biology, and the interplay between environmental stress and genetic regulation. He investigates: Mechanistic control of gametogenesis and fertilization Epigenetic contributions to plant adaptation Evolutionary implications of asexual reproduction Biophysical forces in plant cell growth Publication Trends (2025–2018) reveal expertise in: Arabidopsis and fern model systems Epigenetic regulation (DNA methylation, histone dynamics) Apomixis and hybrid seed failure mechanisms Biomechanics of pollen tubes and carnivorous plants Genome editing tools (CRISPR) and long-read sequencing Scientific Collaborations include interdisciplinary projects on: Microfluidic devices for plant cell analysis Gene drive ecology and ethics 3D imaging of plant reproductive structures Advising and Grants focus on mentoring through research internships in developmental biology, genetics, and systems biology. His lab engages in: Epigenetic response to environmental stress Cell wall mechanics in reproduction Computational modeling of plant growth Laboratory Teams integrate plant biologists, bioengineers, and computational scientists to study: Mechanistic gene regulation Evolutionary developmental biology Microrobotics for cellular force measurement
Prof. Valentina Boeva is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science, ETH Zürich, specializing in biomedical informatics. Her research focuses on integrating machine learning and computational methods to address challenges in genomics, oncology, and precision medicine. She holds a position in the Professur für Biomedizininformatik (Biomedical Informatics) and is based at CAB G32.2, Universitätstrasse 6, Zürich, Switzerland. Her work emphasizes applications such as cancer biomarker discovery, tumor heterogeneity analysis, and epigenetic profiling. She teaches courses including Machine Learning Seminar, Data Science Lab, and Machine Learning for Genomics. Her research group develops computational tools like CDState and UniversalEPI to decode complex biological systems. She actively publishes in top-tier journals, with recent work on exosome-driven diagnostics and chromatin interaction modeling. Her scientific contributions span methodologies for single-cell data analysis, survival modeling, and drug response prediction. She collaborates across disciplines to bridge computational science with clinical applications in cancer research.
Anita Rauch is a Full Professor of Medical Genetics and Director of the Institute of Medical Genetics at the University of Zurich. Her research focuses on the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying severe neurodevelopmental disorders and hereditary breast cancer, utilizing genome sequencing and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models. Current projects include: Genetic causes and molecular mechanisms in severe intellectual disability Praeclare (genetic variant clarification for prenatal medicine) SwissGenVar (clinical genetic variant interpretation platform) Hereditary breast cancer in Switzerland Her work is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). She leads a multidisciplinary team conducting functional studies on novel candidate genes (e.g., CYFIP2, TMEM94) and exploring genotype-phenotype correlations through iPSC-derived neuronal models. Key research trends in her publications include: Clinical trials for cancer therapies (colon, esophageal, pancreatic, breast) Pharmacogenetic determinants of chemotherapy toxicity Non-inferiority trial design methodology Genetic variant interpretation in personalized medicine She mentors PhD and Master’s students in medical genetics and contributes to the advancement of precision oncology and neurogenetics through translational research.
Michael Krauthammer is a Professor of Medical Informatics and Chair of the Department of Quantitative Biomedicine at the University of Zurich, affiliated with the University Hospital of Zurich. His lab focuses on Clinical Data Science and Translational Bioinformatics, leveraging AI and machine learning to address healthcare challenges. Key areas include cancer genomics, federated learning, and automated medical imaging analysis. Education and affiliations: Krauthammer leads an interdisciplinary team supported by major funding agencies. His research spans bioinformatics, clinical decision support systems, and multimodal data integration. Notable projects include AI-assisted diagnosis in rheumatology and prime editing efficiency prediction. Recent work emphasizes longitudinal cfDNA analysis, drug interaction modeling, and personalized oncology. The lab collaborates across disciplines, with projects funded by Swiss and international grants. Students and postdocs work on topics like machine learning for radiology reports, longitudinal disease trajectories, and protein design. Key projects include the NTCIR-18 RadNLP challenge, prime editing prediction models (Nature Biotechnology 2024), and vision transformers for capillaroscopy analysis. The lab advocates for reproducible data science and ethical AI in healthcare.
Michal Bassani-Sternberg is an Assistant Professor on conditional pre-tenure at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne (UNIL), and an Assistant Member at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne. She leads the Antigen Discovery Group and the Immunopeptidomics Unit at the Center for Experimental Therapies, Department of Oncology, UNIL-CHUV. Her work bridges proteogenomics, mass spectrometry, and computational biology to advance personalized cancer immunotherapy. Her educational background includes a Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate in Biology from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, all earned with Cum Laude distinction. She completed postdoctoral training at the Technion and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Germany, in the group of Prof. Matthias Mann. Dr. Bassani-Sternberg's research focuses on identifying cancer-specific Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) ligands to guide the development of personalized immunotherapies. Her group develops cutting-edge proteogenomic and mass spectrometry-based immunopeptidomics approaches to discover tumor-associated antigens, neoantigens, and non-canonical peptides. A key contribution is the development of NeoDisc, a continuous bioinformatics pipeline that integrates genomics, transcriptomics, and immunopeptidomics data for direct neoantigen identification in clinical trials. Her recent publications, appearing in high-impact journals such as Nature , Nature Biotechnology , Immunity , and Nature Cancer , reflect a strong trend in integrating multi-omics data to understand tumor immunogenicity, T cell responses, and antigen presentation dynamics. Her work increasingly incorporates machine learning to improve neoantigen prediction and TCR specificity inference. She has been recognized with the Pfizer Research Prize in 2021 for her contributions to immuno-oncology. Pfizer Research Prize (2021) Dr. Bassani-Sternberg leads an active research group involved in phase I clinical trials for personalized cancer vaccines and adoptive T cell therapies. Her lab is supported by major grants from the Swiss Cancer League, Swiss National Science Foundation, and ISREC Foundation. She mentors doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and collaborates extensively within the Lausanne immuno-oncology ecosystem, including CHUV and Ludwig Lausanne. Her lab, the Bassani-Sternberg Lab, is part of the Department of Oncology’s research platforms and focuses on immunopeptidomics, antigen discovery, and the development of analytical tools for personalized immunotherapy.
Prof. Vladimir Katanaev is a Full Professor at the University of Geneva's Faculty of Medicine, affiliated with the Department of Cellular Physiology and Metabolism and the Centre for Translational Research in Onco-haematology. His research focuses on oncogenic signaling pathways, particularly the Wnt signaling pathway's role in cancer and developmental biology. He combines fundamental and translational research to develop anti-cancer therapies, including Wnt inhibitors and novel drug candidates. His work also extends to G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling mechanisms and biomimetic nanocoatings inspired by biological structures. Educated at Krasnoyarsk and Moscow State Universities, he completed his PhD at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and a postdoc at Columbia University (USA). Key roles include leading a research group at the University of Konstanz (2005–2011) and joining the University of Lausanne as an associate professor before moving to UNIGE in 2018. His lab investigates Wnt pathway inhibitors, GNAO1-related encephalopathies, and synthetic applications of biological nanocoatings. Research highlights include identifying natural product-based anticancer agents, developing personalized therapies for genetic disorders, and exploring light-interacting nanomaterials. Collaborators include postdoctoral fellows and scientific collaborators like Jana Valnohova and Gonzalo Solis. His work bridges basic science and clinical translation, aiming to advance oncology and neurology treatments.
Prof. Shana Sturla is a Full Professor at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST) at ETH Zurich. Her research focuses on understanding human toxicity through the lens of chemical structure-reactivity relationships, with a particular emphasis on dietary chemicals and nucleic acid interactions. Her work bridges toxicology, biochemistry, and molecular biology, aiming to elucidate mechanisms linking chemical exposure to cancer initiation and treatment. Research interests include Mechanisms of mutagenesis via DNA-damaging agents Biomarkers for precision cancer therapy Safety assessment of nanomaterials Gut microbiota-mediated chemical toxicity Systems toxicology approaches for exposure modeling Recent studies highlight her lab's work on DNA repair pathways (e.g., MGMT protein function), microbiome-driven metabolism of dietary carcinogens, and PBK modeling to predict internal exposure. Her interdisciplinary approach combines synthetic chemistry, bioanalytical techniques, and computational modeling to address translational toxicology challenges. Key methodologies include Genome-wide DNA damage mapping In vitro-to-in vivo extrapolation High-content imaging for toxicity assessment Physiologically based kinetic modeling No scientific awards or grants are explicitly listed in the provided text, but her extensive publication record reflects significant contributions to toxicology and cancer biology.
George Coukos is a full professor at the University of Lausanne (UNIL), affiliated with the Faculty of Biology and Medicine, and serves as Director of the Department of Oncology at UNIL-CHUV. He also leads the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne and is set to direct the future Swiss Cancer Center Lausanne. He joined Lausanne in July 2012 after founding the Ovarian Cancer Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. His research focuses on cancer immunotherapy , particularly in gynecological cancers such as ovarian cancer. Key areas include understanding the tumor microenvironment , especially the vascular network, engineering chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) lymphocytes , and developing experimental mouse models of cancer. His work leverages high-throughput sequencing and molecular profiling to advance precision oncology , integrating patient genetics with clinical data for personalized treatment. The recent publications and news items highlight a strong trend toward T cell immunity , adoptive cell therapy , and overcoming immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment, such as PGE2-mediated inhibition of TIL expansion. His contributions are central to advancing clinical trials in Switzerland and Europe. Leenaards Prize for Scientific Research ERC Advanced Grant 2021 ESMO Prize Election to the National Academy of Medicine (2024) Doctor Honoris Causa from NKUA (2025) George Coukos leads a broad cancer research program spanning fundamental biology to clinical research, including preclinical and phase I clinical protocols. He has secured nearly 5 million francs in research funding and is instrumental in uniting oncology research and practice in the Lake Geneva region. He mentors researchers and leads collaborative teams at UNIL-CHUV and the Ludwig Institute. His vision includes developing the Swiss Cancer Center Lausanne as a pan-institutional hub for innovation in cancer care. He directs major research initiatives including the Swiss Cancer Center Lausanne and is a key figure in the UNIL-CHUV Department of Oncology and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne. His leadership fosters strong collaboration between research centers and clinical oncology practice, aiming to improve patient outcomes through networked, data-driven approaches.
