Scientific retreat highlights innovative collaborations and cutting-edge research across academia and industry
The recent scientific retreat for the ETH Zurich-Roche partnership, Next-gen Bioengineers, brought together a dynamic mix of researchers, scientists, programme sponsors, and distinguished guests to foster innovation and collaboration and reflect on the successful first year of the programmes. The event featured insightful presentations and chalktalks, inspirational keynotes and forward-looking plenary sessions aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry.
Key discussions and learnings
- The retreat identified emerging opportunities in the relevant fields such as gene-, cell-, and organoid-based engineering, as well as biomedical data science and AI-based models that would further the Basel region’s already strong reputation for innovative translational biomedical sciences, including the upcoming focus of immunoengineering.
- The necessity of successfully navigating the polarities between academia and industry, e.g.,
- Bridging complementary skills and mindsets across the two sides without duplicating them,
- Critical understanding of the perspectives of the other side for fruitful collaboration,
- Identifying the key opportunities for collaboration that would bring the most impact for both sides,
- Establishing internationally unique expertise in above emerging opportunities and fields in Basel.
- A science communication workshop by SamSpeaksScience for programmes’ fellows, focused on effectively communicating research and finding the right balance between credibility and impact.
Keynotes
Stefan Hell's keynote on super resolution microscopy and his innovation for "donut illumination" captivated the audience by delving into his scientific approach that led to his invention and for which he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014. He also tantalized us with the potential applications for biology to use the techniques for understanding mechanistics of protein functions.
Hans Clevers provided valuable insights into the drug development process and the key differences between industry and academia, emphasizing the constructive nature of cross-cutting collaborations. On the one side, industry gains valuable insights from academic discoveries, access to emerging talent, and a platform for knowledge transfer. On the other side, university benefits from a deeper understanding of pharmaceutical challenges and better insights on how to translate their work, creating a synergistic scenario for both partners.
“Such events are very important to find possible collaborations. | What a wealth of opportunities we have in Basel! | The retreat is a good opportunity to discuss sciences outside the normal academic channels.”Reflections from the participants taken from the anonymous survey
Outcome
The scientific retreat successfully created an environment for vibrant discussions, networking, and sparking new collaborative projects. Participants left with new ideas and a renewed enthusiasm for the convergence of academic knowledge and industry application, promising exciting developments in the future.
The lead scientists and researchers presented on a diverse and complementary set of topics, including for example:
- Upscaling of organoid models to address human variability
- Advances in gene therapy for retina-related vision impairment
- Innovations in gene, RNA, and cell therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases
- Comparative studies between organoids and primary tissues
The fellows presented creative chalk talks on their projects, including for example:
- Exploring host-microbe interactions in bioengineered human model systems
- Phenotyping at nano-scale cellular interactions in complex human systems
- Organoids for high-throughput experimentation and bioengineering
- Cell state programming through targeting methods
Attendees
All 11 enrolled fellows of the two programmes participated, representing eight countries, including two postdoctoral researchers and nine doctoral students. The Project Leaders from the partnering organizations, ETH Zurich (the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, and the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering), Roche's Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), and the Institute of Human Biology (IHB), were actively involved. Additionally, potential Project Leaders, programme sponsors, programme management, and the keynote speakers engaged and contributed to the lively discussions.
Looking ahead to 2025 Next-gen Lunch & Learn Seminar Series
- Prof. Bart Deplancke from EPFL will kick off the 2025 Next-gen Lunch & Learn Seminar Series with a public lecture titled “Advancing Biology through Single-Cell Phenomics.” on January 27, 2025.
- In addition to the engaging scientific talks, the series will offer workshops for fellows focused on transferable skills, as well as site visits to both Basel campuses, D-BSSE ETH Zurich and Roche.
- Find out more about the semianar talk by Prof. Bart Deplancke on January 27, 2025.
- For future events organised by the Next-gen Bioengineers programmes, please see the agenda.
- NEW postdoc position - Explore gene expression in healthy and diseased human neuronal networks using electrophysiology and spatial transcriptomics > Find full description of position on ETH job portal.