Research

From concept to clinics. We harness the exclusive properties of nanoscale materials and develop disruptive therapeutic and diagnostic approaches.

Theranostic Magnetic Blood Purification

We develop a theranostic nanoparticle-based approach that allows capturing of pathogenic compounds (ions, small molecule drugs, proteins, bacteria, cells) from blood and rapid identification of the pathogen enabling doctors to then start appropriate treatment in due time.

We have close collaborations with Marco Lattuada (AMI/University of Fribourg), Gerald Pier (Harvard University) and external page hemotune Ltd. This project has been supported by the Novartis Foundation for medical-biological research and by Innosuisse.

Bioactive Tissue Glues (Nanoglue, anavo)

We develop bioactive nanoparticle-based tissue glues that allow surgeons to achieve rapid hemostasis and wound closing and optimally support the natural healing process by releasing bioactive compounds. Nanoglue overcomes the shortcomings of current wound care products by uniting adhesion and bioactivity.

This work is in collaboration with the Inselspital Bern (Plastic Surgery Department). We acknowledge support from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Bangerter Rhyner Foundation and the Helmut Horten Foundation and Innosuisse!

Smart Surgical Adhesives (AnastoSEAL)

Intestinal anastomotic leaking, which involves the discharge of chemically aggressive, non-sterile fluids into the abdomen, remains one of the most dreaded postoperative complications of abdominal surgery. We develop next generation surgical adhesives to prevent, detect and treat gastrointestinal anastomotic leaking.

This work is is carried out in close collaboration with surgeons at Charles University (Liska Lab).

Mineralomics & Biotransformation

We repurpose cutting-edge materials characterization in order to gain insights into soft tissue calcification and unravel the mechanisms leading to heart valve calcification or preeclampsia. In this way, we achieve a fresh view on complex biomineralization mechanisms involved in pathological calcification and gain new insights into the underlying processes that can then be leveraged to develop novel curative strategies.

These activities are kindly supported by the Swiss Heart Foundation, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the ETH Domain SFA Personalized Health and Related Technologies (PHRT) program and are carried out in close collaboration with the Mineralomics group chaired by Dr. S. Bertazzo, University College London, UK, the Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen KSSG, and the ARTORG/Inselspital Bern (Prof. Obrist) and Prof. Carrel (USZ).

Multiscale Correlative BioImaging and Molecular Labelling

We develop methods that allow us to integrate the major imaging methods used in biology, from the micro to the macro scale. With this approach we are able to correlate data from the key imaging methods used by today’s biologists and biochemists thereby providing groundwork to significantly advance the holistic understanding of both physiological and pathological processes by linking structural with functional information. Our activities include Correlative Cathodoluminescence Electron Microscopy (CCLEM), molecular labelling approaches and chemometric analyses of tissues by vibrational spectroscopy approaches.

This project is carried out in collaboration with the Bertazzo Lab at the University College London, UK and the CNRS lab of Prof. M. Kociak. We acknowledge support from the European Union Seventh Framework Programm ESTEEM2 (imaging), the Novartis Freenovation Program (AI-assisted Spectral Pathology) the EU ESTEEM3 program.

Particle Characterization Lab & Measurement Science

We host a particle characterization lab where we investigate colloidal stability of inorganic (metal and metal oxides) and organic particles (liposomes, polymersomes and exosomes) under a range of physiologically relevant conditions. We are part of the European Nanoparticle Characterization Lab project (EU-NCL). In addition to characterizing colloidal suspensions, we develop tools for online monitoring of reactions on particle surfaces. Our particle characterization instruments include a Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis Instrument (Nanosight, NTA - NS500) with Fluorescence module, a Malvern Zeta sizer and an sp-ICP/MS.