Institute of Translational MedicineOpen OpportunitiesThis project aims to systematically explore how "context" can be conceptualized and used to model outcomes in clinical research. This project focuses on analyzing the StudentLife dataset to explore how capturing contextual data can reduce variation in key outcome measures, such as the PHQ-9 (a measure of depression). The project aims to model how contextual covariates can explain variation over time, particularly during periods of increasing stress, such as a college semester. The findings will contribute to a viewpoint paper and a detailed analysis of the impact of contextual data on reducing trial sizes in research. - Health Information Systems (incl. Surveillance)
- Master Thesis
| This project aims to systematically explore how "context" is conceptualized and represented within conceptual models across various Therapeutic Areas (TAs) in clinical research. The goal is to review existing literature, analyze qualitative research, and identify common themes and differences in how context, environment, and adaptation are integrated into these models. The project will result in a comprehensive review paper, the development of an initial ontology, and a gap analysis of existing datasets and sensors used to capture contextual information. - Health Information Systems (incl. Surveillance)
- ETH Zurich (ETHZ), Master Thesis
| We developed a high-throughput microfluidic droplet-based process for the mass production of microrobots at a laboratory scale. We have successfully demonstrated the navigation of microrobots to the target lesion, and their enhanced thrombolytic performance has been validated within an emboli-on-a-chip micro¬fluidic system. Currently, we are planning ex vivo and in vivo experiments in a pig model to further evaluate the clinical potential of our approach. - Biology, Chemistry, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences, Physics
- Master Thesis, Semester Project
| Ultrasound imaging with contrast agents such as microbubbles and nanodroplets
is a promising tool to diagnose and monitor diseases at the molecular level. In
our lab, we are interested in detecting soluble molecular targets such
as proteases in vivo. To achieve this, we aim to modify the acoustic properties
of microbubbles in response to protease activity by altering their shell
properties using tight peptide-crosslinked networks. - Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Macromolecular Chemistry, Medical and Health Sciences, Organic Chemistry, Other Chemistry
- Bachelor Thesis, Master Thesis, Semester Project
| Proteases are key regulators and a hallmark of disease. They are involved in important physiological functions. The malfunctioning of these important regulators can lead to severe health effects. At the medical microsystems laboratory, we create tools for detecting proteases in vivo and ex vivo at the point of care, aiding clinicians in monitoring treatments effectively. To design a protease specific diagnostic tool, we need a peptide that is selectively cleaved by the target protease while remaining resistant or cleaved more slowly by other physiological proteases. This task can be challenging because some proteases have broad peptide specificities. An effective strategy is to create and screen peptide libraries. The peptide phage display approach allows for the generation of millions of peptides simultaneously. To create a phage library displaying these peptides, a bacterial library is infected with a helper phage. After immobilizing and cleaving the peptides with the target proteases, we can generate a heat map showing the activity and selectivity of the peptides against various proteases, thereby identifying the most suitable peptide candidates for our diagnostic devices. - Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Immunological and Bioassay Methods, Medical Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry, Sensor (Chemical and Bio-) Technology
- Bachelor Thesis, Internship, Master Thesis
| Synthetic biology has paved the way for the development of bacteria with modified surfaces, enabling their functionalization with magnetic materials and diverse cargos. This study explores a novel approach to genetically engineer Escherichia coli to express surface proteins capable of binding magnetic nanoparticles. The engineered bacteria were then further functionalized to carry various cargos, including therapeutic agents and biosensors. The resultant magnetic bacteria exhibited enhanced mobility under external magnetic fields, allowing for targeted delivery and retrieval of cargos. This method holds significant promise for biomedical applications, including targeted drug delivery and diagnostic imaging, showcasing the potential of genetically engineered bacteria as versatile tools in biotechnology. - Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biomaterials, Biomechanical Engineering, Biotechnology, Genetics, Membrane and Separation Technologies, Microbiology, Organic Chemistry, Other Chemistry
- ETH Zurich (ETHZ), Internship, Master Thesis
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