 University of Zurich| Acronym | UZH | | Homepage | http://www.uzh.ch/ | | Country | Switzerland | | ZIP, City | | | Address | | | Phone | | | Type | Academy | | Current organization | University of Zurich | | Child organizations | | | Members | | | Memberships | |
Open OpportunitiesIn this project, you will be at the forefront of developing a new microrobotic system based on focused ultrasound trapping to treat ischemic strokes. In recent years, the development of microrobots has emerged as a promising frontier in precision medicine. These miniature robotic agents hold tremendous potential, yet their successful validation in vivo and their translation into clinical applications have encountered significant challenges. A primary impediment lies in the intricate task of precisely releasing therapeutic agents at the target environment. Previous approaches mainly made use of photocleavable links to release bound drug molecules at the target are. Unfortunately, light-based approaches often fall short in penetrating deep into tissue limiting the applicability in real medical scenarios. On the other hand, drug release via acoustic methods such as ultrasound has seen promising advancements by the use of bubbles or liposomes. However, our current microrobots rely on focused ultrasound trapping-based navigation and optoacoustic or ultrasound imaging. The occurring pressures in this method limit the use of bubbles or liposomes since they tend to collapse in this scenario. We are therefore searching for motivated students, who like to work on new concepts for the drug release in microrobots navigated via focused ultrasound. - Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Medical Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Bachelor Thesis, Internship, Lab Practice, Master Thesis, Semester Project
| The remarkable complexity of morphogenesis and tissue regeneration implies the existence of a transcellular communication network in which individual cells sense the environment and coordinate their biological activity in time and space. To understand the fascinating ability of tissue self-organization, comprehensive study of biophysical properties (cellular nanomechanics such as tension forces and bioelectromagnetics) in combination with the analysis of biochemical networks (signaling pathways and genetic circuits) is required.
In this framework we are investigating the unacknowledged key role of Desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) as a receptor involved in mechanosensing, capable of initiating a signaling response in the transcellular communication network, which results in stem cell fate conversion, plasticity and tissue repair.
Our goal is to apply innovative Fluidic Force Microscopy to measure altered biophysical parameters upon disruption of Dsg3 transadhesion such as cell stiffness, cell-cell adhesion, cell surface charges and electric potentials. Together with the University of Bern and University of Lübeck we are further investigating how these biophysical changes relate to transcriptomic, epigenomic and proteomic response circuits to ultimately infer biophysical and biochemical circuits involved in Dsg3 signaling.
- Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Medical and Health Sciences, Physics
- Bachelor Thesis, ETH Zurich (ETHZ), Master Thesis, Semester Project
| The remarkable complexity of morphogenesis and tissue regeneration implies the existence of a transcellular communication network in which individual cells sense the environment and coordinate their biological activity in time and space. To understand the fascinating ability of tissue self-organization, comprehensive study of biophysical properties (cellular nanomechanics such as tension forces and bioelectromagnetics) in combination with the analysis of biochemical networks (signaling pathways and genetic circuits) is required.
In this framework we are investigating the unacknowledged key role of Desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) as a receptor involved in mechanosensing, capable of initiating a signaling response in the transcellular communication network, which results in stem cell fate conversion, plasticity and tissue repair.
Our goal is to apply innovative Fluidic Force Microscopy to measure altered biophysical parameters upon disruption of Dsg3 transadhesion such as cell stiffness, cell-cell adhesion, cell surface charges and electric potentials. Together with the University of Bern and University of Lübeck we are further investigating how these biophysical changes relate to transcriptomic, epigenomic and proteomic response circuits to ultimately infer biophysical and biochemical circuits involved in Dsg3 signaling.
- Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Medical and Health Sciences, Physics
- Bachelor Thesis, ETH Zurich (ETHZ), Master Thesis, Semester Project
| Recent research has expanded the investigation of spontaneous fluctuations in the BOLD fMRI signal from the brain to the spinal cord. The vast majority of the studies have focused on the cervical cord, neglecting the lumbar cord which is involved in lower limb control as well as bladder, bowel, and sexual function. In a previous project, we demonstrated the presence of resting-state networks in the lumbar cord. Now, we aim to investigate the reliability of these resting-state networks within and across scans. Another goal is to improve the processing of the BOLD fMRI data, which requires an in-depth comparison of different denoising strategies and exploring their impact on reliability. To achieve these goals, the Master's student will have access to existing resting-state BOLD fMRI data and will also have the opportunity to expand the dataset by acquiring additional data. - Medical Biotechnology, Neurology and Neuromuscular Diseases, Neurosciences, Radiology and Organ Imaging, Rehabilitation Engineering
- Master Thesis
| Cardiac diffusion tensor imaging (cDTI) provides information about the cardiac microstructure by measuring the diffusion of water molecules within the heart wall. Current imaging standards measure three slices distributed across the left ventricle. However, if not corrected, respiratory motion causes slice misalignments that obstruct microstructure inference. Yet, this motion might also allow us to estimate sample points between slices, thus adjusting for motion and increasing spatial coverage. By using the respiratory navigator data, you will map in-vivo cDTI data to a 3D digital twin mesh and implement a tensor estimation to estimate sample points between slices based on spatial smoothness regularization. You then perform an accuracy evaluation on simulated data. - Biomedical Engineering, Human Biophysics, Medical Physics
- Bachelor Thesis, Master Thesis, Semester Project
| Computer-Assisted Orthopedic Surgery (CAOS) has been demonstrated to improve surgical precision in various procedures, including spinal fusion surgery, arthroplasty, and bone deformity correction [1,2]. Ultrasound, as a radiation-free, cost-effective, and portable alternative to CT and X-ray imaging, has been employed for real-time visualization of both soft tissues and bones through the reflection of acoustic waves. Despite its advantages, ultrasound imaging has inherent limitations such as low signal-to-noise ratio, acoustic shadowing, and speckle noise, which pose challenges for interpretation by surgeons. In our project, we have collected a dataset comprising over 100k ultrasound images with precise bone annotations. These bone labels are categorized into two classes: high-intensity regions (high signal-to-noise ratio) and low-intensity regions (low signal-to-noise ratio), as shown in Figure 1. According to experiment results, surgeons’ performance for bone labeling for low-intensity regions declined significantly compared to the high-intensity regions.
[1] Pandey, Prashant U., et al. "Ultrasound bone segmentation: A scoping review of techniques and validation practices." Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology 46.4 (2020): 921-935.
[2] Hohlmann, Benjamin, Peter Broessner, and Klaus Radermacher. "Ultrasound-based 3D bone modelling in computer assisted orthopedic surgery–a review and future challenges." Computer Assisted Surgery 29.1 (2024): 2276055. - Computer Vision, Image Processing, Medical and Health Sciences, Pattern Recognition
- Bachelor Thesis, Master Thesis, Semester Project
| This project explores the relationship between corticomuscular coherence (CMC) and muscular and
cognitive fatigue during dual-task performance. We will utilize synchronized EMG and EEG data collected with the
The Quattrocento system from OTBioelettronica will investigate variations in CMC between
the onset of EMG and EEG signals.
- Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences
- Bachelor Thesis, Internship, Master Thesis, Semester Project
| The aim of this project is to implement and optimize multi-compartment parameter fitting into an existing MRI simulation framework. - Biomedical Engineering
- Bachelor Thesis, ETH Zurich (ETHZ), Master Thesis, Semester Project
| The aim of this project is to perform high resolution CFD simulations of pathological patient-specific cerebral vasculatures to analyze hemodynamic flow parameters and compare with In-vivo MRI data. - Biomechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Simulation and Modelling
- Master Thesis, Semester Project
| The aim of this project is to hence a 3d Convolutional Neural Network for segmentation of 4D Flow MRI data of the cerebral vasculature. - Engineering and Technology, Information, Computing and Communication Sciences, Mathematical Sciences
- Master Thesis, Semester Project
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