Materials Meet LifeOpen OpportunitiesWe are looking for a motivated Master student to join Empa St. Gallen for this master thesis project. The candidate will be part of an exciting and collaborative project between the Particles-Biology Interactions Lab, the Biointerfaces Lab as well as the Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles Lab at Empa. - Biomedical Engineering
- Master Thesis
| Wound infections present a significant challenge in healthcare, and traditional treatments involving antibiotics can lead to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Probiotics (i.e. the "good bacteria") have been studied widely for their potential antimicrobial effects and use in wound treatment as an alternative to antibi-otics. They have been reported to enhance wound healing, produce antimicrobial substances, disrupt biofilm, and restore the microbial balance in wounds. In this project, we aim to combine the benefits of probiotics and hydrogels to form a so-called "living hydrogel": i.e. a hydrogel with organisms inside. The living hydrogel can not only fulfill the function of a normal wound patch but also deliver the therapeutic factors secreted by the encapsulated probiotics to fight against pathogen infection and also promote wound healing. - Biomedical Engineering, Complementary/alternative Medicine, Interdisciplinary Engineering, Macromolecular Chemistry, Materials Engineering
- Internship, Master Thesis
| You will use THz nanoimaging techniques to investigate the properties of graphene in various condi-tions in the THz regime. - Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Physics
- Master Thesis
| You will fabricate THz bolometric detector elements, and will combine them to develop a THz camera suitable for 3D THz imaging - Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Physics
- Master Thesis
| You will use state of the art cleanroom microfabrication techniques and 3D printing for the develop-ment of THz devices such as Thz filters. - Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Physics
- Master Thesis
| The two main proteins implicated in the pathology of AD are amyloid-beta and tau isoforms whose total content can be quantified in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood plasma and serum. Yet, differences in morphology of these shape-shifting proteins in body fluids, which are also key indicators of disease stage, remains largely unknown and hence unavailable to clinicians. Recently, we discovered that the physical biomarkers (size, shape, morphology, assembly patterns and prevalence) of these protein aggregates on red blood cells (RBCs) strongly correlate with neurocognitive disorder levels in patients (Nirmalraj et al, Science Advances, 7, eabj2137, 2021). Our goal and vision are to investigate these new class of biomarkers and integrate them with clinical decision making to diagnose AD before it destroys cognition and memory in individuals.
In this context, the proposed master thesis project will focus on resolving and quantifying the aggregation pathway of synthetically prepared Tau proteins at solid liquid interface using nanoscale imaging and chemical spectroscopy. The complete aggregation pathway from onset of oligomers to fibrils will be captured at single particle level using atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy and also the chemical structure resolved using Infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Knowledge developed in this project will serve as guidelines for classification of protein aggregates in blood and CSF from patients at various stages of decline in memory and cognition. - Medical Microbiology, Nanotechnology
- Master Thesis
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