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Medical Faculty: Annual Report 2023

The annual report 2023 of the medical faculty of the University of Bern is out. The BCPM is featured on page 176.

Swiss Medical Weekly: What are the bottlenecks to health data sharing in Switzerland? An interview study

While health data sharing for research purposes is strongly supported in principle, it can be challenging to implement in practice. Little is known about the actual bottlenecks to health data sharing in Switzerland. This study aimed to assess the obstacles to Swiss health data sharing, including legal, ethical and logistical bottlenecks.

SNSF Sinergia award for Axel Rominger, Kuangyu Shi and Quanzheng Li

The team composed of Axel Rominger, Kuangyu Shi (Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, University Hospital of Bern) and Quanzheng Li (Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School) were awarded CHF 2.2 million for their "Intelligent 4D ultra-high-sensitive PET Imaging for early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma". The project deals with the development of early detection methods for pancreatic cancer using positron emission tomography.

Swiss Cancer Research foundation news

Mark Rubin is the new president of the Scientific Committee of the Swiss Cancer Research foundation as of January 2024.

Swiss 3R Competence Centre (3RCC) interview

BCPM director Mark Rubin discusses his 3RCC-funded research in this short Youtube video: Development of a platform for genitourinary cancer patient-derived organoids.

Spatial omics: The Discussion Sessions

The SPatial Omics Consortium and the BCPM are happy to present their seminar series titled "Spatial omics: The Discussion Sessions", starting September 7, 2023. Click for information and registration.

Publication in Molecular Cell: A potential milestone in cancer therapy

Prof. Mark Rubin, Dr. Anke Augspach (University of Bern, Inselspital) and Prof. Rahul Kanadia (University of Connecticut) have made a significant breakthrough in the fight against cancer. They identified a previously unknown weak point of prostate cancer cells. This could also lead to entirely new therapeutic approaches for other types of cancer.

SRF Podcast on Organoids in Bladder Cancer research (in German)

Prof. Dr. Marianna Kruithof de Julio, head of the TOR facility and group leader at the DBMR, and Prof. Dr. Roland Seiler, Urology chief physician at the Biel Hospital Centre, explain why organoids play an important role in bladder cancer research and the development of personalized therapies (starting 20').

New publication in Nature on Blood-Brain Barrier and Multiple Sclerosis

Check out the paper by Prof. Britta Engelhardt and her team: "Antigen recognition detains CD8+ T cells at the blood-brain barrier and contributes to its breakdown".

Medical Faculty: Annual Report 2022

The annual report 2022 of the medical faculty of the University of Bern is out. The BCPM is featured on page 126.

News in Hepatology

Prof. Dr. med. Annalisa Berzigotti has been appointed as Chair of the Department of Hepatology at the University Clinic for Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, as of April 1st, 2023.

Open position: DBMR / Medical Faculty UniBe

The DBMR and Medical Faculty are advertising a position for an open-rank professorship with aim Associate Professor for Omics Data Science for genomic analysis in cancer, cardiovascular disease, or neuroscience.
Application deadline: 2.2.2023.

SDiPath Annual Meeting & Industry Fair January 19th 2023

Prof. Viktor Koelzer will give an update on the Swiss Digital Pathology Initiative (SDPI), the plans for a Swiss-wide federally-funded digital pathology network.
Keynote from Prof Rouven Porz “The Science and Fiction of AI: an Ethical Perspective”.
Click to register

Brain Journal Dec 2022 Editor's Choice:

"Intrinsic blood–brain barrier dysfunction contributes to multiple sclerosis pathogenesis" according to research done by BCPM members Hideaki Nishihara, Britta Engelhardt et al.

New BCPM Management Board elected

The BCPM members have elected a new Executive Board. We are happy to present the seven board members, and we wish to express our appreciation to the departing board members Prof. Dr. Anne Angelillo and Prof. Dr. Nadia Mercader for their valuable work and dedication during the last years.

BCPM Call for Lighthouse projects

The Bern Center for Precision Medicine (BCPM) is issuing a request for applications for up to three lighthouse projects addressing key challenges in the field of precision medicine with the potential for clinical translation. It is open to researchers from the University of Bern and the Inselspital.

LOI Submission deadline:
Tuesday, February 03, 2023,
17:00h CET.

Prostate Cancer Foundation Challenge Award 2022

A project by Prof. Mark Rubin, Dr. Anke Augspach, Prof. Rahul Kanadia (Univ. Connecticut) and Prof. Gunnar Rätsch (ETHZ) has received the prestigious 2022 Challenge Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation. This multidisciplinary team has received $ 1mio. to study the mechanisms of minor intron splicing and how inhibiting its machinery can create a new cancer specific vulnerability.

Emerging Therapies and Therapeutic Targets in Prostate Cancer

Mark Rubin talks with Alicia Morgans, GU Medical Oncologist from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, about emerging therapies and emerging therapeutic targets in prostate cancer.

Technological advances in cancer therapy

Article in Cancer Cell "Clinical application of advanced multi-omics tumor profiling: shaping precision oncology of the future":
Dr. Dilara Akhoundova and Prof. Mark A. Rubin (University of Bern / Inselspital) provide an overview of the latest technologies in precision oncology. Translating these into clinical application is still a major challenge. With research projects, the Bern Center for Precision Medicine (BCPM) contributes to bringing technological progress to the patient.

BCPM at Nacht der Forschung 2022

The BCPM will be participating in this year's Nacht der Forschung organised by the University of Bern. There will be several talks as well as a podium discussion on Precision Medicine topics.

SNSF: New CV format

The SNSF has defined a new CV format. It will be launched in project funding for the submission date of 03.10.2022. Webinars on 24.08.22 and 20.09.22, 15:00-16:00h, are intended for researchers and other interested parties and aim to explain the rationale behind the changes to the SNSF's CV format and present the new CV and its elements.

Major US award for Bern and Geneva researchers

A prestigious grant from the USA goes to the biomedical scientist Sven Rottenberg, University of Bern, and the clinical scientist Intidhar Labidi-Galy, University of Geneva and University Hospital of Geneva. They received a joint grant from the "Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs" for their project on ovarian cancer. This underlines the high quality of the collaborative research on ovarian cancer in Bern and Geneva.

BCPM Project Call on
Ethics and Data Exchange

The BCPM is issuing a request for applications in the field of ethics and data exchange. It is open to researchers from the University of Bern and the Inselspital.

Submission deadline:
Friday, July 8th, 2022,
17:00h CET.

10x Genomics Single Cell Grant Program

10x Genomics and the NGS Platform are Sponsoring a Grant Program for Innovative Investigators at University of Bern, Inselspital Bern and University of Fribourg.

Submission deadline:
March 14, 2022.

BCPM Project Call for
Cancer Research

The BCPM is issuing a new request for applications for interdisciplinary Cancer Research projects. It is open to researchers from the University of Bern and the Inselspital.

Submission deadline:
Friday, February 18th, 2022,
17:00h CET.

Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2021

Congratulations to our members Prof. Marcel Egger, Prof. Andrew Macpherson and Prof. Mark Rubin for being amongst the most highly cited researchers in 2021.

AlveoliX Open House Afternoon, sitem-insel
August 26th, 2021

AlveoliX is a spin-off from the Bern University, developing advanced in vitro models. This event is for people who want to learn more about organs-on-chip and how they can be a great tool for in vitro research.

BCPM Project Call for
Young Investigators

The BCPM is issuing a new request for applications for Young Investigator projects. It is open to researchers from the Inselspital and University of Bern.

Submission deadline:
Friday, August 27th, 2021,
17:00h CET.

SPHN & PHRT: Launch of call for proposals for National Data Streams

PHRT and SPHN launch a call on June 1st 2021 for National Data Streams. NDS are multidisciplinary consortial research infrastructures (platforms) involving a national network of clinical and science/engineering partners.

In Memoriam: Yvonne Roschi, 28.12.1960-18.03.2021

It is with great sadness that we write to inform you about the untimely death of our collaborator Yvonne Roschi. On March 18, she lost a courageous battle against cancer.
Yvonne joined the DBMR team on February 1st, 2011, as member of the housekeeping staff in the then new building Murtenstrasse 50. Since 2016 she was responsible as ‘Hausdienstleiterin’ for the buildings at Murtenstrasse 40, where the BCPM had its office, and Murtenstrasse 50. In this function she contributed enormously to creating excellent conditions for the different research groups and core facilities. She tackled issues with resourcefulness, energy and optimism. We shall remember her as a cheerful and warm-hearted person. Our thoughts are with her husband Stefan, her daughters Marina and Alexia, and her little granddaughter Emma.

BEFRI Genomics Day 2021

Hosted this year by Dr. Laurent Falquet from the University of Fribourg.

Patient-derived xenografts and organoids model therapy response in prostate cancer

Scientists at Urology Research Laboratory of the Department for BioMedical Research
(DBMR), University of Bern and Urology Department of the Inselspital of Bern, have
established organoid culture models from prostate tumor biopsies. These are small clusters
of cells which can be used to test the efficacy of various drugs. In this way, it is possible to
test which treatment will most likely benefit individual patients

SPHN report 2016-2019

SPHN (Swiss Personalized Health Network) has just issued its first report describing the advancement of all currently funded projects.

SRF radio podcast: Covid-19 and its effect on lung function

Dr. Manuela Funke-Chambour, Department for Pulmonary Medicine, Inselspital, is interviewed on Swiss national radio SRF (in german) on how Covid-19 affects the lung of patients, particularly long-term.

Confederation supports 2nd SPHN funding period 2021-2024 totalling CHF 66.9 Mio

The Confederation renews the mandate of the Swiss Academies of Medical Sciences (SAMS) and the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics for a second SPHN funding period for 2021 to 2024.

***UPDATE***: Swiss Stem Cell Network (SCCN) 15th Annual Meeting 2020: Dec 11, 2020: eMeeting via Zoom

Co-hosted by the platform for Stem Cell Research in Regenerative Medicine (SCRM) and the Bern Center for Precision Medicine (BCPM): "Innovation in Clinical Bio-manufacturing". General topic: Organoids & other specialized cell cultures for clinical applications.
Click for more information and the final program.

New discovery in Prostate Cancer research

Dr. Anke Augspach and Prof. Mark Rubin led an international team that has identified a novel vulnerability in advanced prostate cancer that is no longer responding to hormonal therapy. These findings could lead to the development of new treatment approaches for men suffering from the most aggressive form of prostate cancer.

New BCPM Executive Board elected

The BCPM members have elected a new Executive Board. We are happy to present the seven board members, and we wish to express our appreciation to the departing board members Prof. Dr. Claudia Kühni and Prof. Dr. Tosso Leeb for their valuable contribution during the last years.

3RCC project award for "Development of a platform for GU cancer patient-derived organoids"

Congratulations to BCPM members Dr Marianna Kruithof-de-Julio and Prof. Mark Rubin (President) on their 3R's project award. With this 3RCC funding they will develop a platform for GU cancer patient-derived organoids.

Discovery of new genes that influence the success of cancer treatment

One of the great mysteries of cancer research is why certain patients respond better to radiation therapy than others. Researchers at the University of Bern and BCPM have now discovered which genes play an important role in this. This results in new findings for cancer treatment.

Next-Generation Sequencing to provide Precision Medicine for Rare Metabolic Disorders

The group of Amit V. Pandey (DBMR) and Christa E. Flück (DBMR and BCPM member), in collaboration with Laura Audí (Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain), has studied the genetic basis of aromatase deficiency, a rare metabolic disorder that prevents the production of estrogens in humans, according to new research in JCEM (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism).
Image of steroid producing cells grown in the laboratory © Emanuele Pignatti / University of Bern / Inselspital, University Hospital Bern

SRF Digital: Big Data in der Medizin (german podcast)

Prof. Mark Rubin, President of the BCPM, is interviewed about Big Data in Medicine, and in this context, he talks about the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) (starting 18'10'').

Professor Tosso Leeb, winner of the International Canine Health Award 2020

Prof. Tosso Leeb, Director of the Institute of Genetics of the Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern and management board member of the BCPM, has won the International Canine Health Award 2020, one of the largest and most distinguished veterinary awards in the world.

Professor Leeb’s research is focused on the analysis of inherited traits and diseases in domestic animals.

BCPM Project Call on
Covid-19 and SARS-CoV-2

The BCPM a has issued a call for applications for projects on
COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2. This research call is meant to supplement bigger research programs such as the ones financed by the SNF, and is open to researchers from the Inselspital and University of Bern.

Submission deadline:
Monday, May 18th, 2020,
12:00 (noon) CET.

NEW: Annual Report 2019, Insel Gruppe (in German)

Cloëtta Prize 2020 awarded to Prof. Nadia Mercader

Prof. Nadia Mercader from the Institute of Anatomy of the University of Bern, member of the BCPM and Chair of its Scientific Review Board, has been awarded the 2020 Cloëtta Prize for her outstanding research on heart regeneration.

The Professor Dr Max Cloëtta Foundation aims at supporting and promoting medical research as well as related disciplines of natural sciences in Switzerland.

ERC Advanced Grant awarded to Prof. Dr. Sven Rottenberg, Institute of Animal Pathology at the University of Bern and member of the BCPM

Prof. Dr. Sven Rottenberg has been awarded a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant. His research project TETHER will receive 2,5 mio. EURO in funding for a duration of 5 years, and will focus on the molecular mechanisms of radiotherapy-resistant cancers.

NEW: Annual Report 2019, Medical Faculty, University of Bern

"EVENT POSTPONED": 10x Genomics User Day: "From Single Cell to Spatial Transcriptomics", March 17th 2020, 13:30-17:00, Hörsaal Paraklinik, Länggassstrasse 122, 3012 Bern

This event will feature presentations from 10 x Genomics specialists as well as from Bern and Fribourg researchers. It will be an informative afternoon for any researcher who wants to use or currently uses single-cell sequencing technologies in their research.

Please see the attached flyer for further details and for the registration link. Places are limited!

«Es gibt keine perfekte Medizin – nur eine effizientere»

BCPM director Mark Rubin is interviewed (in german) on precision medicine and how it can improve the treatment of patients as well as promote disease prevention.

Gut bacteria help control healthy muscle contraction in the colon

Micro-organisms in the gut support healthy digestion by helping nerve cells within the intestine to regulate the contraction and relaxation of the muscle wall of the colon, according to new research from the Francis Crick Institute and Bern University.

Collegium Generale Lecture Series: Dr. Rémy Bruggmann "Bioinformatik und Sequenziertechnologien" (Podcast in german)

Dr. Rémy Bruggmann, Head of the Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit, University of Bern and BCPM management board member, speaks about Bioinformatics and Sequencing Technologies.

Prof. Jean-Pierre Hubaux, EPFL: "Data Protection for Personalized Health"

Check out the presentation slides from the BCPM seminar held on October 15, 2019.

“Bern is ideally suited for precision medicine”

Article published in Uniaktuell 20.09.2019