Education
2014 CAS in Entrepreneurship, University of Bern, Switzerland
2013 Venia Docendi (PD) in Biomedical Engineering, University of Bern, Switzerland
2005 – 2006 Post-doctoral research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA (18 months)
1995 – 2000 PhD Electronics and Physics, University of Neuchâtel (now EPFL) Switzerland
1994 – 1995 MSc Thesis, Molecular Devices Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA, USA (7 months)
1990 – 1995 MSc Electronics-Physics, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
1986 – 1990 BSc Eng. Microtechnology, University of Applied Sciences, Biel-Bienne, Switzerland
Employment History
2015 - now Full Professor, Univ. of Bern & Member Extended Management, ARTORG Center
2019 – 2021 Member of the Boards, AlveoliX AG and AlveoliX Technologies AG
2015 – 2019 Founder, President of the Board and CEO of AlveoliX AG, a start-up of OOC Tech. group
2010 – 2015 Assistant Professor, University of Bern, Medical Faculty, ARTORG Center, Switzerland
2009 – 2012 Adjunct Professor, Ecole Polytechnique Montréal, Eng. Physics Dept., Canada
2009 – 2011 Section Head, CSEM SA, Nanomedicine Division, Switzerland
2006 – 2009 Assistant Professor, Ecole Polytechnique Montréal,Engineering Physics Dept., Canada.
2005 – 2006 Research fellow, Harvard Medical School & MGH, Boston, Prof. Yarmush, Prof. Toner
2000 – 2004 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Microtechnology (now EPFL)
Institutional Responsabilities
2021 – now Member of the Steering Committee of the SNSF NRP 79 “Advancing 3R”
2017 – now Member of the Resources Committee, Medical Faculty, University of Bern
2016 – now Member of several faculty search committees for professor positions, University of Bern
2015 – now Member of the Extended Management of the ARTORG Center, University of Bern
2012 – now Member of the Microscopy Committee (MIC – interfaculty group), University of Bern
2010 – now Head Organs-on-Chip Technologies Laboratories, University of Bern
Approved Research Projects (selection)
2022 - 2025 SNSF, Lead Agency with DFG, Pulmonary arterial hypertension-on-chip (609kCHF) 2022 – 2025 MCID, Liver-on-chip for co-infection (malaria and HBV), Lead: Volker Heussler, Uni Bern (720kCHF)
2021 – 2023 Innosuisse, Microvascularised organoid (304kCHF)
2020 – 2023 3RCC, IPF-on-chip as replacement for the bleomycin model, (315kCHF)
2020 – 2021 Novartis Foundation, MAPK signalling in 2nd generation Lung-on-Chip (60kCHF)
2019 – 2023 SNSF, Bioartificial Microvascularized Lung Alveoli Array, (998kCHF)
2019 – 2021 Eurostars (H2020), project Nr. 12977 AIM4Doc (tot: 1.7mio€, 439k€)
2019 - 2022 ITN (H2020) Project Nr. 812954 – EUROoC Organs-on-Chip (tot: 3.9mio€, 281k€)
2018 - 2019 Innosuisse, Nr. 27813.1, Lung-on-Chip System for Preclinical Studies (312kCHF)
2016 - 2018 Lungenliga Switzerland, Acute lung injury, (160kCHF, co-PI with PD Dr. S. Freigang).
2015 - 2017 Swiss CTI, Nr. 18171.1, Lung-on-Chip for Pulmonary Fibrosis Compound Test (332kCHF)
2015 - 2018 3R foundation, Acute Lung Injury, with PD Dr. S. Freigang, Bern (138kCHF)
2014 - 2016 SNSF R’Equip & Chefärtzefond, Microscopy Equipment for Organ-on-Chips (360kCHF)
Supervision of Juniors Researchers
Postdocs: supervision of 10 postdocs and senior scientists in the last 6 years
• Soheila Zeinali: 2020 – now; Pauline Zamprogno: 2020 -now; Arunima Sengupta: 2020 – now; Andreas Stucki: 2018 – 2019 (Peta International Science Consortium); Andreas Hugi: 2018 – 2019 (senior engineer, AlveoliX); Nuria Roldan Lopez: 2018 (senior scientist AlveoliX); Nina Hobi: 2016 – 2017 (co-CEO, AlveoliX); Janick Stucki: 2016 – 2017 (co-CEO, AlveoliX); Artur Galimov: 2015 –2017 (Novartis); Emanuele Marconi: 2011 –2014 (Thermo-Fischer).
PhD students: supervision of 14 PhD students in the last 5 years
• Current: Karin Rechberger, 2021 - now; Tobias Weber, 2020 – now; Jan Schulte, 2020 – now; Lisette van Os, 2019 – now; • Past: Dario Ferrari, 2022, Ye Tang, 2021, Soheila Zeinali, 2020 (post-doc ARTORG); Pauline Zamprogno, 2020 (post-doc ARTORG); Ludivine Guillaume, 2017 (Innopsys); Janick Stucki, 2016 (co-CEO, AlveoliX); Andreas Stucki, 2016 (Peta International Science Consortium); Colette Bichsel, 2016 (Roche, pRED); Janine Rüegsegger-Ruppen (project manager biopharma & simulation, Pixon), 2015; Marcel Felder, 2015 (Innosuisse), Silvia Generelli, 2006 (section head CSEM)
Teaching Activities (only current)
2019 – now Introduction to Biomechanics, MSc Biomedical Engineering (8h/y)
2018 – now Tissue engineering, MSc Biomedical Engineering students (8h/y)
2012 – now Biomicrofluidics, MSc Biomedical Engineering students (30h/y)
2007 – now BioMEMS, MSc Biomedical Science students (20h/y)
2000 – now Supervision of PhD thesis and MSc thesis
Memberships in Panels, Boards
• Member of the Steering Committee of the SNSF NRP 79 “Advancing 3R” (Switzerland)
• Reviewer for national & international grant applications: Wellcome Leap Fund, Swiss Cancer League, Health Holland (advisory panel), Swiss National Science Foundation, NSERC-CIHR (Canada), ERC
Starting grant (EU), National Research Council Canada, FQRNT (Quebec), Syngapore AStar.
• Reviewer for scientific journals: Adv, Health. Mat., Tissue Eng., ADDR, Acta Biomat., Anal. Chem., Anal. Chim. Acta, ATLA, Biomicrofluidics, Cancer Res., Electrophoresis, JMEMS, JMM, Lab Chip, PlosOne, Sensors & Actuators B, Solid State Electronics.
Memberships
2019 – now ESAO, European Society for Artificial Organs
2019 – now EUROoCs, European Organ-on-Chip Society
2014 – now TEDD, Tissue Engineering – Drug Development, Switzerland
2012 – now European Society for Alternatives to Animal Testing, EUSAAT member
2011 – now Swiss Society of Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Club, Switzerland
2005 – now IEEE, Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), Affiliate
Organisation of Conferences
2009 – now Member of the International Steering Committee for the Microtechnologies in Medicine and Biology Conferences (IC MMB)
2018 MIC Symposium, From Organoids to Organisms, Bern (150 participants)
2014 TEDD Organs-on-chip Seminar, November 18th, Bern, Switzerland (organizer) (40 pers.)
2011 MMB2011, Lucerne, Switzerland (chair) (180 pers.)
2009 MMB2009, Quebec, Canada (program chair) (180 pers.)
Prizes, Awards, Fellowships (selection of the most important)
2019 Fonds Carlo 2019 (30kCHF), Fonds Carlo de la Fondation Philanthropia, Geneva
2018 FENRIV award (10kCHF), foundation for alternative methods to animal experimentation
2017 Nomination at the Swiss Medtech Award 2017, Lung-on-chip for preclinical applications
2016 Swiss Innovation Forum: Lung-on-Chip Project selected by Swissuniversities
2015 Ypsomed award 2nd prize (20kCHF), A Breathing Lung-on-Chip
2014 Venturekick I and II awards (10kCHF + 20kCHF), with AlveoliX
2012 Swiss Society for Biomedical Engineering, 2012 Poster Award, Lausanne, EPFL
2012 Research Prize, Alumni MedBern 2012
2012 Swiss Thoracic Surgery Society Prize, Best experimental communication, Davos
2011 Conference Chair Award, MMB2011, Lucerne, Switzerland
2004 Swiss National Science Foundation, Advanced Researcher Fellowship, (84kCHF)
Technology Transfer Activities
AlveoliX AG (http://www.alveolix.com) was spun out of my lab in 2015 (several patents from my lab licenced). Round A closed in 2017, to bring a lung-on-chip system on the market. 11 FTE (state 01/2021).
