Student Projects
If you are interest in a project in the laboratory, feel free to contact any member even if no project is posted in SiROP
Long-term ex situ liver perfusion for tissue repair
Liver transplantation is the only treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease. Unfortunately, there are not sufficiently many transplantable liver grafts available to meet the patient demand. Therefore, many patiens remain on waiting lists and eventually die when they do not get a transplant in time. While a lot of people donate organs after their death, many organs are not used because the organ is injured or diseased and thus cannot be transplanted. We aim at increasing utilization of available liver grafts by preserving livers outside of the body on so-called perfusion machines, where they can be preserved for multiple days. Perfusion devices pump a perfusate, similar to blood, through the vessels and provide the organ with nutrients, oxygen and a series of stimuli that mimick in vivo conditions. The perfusion time window gives the opportunity for treatment allowing for reconditioning and repair of the allografts.
Keywords
tissue engineering, ex situ perfusion, liver transplant, hepatology, bioengineering, medical engineering, surgery
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Master Thesis , ETH Zurich (ETHZ)
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Published since: 2025-05-15 , Earliest start: 2025-06-02 , Latest end: 2026-04-30
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Huwyler Florian , Cunningham Leslie
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology
Data-driven/Machine Learning polymer formulation for drug development
This project aims to leverage machine learning to accelerate the design of polymer-based drug delivery systems with tailored release kinetics. Using a curated dataset of polymer formulations and their drug release profiles, predictive models will be developed, validated, and applied to optimize future formulations. By combining computational tools with explainable AI techniques, the project seeks to uncover key design principles and reduce experimental workloads. The outcome will enable smarter, data-driven reformulation processes, advancing personalized medicine and next-generation drug delivery technologies.
Keywords
Data-driven, machine learning, polymer formulation, drug
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Semester Project , Internship
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Published since: 2025-04-04 , Earliest start: 2025-04-07 , Latest end: 2025-11-30
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Guzzi Elia
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology , Chemistry
How Mechanical Forces Shape Cell Fate – and the Future of Regenerative Medicine
Project Summary We’re developing a powerful new in vitro model to untangle the complex mechanical cues—osmotic pressure and substrate stiffness—that skin cells experience every day. These signals are deeply intertwined in the body, but we’re building a system to decouple and precisely control them, for the first time. Why? Because understanding how cells respond to these forces is crucial for engineering functional tissues, guiding organ regeneration, and tackling mechanobiology-driven diseases like fibrosis.
Keywords
Key words: mechanical stresses, cell behavior, fibroblasts, immunostaining.
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Master Thesis
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Published since: 2025-03-26 , Earliest start: 2025-06-01 , Latest end: 2026-01-31
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Cuni Filippo
Topics Engineering and Technology , Biology
PDMS-Based Bioreactor Investigating Cell Behavior in Response to Hydrostatic Pressure and Substrate Stiffness
Introduction and Background Skin cells dynamically respond to mechanical and biochemical stimuli, which influence critical processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and migration. By understanding this interplay, mechanical and biochemical stimuli may be used in the future to facilitate the growth of skin patches, tissue formation, and organ regeneration, enabling new therapies and benefiting patients. The study of these responses, mechanobiology, requires advanced in-vitro systems to emulate physiological conditions. This project utilizes a device designed for controlled manipulation of hydrostatic pressure (0.1–1.5 kPa) and substrate stiffness (0.1–100 kPa). The system facilitates isolated and scalable experiments to analyze how the interplay of these mechanical parameters affects cell behavior. In this thesis, the student will use this system to investigate how different stimuli affect cell behavior.
Keywords
Bioreactor, tissue engineering, organ regeneration
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Master Thesis
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Published since: 2025-03-26 , Earliest start: 2025-05-01 , Latest end: 2025-11-30
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Binz Jonas
Topics Engineering and Technology , Biology
Synthesis of a novel monomer for polymeric materials with on-demand degradation and enhanced durability
Plastic waste and the resulting environmental pollution are major challenges of our time. One of the problems is the mismatch of degradability and durability in plastics. Single use plastics like packaging material should be easy to degrade to facilitate recycling after use. However, these single use plastics are often very stable and hard to recycle. Performance plastics need to last during their lifetime without significant decrease in material properties, but aging in these materials eventually leads to material failure and replacement. Both situations generate plastic waste. Therefore, we want to synthesize a material that can degrade on-demand and experiences enhanced durability on longer timescales to satisfy the needs of single use plastics and performance plastics, respectively.
Keywords
Organic and polymer chemistry, novel monomer, degradability and durability
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Semester Project , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2025-03-04 , Earliest start: 2025-04-01
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Söll Carolina
Topics Engineering and Technology , Chemistry
Granular Hydrogels for Chronic Wound Healing: Enhancing Stability, Transport, and Clinical Readiness
The development of biomaterials for chronic wound healing faces significant challenges in achieving shelf-stability, transportability, and compliance with clinical manufacturing standards. To address these hurdles, we aim to integrate a freeze-drying (lyophilization) step into the preparation of our granular hydrogels, facilitating storage and transport without compromising functionality. By validating the post-rehydration performance of lyophilized microgels, we aim to ensure the robustness of our product for clinical use.
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Semester Project , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2025-02-18 , Earliest start: 2025-04-01 , Latest end: 2025-12-31
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Emiroglu Börte
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Chemistry , Biology
Designing photosynthetic living materials with synthetic biology
Living materials, as an emerging field that combines biology and material science, are materials composed of immobilized living organisms and a carrier matrix providing pre-determined bio-functionality. [1,2] Living materials bring about new properties that are not easily realised by conventional materials. Here, we aim to design a new type of living materials that can sequester and store atmospheric CO2 irreversibly in the form of calcium carbonate minerals.
Keywords
living materials, synthetic biology, microorganisms
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Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis , ETH Zurich (ETHZ)
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Published since: 2025-01-27 , Earliest start: 2025-02-05 , Latest end: 2025-10-31
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Cui Yifan
Topics Engineering and Technology