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
In vitro liver tissue models for studying liver regeneration and drug delivery systems
Many organ grafts are not suitable for transplantation due to excessive ischemic injury. In an effort to save these discarded grafts, ex vivo perfusion systems have been developed to extend the time window for organ repair. The liver, in particular, has a remarkable regenerative capacity and its ex vivo perfusion provides a unique opportunity to trigger regeneration pathways. Thus far, advanced perfusion technologies have enabled the preservation of the human liver outside of the body for up to two weeks using normothermic machine perfusion. Until now, this liver perfusion machine has only been employed to treat bacterial infections, determine tumour malignancy and assess liver function, yet how to stimulate growth and repair of liver grafts ex vivo remains unexplored. In order to effectively develop regeneration strategies, in vitro liver models are necessary since ex vivo human liver experiments are low-throughput, confounded by patient to patient variability and costly. Liver tissue slices, which are directly obtained from native liver tissue, preserve the intact hepatocellular architecture and microenvironment of the liver unlike 2D cell culture and organoid models. Thus, we aim to use liver tissue slices as a screening platform to identify pro-regenerative biomolecules and drugs. In addition, we will explore mRNA lipid nanoparticles to improve the delivery and therapeutic effect of candidate biomolecules and drugs for ex vivo liver perfusion.
Keywords
in vitro liver models, regeneration, drug screening, cell culture, molecular biology, biomedical engineering
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Internship , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-12-10 , Earliest start: 2025-01-12 , Latest end: 2026-05-31
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Cunningham Leslie
Topics Engineering and Technology , Biology
Establishing a novel high throughput Drug Screening in vitro
The development of advanced drug formulations is a cornerstone of pharmaceutical innovation, directly influencing therapeutic efficacy, patient outcomes, and market success. Achieving optimal drug absorption and bioavailability remains one of the most significant challenges in formulation design, particularly for oral and parenteral delivery systems. Addressing this challenge is critical for advancing scientific understanding and also for accelerating drug discovery and reducing time-to-market for new therapies. This Master’s thesis project aims to develop an advanced cell culture assay to model drug absorption, providing a scientifically robust and commercially valuable platform for drug screening and optimizing novel drug formulations. By bridging gaps in current drug screening methodologies, this project will contribute to innovation in drug delivery technologies and enhance competitive positioning in the growing global market for pharmaceutical solutions.
Keywords
cell culture, drug screening, drug formulation, polymer,
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Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-12-06 , Earliest start: 2024-12-09 , Latest end: 2025-12-31
Applications limited to EPFL - Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , ETH Zurich , Hochschulmedizin Zürich , IBM Research Zurich Lab , Institute for Research in Biomedicine , Zurich University of Applied Sciences , Wyss Translational Center Zurich , University of Zurich , University of Berne , University of Geneva , University of Basel , University of Fribourg , Swiss National Science Foundation , Empa , CSEM - Centre Suisse d'Electronique et Microtechnique , Department of Quantitative Biomedicine , Balgrist Campus , [nothing]
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Guzzi Elia
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology , Chemistry , Biology
Image-based analysis of liver tissue viability
The goal of this project is to establish a python code to analyse microscopy images of liver tissue to detect changes in phenotype in response to pro-regenerative biomolecules and drugs. The tissue will be stained with hematoxylin and eosin to visualize nuclei and cytoplasmic structures respectively. Phenotypic changes in nuclei number and size as well as sinusoidal lumen dilation will be computationally analyzed. The automated analysis of microscopy images will enable the quantitative assessment of phenotypic changes in liver tissue in a more robust and high throughput manner. The tasks will include - Literature search, what tools are already in use for automatic processing of microscopy images of liver tissue? How is the pipeline set up? - Understanding the provided microscopy images and which features are of interest - Extracting image features using computer vision (CV) algorithms - Verifying the generated algorithm on a large set of data We are looking for a motivated student for a bachelor thesis or semester project. The student should have some experience using python. As the project is centered around CV, strong interest in that topic is necessary. Prior knowledge in CV is favored but not necessary and can be learned during the project.
Keywords
microscopy image analysis python biomedical engineering computational liver
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Semester Project , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis , ETH Zurich (ETHZ)
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Published since: 2024-12-02 , Earliest start: 2024-12-15 , Latest end: 2025-12-31
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Cunningham Leslie , Binz Jonas
Topics Information, Computing and Communication Sciences , Biology
Investigating Cellular Mechanotransduction of Wound Healing within a Macroporous Biomaterial
We aimed to design a biomaterial suitable for 3D, in situ stiffening to mimic changes to the dermis during fibrosis and wound healing. By adapting Methacrylated Hyaluoronic Acid (MeHA), a material previously used for 2D in situ studies, to create a 3D macroporous gel comprised of fibrous microgels, we hypothesize we will be able to dynamically increase matrix stiffness without increasing cell confinement, allowing us to identify new mechanotransduction pathways involved in fibrosis and wound healing, specifically myofibroblast activation and macrophage polarization.
Keywords
fibrosis, wound healing, mechanobiology, 3D cell culture, granular hydrogel networks, photopolymerization, rheometry, confocal imaging
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Semester Project , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-11-19 , Earliest start: 2025-02-01 , Latest end: 2025-07-01
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Mayner Jaimie
Topics Engineering and Technology , Chemistry , Biology
Resin with a Twist: Photoreversible Material for Digitally Printed Films
Create a next-gen resin that switches from solid to liquid using light! Dive into synthesizing, testing, and refining this unique material with exciting potential in the watch industry and beyond. Ideal for a chemistry or engineering student ready to explore the full journey—from lab synthesis to real-world application. Join us to make light a game-changer in material science!
Keywords
photoreversible, resin, light-activated, digital printing, smart materials, synthesis, rheology, polymers, formulations, prototyping, engineering, chemistry, innovation, dynamic materials, industry, material, characterization, application, light, photosensitive, photocleavable
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Master Thesis , ETH Zurich (ETHZ)
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Published since: 2024-10-28 , Earliest start: 2024-11-17 , Latest end: 2025-09-05
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Wolf Morris
Topics Engineering and Technology , Chemistry
Advanced manufacturing of drug delivery systems
In this project, we will use advanced manufacturing to produce drug delivery systems that can be use several clinical challenges such as micronutrients anaemia and type 2 diabetes. Polymer formulation combined with advanced post-processing approaches will be used to scale up the production of drug delivery systems having specific release profile. In vitro studies will be performed to characterize the efficiency of the produced drug delivery systems.
Keywords
Drug delivery, drug formulation, polymer/biomaterial design, advanced manufacturing
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Semester Project , Master Thesis , Student Assistant / HiWi
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Published since: 2024-10-24 , Earliest start: 2025-01-11 , Latest end: 2025-09-01
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Guzzi Elia
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology , Chemistry , Biology
Investigating Effects of Mechanical Cues on Macrophage Polarization
Macrophages perform diverse functions during immune responses to pathogens and injury, but the molecular mechanisms by which physical properties of the tissue regulate macrophage behavior are poorly understood. Furthermore, while 3D cell culture methods are improving, 3D mechanobiology studies are often unable to reproduce 2D findings. Therefore, we aimed to design a biomaterial suitable for 3D, in situ stiffening to mimic changes to matrix during remodeling processes in wound healing and fibrosis. We hypothesis the macroporous nature of the material will allow for macrophage migration and by tuning mechanical properties of the material independently, such as extracellular matrix stiffness and cell confinement, allow us to identify new mechanotransduction pathways contributing to macrophage polarization.
Keywords
immune cells, macrophages, monocytes, fibrosis, wound healing, mechanobiology, 3D cell culture, confocal imaging, flow cytometry, hydrogels
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Semester Project , Master Thesis , ETH Zurich (ETHZ)
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Published since: 2024-10-17 , Earliest start: 2024-11-01 , Latest end: 2025-10-01
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Mayner Jaimie
Topics Medical and Health Sciences , Engineering and Technology , Biology
Influence of polymer length on end-group reactivity
Polymer networks are made by cross-linking polymer chains at their ends by means of a chemical reaction. While the properties of used reactions are usually very well characterized for small molecules, little is known about how the presence of a polymer chain and its length affect this reaction. In this project, we aim to study this, mostly experimentally, but also including a theoretical approach. We propose to start with boronic ester chemistry, which has been already characterized in literature and in our lab. the reactants will be functionalized on linear PEG chains. We plan on studying both the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters.
Keywords
polymer chemistry, polymer physics, chemical characterization
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Semester Project , Bachelor Thesis , Master Thesis
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Published since: 2024-10-10 , Earliest start: 2024-07-18
Organization Macromolecular Engineering Laboratory
Hosts Cousin Lucien , Mommer Stefan
Topics Chemistry , Physics