“Swiss analysis institute established to deal with immune engineering and advancing international baby and adolescent well being.”
- The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) is launching as an unbiased analysis institute in Basel/Switzerland with a mission to develop novel immune-based diagnostics and therapeutics and tackle gaps in superior healthcare applied sciences, thus enhancing the well being of kids and younger folks across the globe.
- The BIIE is supported for the primary 15 years by an endowment of over 1 billion USD from Fondation Botnar.
- Deliberate inaugural partnerships with the College of Oxford and ETH Zurich will additional broaden the BIIE’s capability and international attain because it develops computational instruments, diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventative medicines in addition to prepare the following technology of immune engineers.
- As a precedence, BIIE program outputs can be of profit to the well being of younger folks in low- and middle-income nations (LMICs).
A brand new unbiased analysis institute, the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) is launching in Basel, Switzerland.
The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) is a newly based non-profit analysis group targeted on creating computational instruments and immune-based translational options for the analysis, remedy and prevention of illness. Excellent investigators from across the globe can be recruited to its facility in Basel, Switzerland, to type a brand new hub of innovation in immune engineering.
The BIIE is made attainable by the beneficiant endowment of over 1 billion USD (to be supplied over 15 years) from Fondation Botnar, a Swiss philanthropic basis working to enhance the well being and well-being of younger folks world wide.
Strategic partnerships
The Institute will set up strategic partnerships with internationally famend private and non-private analysis establishments and work with philanthropic organizations that help its mission within the International South. Inaugural strategic educational companions are deliberate with ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and the College of Oxford, UK, with further international companions to be introduced sooner or later.
The BIIE will transfer into a brand new purpose-built analysis facility in 2027. Within the interim, the BIIE is deliberate to be hosted by the Division of Biosystems Science and Methods Engineering (D-BSSE) of the ETH Zurich, a newly opened state-of-the-art facility in Basel. The D-BSSE operates on the intersection of techniques biology, bioengineering and computational biology. Prof. Christian Wolfrum, ETH Zurich VP of Analysis famous, “Shut collaborations with an immune engineering institute in Basel additional accelerates the event of medical options, and compliments this system targets of ETH Zurich D-BSSE. Internet hosting the inaugural class of BIIE scientists is a perfect alternative to develop a long-lasting partnership by means of joint professorships, pupil coaching applications, and shared infrastructure.”
In its first worldwide partnership, the BIIE intends to work with the College of Oxford to create the Basel-Oxford Centre of Immune Engineering, plans embrace professorships and pupil coaching applications in addition to entry to the intensive international scientific analysis capabilities of Oxford College. Prof. Sir Andrew Pollard, Fellow of the Royal Society and Director of Oxford’s Vaccine Group said, “Wanting no additional than latest occasions, one can see that immune engineering is a catalyst within the speedy improvement of worldwide accessible therapeutics, particularly, vaccines. By this partnership with BIIE, Oxford researchers will profit from vibrant collaborations that advance primary and scientific analysis particular to kids and adolescents in low- and middle-income nations. BIIE’s strengths in biocomputation and immune engineering imply this partnership will additional speed up discovery in addition to the creation of secure and efficient medicines for kids world wide.”
Group, management and workforce
Established to appreciate the imaginative and prescient of Fondation Botnar, the “Basis for Immune Engineering for International Baby and Adolescent Well being” (FIE) and its Board of Trustees will govern and oversee the BIIE because it grows right into a vibrant Institute of as much as 300 scientists and help employees.
The FIE’s Board of Trustees are notable for his or her accomplishments in academia, biotechnology and finance. Inaugural FIE Board Chair, Dr. Dominik Escher, a molecular biologist turned biotech entrepreneur and Managing Associate at Pureos Bioventures, summarized the chance, “Constructing a vital mass of immune engineers in Basel with a shared aim of enhancing the well being of younger folks globally is each inspiring and sophisticated.” Every FIE Trustee brings intensive experience and management expertise to the BIIE: Prof. Jennifer Cochran (Stanford College), Dr. Andrew P. Could (DCVC Bio), Prof. Gunilla Karlsson Hedestam (Karolinska Institute), Prof. Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola (College of Lagos), Joe Stadler (UBS).
In keeping with our mission to enhance the wellbeing of younger folks, Fondation Botnar has made a daring funding to unlock scientific improvements particularly for the good thing about baby and younger folks’s well being in low- and middle-income nations. Understanding the immune system of kids and younger folks in numerous components of the world is essential to creating options that may diagnose, stop and deal with infectious illnesses and different well being circumstances. With this funding in an unbiased institute that gives cutting-edge analysis in immune engineering, not solely we proceed the Botnar household’s frequent help of biomedical analysis, but additionally firmly consider to make a distinction within the translation of scientific innovation into healthcare observe.”
Dr. Alexander Schulze, Interim CEO, Fondation Botnar
The BIIE administration workforce consists of scientific leaders. Prof. Sai Reddy (ETH Zurich) shall assume tasks as Scientific Director, Prof. Georg Holländer (College of Oxford, College of Basel, ETH Zurich) would be the Director of International Engagement. Dr. Stephen Wilson, the Chief Government Officer of the BIIE (fmr. Chief Working Officer, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, USA), mentioned, “The BIIE will convey collectively a vital mass of investigators, all of whom are consultants in numerous facets of immune engineering; combining their strengths and perspective ought to lead to a sum higher than its components. Each aspect of our operation can be designed to maximise collaboration, together with the bodily format of the ability, which interweaves computational and experimental teams, together with frictionless entry to cutting-edge instrumentation. As a result of we’re targeted on translating discoveries within the lab into real-world options, our researchers will get pleasure from great latitude in addition to the institutional help essential to advance promising discoveries into scientific improvement.”
Immune engineering with a worldwide imaginative and prescient
The rising subject of immune engineering leverages superior applied sciences to grasp and develop immune-based options for the analysis, prevention and remedy of illnesses. Integrating experience in immunology, molecular and mobile engineering, genomics, synthetic intelligence and different computational strategies permits scientists to check immune responses at an unprecedented stage of element—from how particular person cells react to pathogens to how genetic variety inside populations affect such responses. The immune system has been harnessed to deal with a wide selection of problems, from infectious illnesses to autoimmune illness and cancers. The BIIE will focus its analysis efforts on creating new approaches to enhance well being outcomes for kids and adolescents, particularly these in low- and middle-income nations (LMICs), who are sometimes essentially the most uncared for and in want.
“International impression is simply attainable with real international engagement.”, Prof. Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola, Vice Chancellor of College of Lagos and FIE Trustee mentioned, “There are important alternatives to raise scientific analysis within the International South if immune engineering instruments are developed with particular intent; and with the institution of the BIIE, we intend to take away obstacles for analysis that improves the lives of kids.”
