Roche and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) have agreed a research and training cooperation, further details of which can be found in a press release. This partnership will primarily be focused on the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) of ETH Zurich, which is based in Basel. Moreover, the Basel-based life sciences firm’s new Institute of Human Biology (IHB) as well as its Pharma Research and Early Development department are located there too. “This kind of collaboration between academia and industry is unique”, as Vanessa Wood, Vice President Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations at ETH Zurich, explains in the press release.

Attract the best researchers

The cooperation is being implemented across two separate programs, one of which is focused on new methods of bioengineering and other on cellular and genetic model systems. A total of 20 doctoral students and 20 postdoctoral fellows, fully funded by Roche, will collaborate with researchers from Roche and ETH Zurich across a period of three to four years. “We are convinced that through our partnership and collaboration, we will attract and work with some of the best researchers in the world”, comments Hans Clevers, Head of Pharma Research and Early Development at Roche, in the press release. Through this joint work, Roche and ETH Zurich will therefore be training the next generation of biomedical researchers, who will become specialists to deal with future challenges.

In addition, the cooperation between Roche and ETH also provides a platform to research methods for the development of new drugs. For example, the researchers can work with organoids, 3D models of human organs. However, they will also gain experience in the area of machine learning algorithms for the evaluation of huge volumes of data. “Our new strong partnership with Roche empowers future leaders in bioengineering and translational medicine”, comments Professor Daniel Müller, who heads up the D-BSSE, in the press release.