Inaugural Lectures

Instruction habilitations during Corona

Due to the Corona situation, the faculty management has issued new directives for habilitation.

New Experts Directory CAIM

The Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (CAIM) aims to connect researchers and experts in AI technology within the Bern Medical Hub. For this purpose, CAIM is establishing an Experts Directory listing all actors with specialized expertise are listed there, so that potential cooperation partners can quickly get an overview of collaboration opportunities.
If you would like to become part of the directory, pleased register at www.caim.unibe.ch/experts. CAIM is excited to map the wealth of know-how we have in Bern in this way! In case of any questions, please do not hesitate to contact info.caim@unibe.ch.

How micro-circuits in the brain regulate fear

The brain mechanisms underlying the suppression of fear responses have attracted a lot of attention as they are relevant for therapy of human anxiety disorders. Despite our broad understanding of the different brain regions activated during the experience of fear, how fear responses can be suppressed remains largely elusive. Researchers at the University of Bern and the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel have now discovered that the activation of identified central amygdala neurons can suppress fear responses.

"In vitro" zoo helps to understand SARS-CoV-2

Researchers from the Institute of Infectious Diseases (IFIK) at the University of Bern and the Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) have been able to determine which animals are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection thanks to innovative cell culture models. The team found that the respiratory cells of monkeys and cats are particularly easily infected by SARS-CoV-2. This suggests that SARS-CoV-2 surveillance should be introduced in these animals and close relatives.

CAIM launches Research Project Fund

Innovative project ideas that demonstrate a clear patient benefit and high potential for disrupting current medical approaches can now be submitted to the CAIM Research Project Fund. The first funding call opens 1 July 2021. Submission deadline is 15 September.
Call details and application documents can be found here CAIM Research Project Fund.

Sinergia grants for two Medical Faculty researchers

Three researchers at the University of Bern are receiving Sinergia grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for their research projects. The projects will be supported by the SNSF with funds totaling around CHF 7.3 million over three to four years.

Global warming already responsible for one in three heat-related deaths

An international study coordinated by the University of Bern and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine shows for the first time the actual contribution of man-made climate change in increasing mortality risks due to heat: between 1991 and 2018, more than a third of all deaths in which heat played a role were attributable to global warming. The study, the largest of this kind, used data from 732 cities in 43 countries around the world and has just been published in the "Nature Climate Change" journal.

Annual Report Medicine 2020 online

We are pleased to present you the annual report of the year 2020.

Tender Care-for-Rare Science Award 2021

This year, the Care-for-Rare Foundation - Foundation for Children with Rare Diseases - is again offering the "Care-for-Rare Science Award" in the amount of 50,000 euros. The science award, sponsored by the Werner Reichenberger Foundation, is intended to promote creative scientific ideas and thus help deepen the understanding of rare diseases and develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Preclinical cancer research: electrospray successfully tested

A research team from Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, the University of Bern and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW has succeeded in the local application of cancer drugs directly to tumors. Using a jointly developed, special electrospray device, a massive reduction in the size of aggressive lung cancer tumors was achieved in the preclinical laboratory.

Annika Frahsa becomes Lindenhof Endowed Professor of Community Health

Annika Frahsa has been chosen Lindenhof Foundation Professor of Community Health by the University Executive Board. The assistant professorship has been made possible thanks to support from the Lindenhof Foundation Bern. It focuses on participatory health promotion involving communities and is one of a kind in Switzerland.

World Laboratory Day 2021: Talent for top-level cancer research

In conjunction with World Laboratory Day 2021, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and the University of Bern interview SNF Professor Dr. Georgia Konstantinidou about her work and recent findings to provide insight into a research laboratory..

Boredom and self-control in the pandemic.

Researchers from the Universities of Bern and Konstanz and FernUni Switzerland show that great boredom and low self-control are associated with more difficulties students have in homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings are consistent with other findings and theoretical work by the research team showing that large boredom and low self-control predict lower adherence to pandemic behavioral guidelines.

Why SARS-CoV-2 replicates better in the upper respiratory tract

A team of researchers from the Institute for Infectious Diseases (IFIK) at the University of Bern and the Federal Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) have assessed virus growth and activation of the cellular defense mechanisms in the respiratory tract. They have shown that natural temperature differences that exist in the upper and lower respiratory tract have a profound influence on SARS-CoV-2 replication and subsequent innate immune activation in human cells. The findings can help to develop antiviral drugs and preventive measures.

Postgraduate programs Academy of Sleep and Consciousness ASC

In July 2021 (application deadline April 30), the new edition of Prof. Bassetti's CAS in Sleep, Consciousness and Related Disorders will be launched

Opening Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (CAIM)

The "Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine" brings together leading medical and engineering research with active digitalization efforts in healthcare at the Bern Medical Hub. Using artificial intelligence developments CAIM will bring forward new technologies for healthcare to enable tailored and efficient patient care. CAIM will be inaugurated on Friday, March 19, 2021 at a digital event with a panel discussion and a keynote lecture by AI for advanced healthcare pioneer Gregory D. Hager, Johns Hopkins University as part of a scientific symposium on AI in medicine research.

Predicting success in therapy with individualized cancer models

Scientists at Urology Research Laboratory of the Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern and Urology Department of the Inselspital of Bern, have established organoid culture models from prostate tumor biopsies. These are small clusters of cells which can be used to test the efficacy of various drugs. In this way, it is possible to test which treatment will most likely benefit individual patients.

Combating adhesions in the abdomen

Adhesions in the abdomen, such as those that form after surgery, often have serious consequences. Now, researchers from the University of Bern and Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, in collaboration with Canadian researchers, have discovered how such adhesions form. The findings may help to develop a drug to prevent adhesions in the future. The study was published as a cover story by the journal "Science".

How to track the variants of the pandemic faster

A global group of researchers is calling for better integration of viral genetics, bioinformatics, and public health to enable better pandemic response now and better pandemic preparedness in the future. In a comment piece in the journal Nature, an international collaboration of specialists in viral and genetic analysis, led by Swiss scientists Dr. Emma Hodcroft at the University of Bern and Prof. Christophe Dessimoz at University of Lausanne, both at the SIB Swiss institute of Bioinformatics, alongside Dr. Nick Goldman at EMBL-EBI in the UK, lay out the ‘bioinformatics bottlenecks’ that are hindering response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and propose ways to ‘clear the road’ for better tools and approaches. Here are the key take home messages and perspective from the Swiss angle.

First Covid 19 wave meant more stress for nursing staff

Nursing staff in Swiss hospitals experienced significantly more stress and a higher workload during the first Covid 19 wave than in 2019. In addition, satisfaction with pay fell sharply, while job satisfaction rose slightly. That's according to a survey of more than 4,100 nurses at 19 hospitals conducted by the Institute of Management Accounting and Control at the University of Bern on the work situation.