Our Research Institutes

The Institute of Bioengineering - IBI 
The Institute of Bioengineering sits at the interface of the life sciences and engineering, being situated in both the Faculty of Life Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering and reporting to both deans. This dual affiliation allows great diversity in hiring faculty from different backgrounds and with different research perspectives, all focused on basic biological sciences using quantitative and systems analyses, as well as translating the biological and biochemical sciences into therapeutics and diagnostics. The dual affiliation also provides a rich educational environment, both at the BS/MS and PhD levels; at present, a joint MS in Bioengineering is being developed between the two Faculties.
In pursuit of basic biological mechanisms, IBI faculty investigate questions such as: - how the cellular microenvironment controls cellular differentiation and morphogenetic processes; - how stem cell processes, such as self-renewal and differentiation, are determined; - how cell migration and trafficking in complex environments is modulated; - how complex biological networks such as metabolism, gene expression and protein trafficking are regulated and how biophysical and biomolecular signals interact in controlling cellular behavior...

 

...more on the IBI 2008 Activity Report

The Brain Mind Institute - BMI 
The Brain Mind Institute is dedicated to exploring the emergence of higher brain function across multiple levels ranging from gene expression to cognition and covering multiple brain regions. Constructed on a foundation of high-end technology, in a manner that can be recurrently interconnected with labs around the world, it has the vision to go beyond established concepts. The spectrum of BMI's faculty projects spans across several domains of the neurosciences, including: Molecular Neuroscience, Cellular Neuroscience, Systems Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience, and, in collaboration with clinical partners, the neurobiological bases of Neurodegenerative and Psychiatric diseases...

The Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research - ISREC 
The ISREC has, for over 40 years of its existence as an independent institute, been devoted to cancer related basic research, before being integrated as an institute into the EPFL School of Life Sciences. With the renewal of a substantial part of its scientific staff in the recent past, its research focus has shifted to areas including genome stability, cell proliferation and differentiation, and the role of developmental pathways in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The ISREC Foundation continues to raise and provide resources that are primarily aimed at supporting projects with a potential for diagnostic or therapeutic innovation.
The ISREC is also leading house of a National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) in Molecular Oncology, a network research program launched by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The program focuses on questions relating to the interaction of tumors with their microenvironment. Its explicit goal is to support projects at the interface to the clinic...

 

...more on the ISREC 2008 Activity Report

The Global Health Institute - GHI 
The Global Health Institute has been created to contribute to the understanding, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, which still claim 18 million lives each year and account for half of the deaths in the developing world. The GHI is currently composed of 5 groups, whose activities already reflect the Institute's future ambitions. Basic mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions and innate immunity towards pathogens are being studied using multidisciplinary approaches. Crucial world health issues, like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, are being tackled. These include understanding, and hopefully counteracting, the persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, or designing drugs to treat this disease.
Mechanisms of HIV infection and use of this virus in gene therapy approaches are also the subject of intense research. Further recruitment is planned, in particular of talented young researchers, to extend these efforts to other pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Intensification of current research themes by including novel technological approaches is also a priority...