scientists

the sdb lab is people. and people are the sdb lab.
ORCIDPortrait of Silvio Brugger

Prof. silvio D. Brugger, MD, PhD
Head of SDB LAB

Projects

ORCIDPortrait of Pascal M Frey

Pascal M. Frey, MD, MSc
PostDoc, Epidemiologist

Projects

Jeruscha Baum

Jeruscha Baum, MSc
PhD Student

Projects

  • Microbiomeengineering for the eradication of Staphylococcusaureus: how can we use commensal bacteria such as Dolosigranulum pigrum and Corynebacteriumspp. to create a microbiome of the upper respiratory tract that is colonisationresistant to S. aureus
  • Identificationand characterization of inhibitory molecules produced by D. pigrum

‍Funding: Gebert Rüf Stiftung

Collaboration: Prof. Lucio Isa, ETHZ, PD Markus Hilty, University of Bern

Portrait of Weronik Barcik

Weronika Barcik, PhD
PostDoc

Projects

  • Nasal bacterial microbiota composition - longitudinal stability and consortia
  • HISteria: Role of histamine—whether directly secreted by the airway microbiota or induced by bacteria (host cells) —in the pathophysiology of respiratory allergies

Own Funding: GRC Career Grant; USZ Innopool Grant; Swiss Life Foundation

ORCID
Anatol

Anatol Schwab, PhD, MMed
MD Thesis

Projects

  • Isolation of commensal-produced inhibitory factors
  • Single Cell Analysis of Microbes on Agar Pads
Min-chi

Min-chi Yang, MSc
PhD Student

Projects

  • Development of a translational therapy using commensal bacteria (Dolosigranulum pigrum and Corynebacterium spp.) to prevent and treat colonization by major human pathogens
    • Evaluation of therapeutic effects against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus in a 3D airway tissue model
    • Investigation of pathogen survival and host-pathogen interactions in rodent colonization models
    • Identification of in vivo transcriptomic networks involved in commensal-pathogen-host dynamics
ORCIDVerena

Verena Schmidtchen, MSc
PhD Student

Projects

  • Investigation of characteristics of invasive and colonizing bacteria under antimicrobial treatment in infective endocarditis
  • Investigation of impact of different treatment options on the nasal and gut microbiome in infective endocarditis
  • The PRospective Swiss EndoCarditis COhort and Platform (PROSECCO)

Joint supervision with Prof. A. Zinkernagel and Prof. Barbara Hasse

Funding: SNSF Grant 219351

Katja

Ekaterina Vostokova
PhD Student

Projects

  • Development of a comparative genomics platform containing bacterial genomes
  • Facilitation of epidemiological studies through genomic data integration
  • Focus on outbreak prediction and bacterial surveillance systems

Joint supervision with Prof. A. Zinkernagel and Prof. Roger D. Kouyos

‍

Thomas

Tomas Demeter, MSc
Bioinformatician

Projects

  • Immunopolyp (collaboration with Prof. Michael Soyka, PD Urs Steiner)
  • Developand maintain bioinformatics pipelines for metagenomics, transcriptomics,and genomics data analysis.
  • Assistlab members with data analysis and help troubleshoot computational issues tosupport their research.

Funding: OPO-Foundation (OPO-Stiftung)

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Samuel Imboden
Master Student

Project

  • Transition Mechanisms of Commensal to PathogenicBacterial Clinical Isolate Strains from Staphylococcus aureus
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Carine Rose Mores, PhD
PostDoc

Projects

  • Investigation of bacterial capsule dynamics and evolution in multidrug-resistant pathogens
  • Assessment of capsule-mediated antibiotic tolerance in patients and persistence in hospital environments despite hygiene measures

Funding: FreeNovation (self-funded)

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David Weller, MD
Research Fellow

Projects

  • Microbial composition & clinical course of brain abscesses (prospective, multi-center, observational study)
  • Assessment of novel diagnostic tools in the context of antimicrobial stewardship
  • Infections in patients with Hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome
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Sara Schütz, PhD
Bioinformatician

Projects

  • Develop and maintain bioinformatics pipelines for large-scale sequencing data analysis (comparative genomics, transcriptomics) to support microbial research projects
  • Assist lab members with data analysis and troubleshoot computational issues to support their research

SDB LAB Alumni

Claudio T. Acevedo

Claudio T. Acevedo, MD
ID Fellow

Project

  • Bacterial Quantitative Fitness Analysis (BaQFA)

‍Funding: UZH CRPP BacVivo

Sebastian C Herren

Sebastian C. Herren
‍MD Thesis

Project

  • Assessing Antibiotic Tolerance of Staphylococcus aureus Derived Directly from Patients by the Replica Plating Tolerance Isolation System (REPTIS)

Joint supervision with Prof. A. Zinkernagel

Moved to

  • Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States
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Anna K. Räz
‍MD Thesis

Project

  • Staphylococcus aureus transition from colonization to invasive infection

Moved to

  • Internal Medicine Fellow at the Department of General Internal Medicine
    University Hospital Bern / Inselspital
Eline

Eline Cauwenberghs
‍‍Exchange PhD Student

Project

  • Adjuvant treatment with commensals

Moved to

  • University of Antwerp
Nora

Nora Ranzoni, BSc
MSc Student ETHZ

Project

  • Nasal bacterial microbiota composition - longitudinal stability and consortia
Jessica Franz

Jessica Franz
Master Student

Project

  • Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci detection, novel typing methods
Marina Shala

Marina Shala
Master Student

Project

  • Fitness costs of multi-drug resistant pathogens
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Barla Deplazes
MD Student

Project

  • Bloodstream infections in patients with major burns – a retrospective ICU study
Giorgio Beringer

Giorgio Beringer
MD-PhD Student

Project

  • S. argenteus virulence and population diversity

Joint supervision with Prof. A. Zinkernagel

Alyson Gross

Alyson Gross
Master Student

Project

  • Reproductive fitness as a pathogen factor for disease severity in S. aureus bacteremia
ORCIDjudith

Judith Bergada Pijuan, PhD, MSc
PostDoc

Projects

  • Molecular mechanisms mediating the inhibition of human upper respiratory tract pathobionts by the commensals Dolosigranulum pigrum and Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum
  • Bacterial Quantitative Fitness Analysis (BaQFA)

Joint supervision with Dr. S. Mairpady Shambat and Prof. A. Zinkernagel

‍Funding: Promedica Foundation, UZH CRPP BacVivo

‍Collaboration: Prof. Mattia Zampieri, ETHZ

Moved to

john-li

John Li, MD
Visiting Scientist

Thomas Scheier

Thomas C. Scheier, MD
Research Fellow

Project

  • Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci detection, novel typing methods

‍Collaboration: PD Alban Ramette, University of Bern

Funding: Innopool USZ (to Thomas C. Scheier)

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Yulia Butscheid, PhD
MD Thesis

Project

  • Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Willy

Willy Isao Staiger
MD Thesis

Projects

  • Chlorhexidine susceptibility in multidrug resistant pathogens
  • Study physician FENDER Study
  • Burn Skin Cohort Study
Nicole Strickler

Nicole Strickler
MD Thesis

Project

  • Association of V'CO2 and bacterial superinfections in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients
Daphne

Daphne Megias Ramos, MSc
Research Associate

Projects

  • Characterization of inhibition factors by commensal bacteria of the nasal microbiome
ORCIDChun-Chi Chang

Chun-Chi Chang, PhD
PostDoc

Projects

  • Commensals in human upper respiratory tract and host innate immunity: Modulating functional capacity of innate immune response by nasal commensals against pathobionts

Joint supervision with Dr. S. Mairpady Shambat and Prof. A. Zinkernagel

  • The bacterial microbiota in burn patients – understanding microbial evolution under antibiotic selection pressure for future therapeutic and preventive approaches

Funding: Béatrice-Ederer-Weber Foundation; FreeNovation

‍Collaboration: Dr. Philipp Bühler, USZ, Dr. Srikanth Mairpady Shambat, USZ, Prof. Rolf Kümmerli, UZH

SDB LAB Associates

Dominique Braun

Dominique Braun
Swiss HIV Cohort

Projects

  • DoxyMEN - funding Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS)
Srikanth Shambat

Srikanth Mairpady Shambat
Young Investigator Zinkernagel Lab

Projects

  • Interactions of Benficial Commensal Bacteria with Human Airway Tissue to Protect from Pathogens (FreeNovation)
  • KFSP – BacVivo – Precision Medicine for Bacterial Infections. Clinical Research Priority Programm (CRPP)

SDB LAB Collaborators

  • Prof. Dr. Dr. med. Annelies Zinkernagel, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
  • Prof. Dr. med. Barbara Hasse, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
  • Prof. Dr. Roger Kouyos, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
  • Prof. Dr. Andreas Peschel, Department of Infection Biology, University of Tübingen, Germany
  • Prof. Dr. Alex Hall, Department of Environmental System Science, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • Prof. Dr. Rolf Kümmerli, Department of Quantitative Biomedicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland
  • Prof. Dr. med. Michael Soyka, Department of ENT, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
  • Prof. Dr. med. Reto Schüpbach, Institute for Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
  • PD Dr. Daniel Hoffmann, PD, Institutefor Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
  • Dr. Urs Steiner, PD, Division of Allergology, Clinic of Rheumatology and ClinicalImmunology/Allergology, Inselspital, and Theodor-Kocher-Institute, Universityof Bern
  • Prof. Dr. Lucio Isa, Department of Materials, ETH, Switzerland
  • Prof. Dr. Markus Hilty, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Dr. Burcu Tepekule Müller, Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Prof. Dr. Mattia Zampieri, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Switzerland
  • PD Dr. med. Milena Sokolowska, SIAF, University of Zurich, Switzerland