The Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR) of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Bern, led by Prof. Mark A. Rubin, MD, was established in 1994 by the University of Bern and the Inselspital (Bern University Hospital). The DBMR is divided in 14 Research Programs with about 100 participating individual labs and several Independent Research Labs whose research spans across all biomedical fields. To realize its mission to bridge the gap between bench and bedside, the DBMR promotes an integrative perspective to clinical research with a strong emphasis in the development of translational approaches, the use of omics and other cutting-edge technologies, and extensive interaction and collaboration between laboratory-based and patient-oriented clinical research. The DBMR is also committed to fostering the careers of young academics.
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We invite all students and members of the institutes and clinics of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern and of the Inselspital engaged in research to submit an abstract for the poster session for the Day of BioMedical Research. During the abstract submission you have the opportunity to apply for one of the DBMR Poster Prizes.
On November 10, 2025, Professors Mark A. Rubin and Sven Rottenberg, supported by the University Comprehensive Cancer Center Inselspital (UCI), hosted a lunch seminar for Faculty of Medicine researchers on preparing competitive Krebsliga Schweiz Research Grant applications. They shared insights, practical tips, and common pitfalls to help strengthen future proposals. Thank you to everyone who participated!
A delegation representing the ten member states of the ASEAN visited the DBMR. During the visit, Prof. Rubin and his team provided an overview of the cancer research on the Rubin lab, highlighting current projects underway and the broader work of DBMR.
Impressions of the DBMR Day of BioMedical Research 2025! Thank you to all participants, reviewers, the keynote speakers Prof. Raphael Gottardo and Prof. Raphaëlle Luisier, to our sponsors and organizing team.
At the DBMR BioMedical Research on Wednesday, 2 July 2025, Benedetta Coppe was the winner of the Johanna Dürmüller-Bol DBMR Research Award 2025 for her project “Impact of cardiac injury on male reproductive system and gametes chromatin accessibility”. Congratulations! Read more.
Congratulations to all awardees of the prizes announced at the DBMR BioMedical Research Day 2025.
Researchers from the Rubin Lab and international collaborators have identified a new treatment vulnerability in a particularly aggressive form of advanced prostate cancer that no longer responds to hormone therapy. Using so-called proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) to degrade SWI/SNF chromatin-remodelling proteins, the team showed that a “double-negative”, WNT-driven subtype of castration-resistant prostate cancer is highly sensitive to this epigenetic approach in patient-derived organoids and mouse models.
In this Nature Medicine News & Views, Prof. Mark A. Rubin and Dr. Irene Paassen discuss recent research showing why genomic profiling alone is insufficient for precision oncology and how integrated, functional approaches may improve cancer care.
Mac4Me is a European doctoral network aiming to develop new treatment options for metastatic neuroblastoma, prostate, and breast cancers. The Rubin Lab (CTR program) is part of this network, and Marine Cuiller is the doctoral candidate whose PhD project focuses on developing an in vitro model system to elucidate the early cellular and molecular events that promote adult brain metastasis progression. The first project newsletter has just been published.
PD. Dr. Sonja Häckel (Bone & Joint Program) was awarded a research grant from the German Spine Society for her preclinical proof-of-concept study on biologically inducing intervertebral disc fusion via BMP-2, L51P, and prostaglandin receptor EP4 modulation. Congratulations!
In a study published by Journal of Hepatology Reports, DBMR researchers from the SBM Program demonstrated that carvedilol, unlike traditional beta/blockers such as propranolol, downregulates the factors that lead to increased portal pressure in cirrhosis. These effects were noted both in early and in advanced cirrhosis, suggesting that it can be effective in slowing/reversing disease progression when associated with etiological therapy.
Prof. Mark A. Rubin is among the authors of a study showing that NSD2, a histone methyltransferase, drives the cellular “plasticity” that allows castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) to evolve into aggressive neuroendocrine forms and evade standard therapies. Using organoid models from mice and patients, the team demonstrated that inhibiting NSD2 — either genetically or with a new small-molecule drug — can reverse this aggressive transformation, restore sensitivity to androgen-receptor inhibitors, and slow tumour growth..
Congratulations to Prof. Deborah Stroka and Dr. med. Simon Häfliger on the approval National AI Initiative for Precision Oncology (NAIPO), which aims to transform cancer care in Switzerland with help of artificial intelligence. NAIPO is one of the four projects selected by the Swiss Federal Innovation Agency Innosuisse under its flagship initiative, "Artificial Intelligence in the Life Sciences, from a Human Health Perspective." The project will develop a secure, federated infrastructure that ensures the protection of sensitive patient data while enabling AI-driven research and discoveries. The initiative explores cutting-edge technologies, including AI foundation models, AI agents and privacy-preserving algorithms, and applies them in real-world clinical settings. With strong engagement from hospitals and industry, NAIPO will accelerate innovation, improve patient outcomes and help establish Switzerland as a global leader in medical AI. Read the official press release from EPFL
PD Dr. med. Sonja Häckel, from the Bone and Joint Program, receives a SPARK Grant for her project to develop a biological alternative to conventional spinal fusion – without the use of metal implants. By combining three bioactive substances (BMP-2, its analogue L51P, and the EP4 agonist KMN-159), the aim is to stimulate natural bone formation in the intervertebral disc, thereby achieving “natural fusion.” The project is a close collaboration between the Orthopedics Department at Inselspital, the TOM Group led by Prof. Benjamin Gantenbein, and Stefan Zwingenberger and Xinggui Tian (DWG Spine Science).Congratulations!
Congratulations to Prof. Marianna Kruithof-de Julio on the approval of ORION. ORION is one of the four projects selected by the Swiss Federal Innovation Agency Innosuisse under its flagship initiative, "Artificial Intelligence in the Life Sciences, from a Human Health Perspective." The goal of the project is to help improve the treatment of each cancer patient, by developing a smart “micro-factory” to accelerate personalized cancer treatments. Using tumor-specific inputs, such as patient data and tissue, the ORION micro-factory will autonomously produce tumor models by continuously adjusting their cellular composition and microenvironment to closely mirror well-characterized tumor samples from patients. The TOR at the DBMR, led by Prof. Kruithof-de Julio, will play a central role in this project, providing the expertise and infrastructure necessary to create clinically relevant organoid models that drive therapeutic innovation in oncology. The project brings together 6 research partners and 18 implementation partners.
Dr. Janine Gote-Schniering from the Lung Precision Medicine Program received a Starting Grant from the SNSF for her research project " IMMUNOCODE - Decoding the Role of Immune Aging in Regenerative Cell State Dysfunction in Pulmonary Fibrosis”, which will identify novel therapeutic targets to reverse immune-mediated regenerative failure and fibrosis in the lung, with broader implications for age-related tissue dysfunction and fibrosis across multiple organs. Congratulations!
In Cell Host & Microbe, researchers from the DBMR SBM Program, in collaboration with over 50 global institutions, have launched the first comprehensive atlas of the mouse gut microbiome. This landmark study synthesizes data from mouse microbiomes across six continents, revealing that despite immense differences in bacterial species across facilities, metabolic outputs in the intestine are strikingly consistent. These findings enhance the reliability of biomedical research using mouse models, highlighting the importance of microbial function in experimental outcomes.
May 4, 2026
17:00 − 18:00
DBMR Murtenstrasse 24, Seminar Room EG050, 3008 Bern
The Hashemi Gheinani lab investigates the molecular and physiological mechanisms of urinary tract function and dysfunction, with a particular focus on neurourology. The lab uses computational biology methods to study how neurological diseases such as spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, as well as conditions like bladder outlet obstruction, bladder pain syndrome, and urinary tract infections, alter bladder biology and function. We are delighted to have Dr. Hashemi Gheinani and his team joining the DBMR and wish all the success to the lab.
Prof. Pegah Kassraian, a recipient of the SNSF Starting Grant 2025, has joined the Experimental Neurology Center (ZEN) Program. The Kassraian lab investigates the behavioral, neural, molecular, and circuit-level basis of social cognition, with close links to clinical research. We are delighted to have Prof. Kassraian joining the DBMR and wish all the success to the lab.
Dr. Martín González-Fernández, a postdoc from the CTR Program, has been awarded the Dr. Lutz and Dr. Celia Zwillenberg Prize for discovering a new mechanism of chemotherapy response in BRCA1-deficient breast cancer. His findings, published in PNAS, provide important insights into how cancer cells divide and open new perspectives for personalized cancer treatment (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2402849121).
Congratulations to Dr. Paola Bermudez Lekerika (Bone and Joint Program) , whose thesis “lnterpreting lntervertebral dlsc phenotypes: an in-vitro, ex-vivo and in-silico approach” received the Best PhD Thesis Award 2025 from the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Platform (SCRM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern.
Congratulations to Prof. Mark A. Rubin, who was again named a Highly Cited Researcher 2025 by Clarivate!
Murtenstrasse 28 CH-3008 Bern
Phone: +41 31 684 04 80 sekretariat.dbmr@unibe.ch
