New Basel institute to research children’s immune systems
Published: Tuesday, Jun 18th 2024, 10:00
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More than 300 researchers are to study the immune system of children and adolescents at a new research institute in Basel. The Fondation Botnar from Basel will finance the institute with one billion US dollars over the first 15 years, as announced on Tuesday.
The newly founded Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) will move into a purpose-built research facility in 2027. Until then, accommodation is planned in a department of ETH Zurich based in Basel.
The results of the institute's research programs will primarily benefit the health of young people in low- and middle-income countries, the foundation continued. Specifically, the aim is to develop new immune-based diagnostic and therapeutic options using so-called immune engineering.
Among other things, it deals with the questions of how individual cells react to pathogens and how genetic diversity within populations influences these reactions. The immune system has thus far been used to treat a variety of diseases. From infectious diseases to autoimmune diseases and cancer.
According to the Fondation Botnar, founding partnerships are planned with the University of Oxford and ETH Zurich.
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