Lisa T

At Nacht der Forschung, the MCID had the pleasure to host the INPUT team from the ISPM. Throughout the evening, they ran a full-scale pandemic game with the crowd. The evening turned into a living lab, check out the results here:-

👉 tinyurl.com/ye8hsyzr

@unibe.ch

Welcome back from the summer break! 🌞 The 11th edition of The SPREAD is out now.

🔹 Research on Tropical Theileriosis
🔹 Why syndromic surveillance matters for wildlife health
🔹 How machine learning is helping discover new antimicrobials
🔹 Meet our MCID-funded PhD students: Mike and Martin

A couple of times a week, I wander from the Vetsuisse over to @mcid-unibe.bsky.social HQ. I try to take a different route each time as the Länggasse quarter is full of interesting buildings and sights. Passed this gentleman in front of the @unibe.ch main building the other day!

Quite a few weeks of hard work cumulated in the “Nacht der Forschung” last Saturday. Thrilled that Jessie also came to help! She was a wiz with the face paints and tattooing!

These outreach events are so important and proves if you make science accessible people are genuinely interested!

I have enjoyed seeing this project progress over the last few years. Reto, you did a great job! I always love walking past your computer and seeing the latest microscope images even if I have slight envy of just how fabulous they look!

Preprint by the Thiel, Heller&Chao labs w/1st author Reto Lang "Stress granules formed during different RNA virus infections show remarkable plasticity &substantial virus-specific differences in their formation&composition" @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social
buff.ly/vU7Tdg6
@profvolkerthiel.bsky.social

Really thought provoking talk from @philippmarkolin.bsky.social today at the scientific communication workshop organised by @veflu.bsky.social at the vetsuisse faculty. Given me loads to think about for my own role in making science more accessible with the @mcid-unibe.bsky.social!

@unibe.ch

MCID is back at Nacht der Forschung 🎉 on Sat 6 Sept 2025!
Fun for all ages: 🎨 Face painting + “Make Your Own Pathogen” | 🎯 Klatsch die Bakterie | 🖼️ Interactive posters | 🦠 Pandemic Control Centre | 🕷️ BEready – take “a close look at ticks”! ⚖️Ethical dilemmas

Come say hi!
#ndfunibern
@unibe.ch

🎉 Big shoutout to our MCID Bern-funded PhD students who shone at the 20th GCB Symposium @unibe.ch!

They wowed us with posters, talks & flash presentations, showcasing not just cutting-edge science but passion & dedication to their research

👏 Congrats to all! Keep up the good work!

A great day!

Awful news, he was one if my favourite current players

Live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine OTS-228 demonstrates efficacy, safety, and stability in preclinical model - npj Vaccines npj Vaccines - Live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine OTS-228 demonstrates efficacy, safety, and stability in preclinical model

The next publication from our team
@profvolkerthiel.bsky.social is now hot off the press showing the safety of our live attenuated vaccine against SARS-Cov-2. It’s always a pleasure to work with Martin Beer’s team from FLI Reims.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Issue #10 of The SPREAD is hot off the press! 📰✨

This one’s got bite (🦟) — from dodging tick bites, to Giardia’s sneaky protein secrets, plus a spotlight on more of our brilliant MCID PhD students 🎓

Dive in here 👉 shorturl.at/XrYw1

@unibe.ch #MCID #TheSPREAD #Ticks #Giardia #InfectiousDisease

Great discussions in Prague at the 2nd #PanViPrep meeting. @profvolkerthiel.bsky.social shared updates on our MERS and seasonal CoVs research while I talked about EU compliance in ethics and animal welfare. We also found the Prague “Zytglögge”. What a great city!

@mcid-unibe.bsky.social and IVI welcomed the Swiss Klub für Wissenschaftsjournalismus. @profvolkerthiel.bsky.social kicked off with an intro to the MCID, followed by the @bereadycohort.bsky.social study, an IVI spotlight, and rounded off with a lively Q&A session. #ScienceJournalism @unibe.ch

The SNSF promotes cross-border competition and cooperation to increase the quality of science Florian Fisch Swiss National Science Foundation | Science editor Laure Ognois Laure Ognois started her career with a PhD in modern history and subsequently obtained a Masters of public administration…

🌍#Research thrives on openness and global cooperation.
🔎 Laure Ognois, Head of International #Cooperation at the SNSF, discusses how policymakers must balance openness and security to keep #Swiss researchers connected while safeguarding research integrity.
👉

Good to see you are having fun as well as doing the science thing…..just slightly jealous as I am keeping things ticking over in Bern in your absence!

6 people stand in front of the BEready stand. Three of them are employees who are explaining the competition to the others and discussing the film on the screen. Two people sit on the stools in the stand and watch the film.

Many people were also interested in the #tick and #BEready today.
#BEA

Well done team, that’s quite the journey! Enjoy the science!

6 ways the pandemic accord helps the world: what you need to know - early warnings for future outbreaks, protection of health workers, faster vaccine distribution, improved labs and surveillance, faster and stronger cooperation for future crises, promotion of equity and human rights.

Key points: WHO Member States took a major step forward in efforts to make the world safer from pandemics, by forging a draft agreement for consideration at the upcoming World Health Assembly in May 2025. The proposal supports countries' rights to manage their public health issues. WHO won't have the power to change national laws, enforce policies, or mandate actions like travel bans, vaccination requirements, or lockdowns.

How the #PandemicAccord makes the world safer from future pandemics: All that you need to know.⤵️

A first step forward in building a global solution for pandemic preparedness was agreed on yesterday. When we’re aligned and ready to work together, we’re already in a better position. Better research, diagnostics, and smarter preparedness tools can only stand us in good stead for future challenges.

Bacterial and viral pathogens dominate public health discussions, but fungal infections also pose a threat. The latest WHO report highlights critical gaps in diagnostics and therapeutics—and the urgent need for innovation in mycology-focused R&D. #InfectiousDiseases #FungalInfections #GlobalHealth

Maternal health in Africa: there’s progress, but challenges remain 🚨

The region bears a disproportionate burden of maternal mortality, counting for 70% of global maternal deaths in 2023.

bit.ly/42cK1VT

An inspiring and timely article in @uk.theconversation.com written by @waspwoman.bsky.social about our need to develop a #nature-literate society. 🐝

Week one as the new Communication Officer for the MCID….exciting times ahead! Can’t wait to share the cool science we are involved in. @mcid-unibe.bsky.social @unibe.ch 🧬🔬🧫🦠

RFK Jr.’s Prescription for Bird Flu on Farms: Let It Spread (Gift Article) The health secretary has suggested allowing the virus to spread, so as to identify birds that may be immune. Such an experiment would be disastrous, scientists say.

Gift article about why it is a TERRIBLE idea to let H5N1 spread on farms, because it will 1. kill the birds 2. make them suffer 3. provide more opportunities for mutation 4. be a disaster to clean up because they would just be leaky feathered H5N1 bombs. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/h...

NSF downsizes summer research program for undergraduates Many participants are from groups underrepresented in science

A generation of scientists could be lost through the axing of various programs designed to help young people find a path into basic and applied research. www.science.org/content/arti...

Carmen Faso and Volker Thiel from Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID) University of Bern

At Kursaal Bern on #Dreikoenigstag

Showcasing how #Philanthropy supports research and innovation @unibern.bsky.social

Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases and @BEreadycohort (Stiftung Vinetum)

Wyss Center for Research on Nature

Diabetes Center Bern (Willy Michel)

📣 As of January 2025, researchers in Switzerland can participate in (almost all) calls for proposals of Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe Programme. This means that they can submit project proposals in the role of coordinator. 🧪🧬🔬🔭

www.horizon-europe.ch

#HorizonEurope #Science #Innovation

Many congrats and have a fab start!