Theodor Kocher Institute (TKI)

The Theodor Kocher Institute (TKI) is an institute of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bern. Research at the TKI addresses molecular mechanisms involved in inflammation. A special focus lies on immune cell migration to different organs during immune surveillance and inflammation employing cutting-edge 3D live cell imaging. The specific research focus of the individual TKI research groups are shown in the section Research. Teaching: The institute offers lectures and practical classes in immunology, vascular cell biology, transgenic mouse technologies, cell migration, inflammation and live cell imaging for bachelor, master and graduate students in the Medical, Science and Vetsuisse Faculties. Services: The TKI participates in the Microscopy Imaging Center and provides services in the production of genetically modified mouse models as well as in cryo-preservation and rederivation of mouse strains.

News and Events

The multinational staff at the TKI stands with the people of Ukraine

Sharing our professional and personal diversity is both a privilege and an enrichment, making us both better scientists and persons.
The war in Ukraine must stop!

Best Poster Award for Pelin Kasap!

We congratulate Pelin Kasap, PhD student in the group of Britta Engelhardt, to the Best Poster Award at the iPSZürich Symposium 2022.

Vortrag «Blut-Hirn Schranke bei MS»

Britta Engelhardt hielt auf Einladung der Schweizerischen Multiple Sklerose Geschellschaft einen Vortrag in deutscher Sprache über die «Blut-Hirn Schranke bei MS» der hier in gekürzter Form angeschaut werden kann.

Federico has successfully defended his PhD thesis

The TKI congratulates Federico Saltarin for successful defense of his PhD thesis entitled «Investigations on the extravasation of melanoma cells across the blood brain barrier».

First European CSL Research Acceleration Initiative Awardees Announced

Four medical researchers have been the first in Europe awarded a CSL Research Acceleration Initiative partnership, including an investment of up to 400,000 CHF per program over two years, to fast-track the discovery of innovative biotherapies that address unmet patient needs.

Daniela has successfully defended her Phd thesis

The TKI congratulates Daniela Ivan for successful defense of her PhD thesis entitled «Myeloid cell recruitment to the CNS during neuroinflammation - migration pathways and functional polarizations»

Good-bye to Dr. Hideaki Nishihara from the «Human B-Lab Team»

Good-bye to Dr. Hideaki Nishihara from the «Human B-Lab Team» that has grown under his guidance! We will keep up the good work on the human brain barriers and look forward to our future collaborations.

Ursula Zingg has left the TKI for her retirement

Thank you for everything Ursula and we will miss you..

Congratulations to Sidar Aydin

We are pleased to announce that Sidar Aydin has successfully passed his PhD thesis defence at the TKI. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Adrian Madarasz, promoted MD (= Dr. med. or Doctor Medicinae)

We are happy to announce that Adrian Madarasz finished his medical doctoral thesis. The Medical Faculty of the University of Bern officially confirmed his title as Dr. med. on September 2, 2020.
Adrian is now performing an MD PhD at our Institute.

No traditional TKI Christmas Party this year

No traditional TKI Christmas Party this year. We have missed you all. We wish all previous TKI members and friends and everybody who visits our homepage a wonderful Holiday Season and all the best for the New Year! Take care!

Science Filmmaking Marathon Zurich

Two TKI scientific collaborators, Kristina Bervé and Daniela Ivan, participated in a Science Filmmaking Marathon which took place in Zurich.
The objective of this marathon was to learn how to use different storytelling and filmmaking tools to communicate scientific results and make science more accessible for the broader audience.

During the three days of the marathon, together with 3 other PhD students of different backgrounds, from ETH and University of Zurich, and helped by a trainer, we made a 4 minutes documentary related to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Our short film, `NO DENIAL`, highlights a recent discovery made by a team of researchers from the University of Bern and ETH Zurich who studied the mechanisms behind SARS-Covid-19 viral infection and underlines the necessity of a closer collaboration between scientists and media to educate the general public.

The movie will be available online at this website - https://www.sciencefilm.ch/scientists-as-filmmake-2020 starting from tonight until Sunday (5-8th of November) at any time.

If you want to help us promote our movie and the message we want to send 😊, you can link our film to your social media accounts (i.e. Twitter/ Facebook).

With this movie, we are participating in this year´s 3rd Global Science Film Festival, so, keep your fingers crossed for us 😉🤞.

Thanks a lot for reading this long message and we wish you a great end of the week!

All the best,
Daniela and Kristina

Ruth Lyck has been nominated Associate Professor

The TKI congratulates PD Dr. Ruth Lyck to the nomination as Associate Professor of the University of Bern.
Focusing her research orignially on immune cell migration across the blood-brain barrier, Dr. Lyck has recently shifted her research focus on melanoma cell migration across this tissue barrier in the context of tumor metastasis to the brain. Dr. Lyck has worked part time during her entire career first due to family reasons and lately due to her additional function as the coordinator of the Microscopy Imaging Center (MIC) of the University of Bern. She is thus an excellent female role model for scientists in the future.

We enjoy the visit of Dr. Christian Uhl from the Department of Neurosurgery, Charité Berlin, Germany

His Zoom Seminar talk today entitled "Role of the EphB4-receptor in mediating resistance to antiangiogenic treatment in malignant glioma"

first TKI ZOOM Seminar with Prof. Roy O. Weller and Prof. Roxana Carare

First TKI ZOOM seminar with Professor Roy O. Weller and Dr. Roxane O. Carare, University of Southhampton, UK.
Their presentations "connections between the brain and the immune system" and "clearance of amyloid and interstitial fluid from the aging brain" were truly inspiring!

Affiliation of Prof. Daniel Legler with the Theodor Institute

Prof. Dr. Daniel Legler, head of the Biotechnology Institute Thurgau at the University of Konstanz, has been appointed as associate professor at the Medical Faculty of the University of Bern affiliated with the Theodor Kocher Institute by March 1st, 2020. For several years, Daniel Legler is engaged in the PhD program Cell Migration coordinated by Prof. Dr. Britta Engelhardt. Moreover, Daniel Legler is a member of the expert commission Cell Biology of the Bern Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB) and co-organizer of the annual Cytomeet dedicated to the Swiss scientific community interested in mechanisms of cell migration.

Successfull Mid-term of Josephine Mapunda

Josephine Mapunda is happy that the virtual mid-term exam is successfully suceeded.

TKI - first online lab meeting

The TKI lab is now up and running virtually

Mariana Dias, winner of the GCB Award for Best PhD Thesis

Awards
January 31, 2020 | On occasion of the «GCB Symposium 2020», held on January 30, 2020, at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Department of Physiology, University of Bern, the «GCB Award for Best PhD Thesis» for the year 2019 was conferred on Mariana Mota Castro Dias, PhD in Neuroscience, for her PhD thesis entitled «The role of the brain-barrier tight junctions in neuroinflammation».

Two PhDs finalized at TKI by the end of 2019

Mariana Dias and Luca Marchetti finished their PhDs at the TKI in 2019

ProDoc Cell Migration Retreat 2019

This years ProDoc Cell Migration Retreat took place from August 29 to August 30 at the Hotel Appenberg in the beautiful Emmental near Bern

ENTRAIN - New EU project

PhD position at the Theodor Kocher Institute for early stage researchers (ESR) for three years, funded as a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN).
For further details of the individual projects in ENTRAIN, please follow the link www.itn-entrain.eu.

CNB Science Slam 2019

Event for researcher and students
And the winner is - Mariana Dias with her friends Daniela Ivan, Josephine Mapunda, Luca Marchetti, Federico Saltarin and Viviane Schallenberg from the Theodor Kocher Institute and David Francisco from Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit

BtRAIN - coming to an end

On January 18, 2019, the Final Network Meeting of BtRAIN took place in Milano.
BtRAIN has educated a unique group of students in brain barriers research and has established a tight network amongst its members that will last beyond this program.

Mit Marie Curie in Bern doktorieren

Britta Engelhardt is the coordinator of the Marie Sklodowska Curie Training Network BtRAIN funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 Programme. At the University of Bern this program is a tight collaboration between the TKI and the Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit.