Biozentrum Symposium 2023
On Thursday, June 22, the Biozentrum Symposium took place, this time in the beautiful Kunstmuseum Basel - bringing together art and science. This symposium was a great opportunity for our researchers to gain a brief overview of the projects carried out at our institution as well as to share and discuss the latest results and methods. This year’s symposium was opened by Prof. Sonja Kleinlogel, Research Development Section Head at Roche, with an exciting keynote lecture on designer optogenetic gene therapies for restoring vision, followed by a lively discussion on the potential, challenges and risks of this therapeutic approach.
With the poster sessions and one-minute flash talks, young scientists were offered a platform to present and discuss their own work. The more than 90 contributions were actively rated by the other participants throughout the meeting. At the end of the day, the excitement culminated in the Poster Award Ceremony. This year, six young researchers from diverse research fields were awarded a best poster prize: Anna Leder (group Sebastian Hiller), Miro Plum (group Marek Basler), Fabienne Estermann (group Dirk Bumann), Hannah Jeckel (group Knut Drescher), Simon Zufferey (group Ben Engel), Julia Schedel (group Markus Rüegg).
In his traditional “State-of-the-Union” address, the Director Prof. Alex Schier embarked on a journey from the past to the future of the Biozentrum, highlighting the importance of a vibrant Biozentrum community. In a panel discussion, Anne Spang and Marek Basler discussed the trending topic of ChatGPT’s role in research and teaching with the interested audience. This day filled with scientific discoveries and fresh insights came to a close with a convivial get-together.
