Prof. Dr. Olivier T. Guenat

Head Organs-on-Chip Technologies

University of Bern, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, Organs-on-Chip Technologies

Phone
+41 31 684 14 21
E-Mail
olivier.guenat(at)unibe.ch
Postal Address
ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering
Organs-on-Chip Technologies
Murtenstrasse 50
CH-3008 Bern

Education

2014 CAS in Entrepreneurship, University of Bern, Switzerland
2013 Venia Docendi (PD) in Biomedical Engineering, University of Bern, Switzerland
2005 – 2006 Post-doctoral research, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA (18 months)
1995 – 2000 PhD Electronics and Physics, University of Neuchâtel (now EPFL) Switzerland
1994 – 1995 MSc Thesis, Molecular Devices Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA, USA (7 months)
1990 – 1995 MSc Electronics-Physics, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
1986 – 1990 BSc Eng. Microtechnology, University of Applied Sciences, Biel-Bienne, Switzerland

Employment History

2015 - now Full Professor, Univ. of Bern & Member Extended Management, ARTORG Center
2019 – 2021 Member of the Boards, AlveoliX AG and AlveoliX Technologies AG
2015 – 2019 Founder, President of the Board and CEO of AlveoliX AG, a start-up of OOC Tech. group
2010 – 2015 Assistant Professor, University of Bern, Medical Faculty, ARTORG Center, Switzerland
2009 – 2012 Adjunct Professor, Ecole Polytechnique Montréal, Eng. Physics Dept., Canada
2009 – 2011 Section Head, CSEM SA, Nanomedicine Division, Switzerland
2006 – 2009 Assistant Professor, Ecole Polytechnique Montréal,Engineering Physics Dept., Canada.
2005 – 2006 Research fellow, Harvard Medical School & MGH, Boston, Prof. Yarmush, Prof. Toner
2000 – 2004 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Microtechnology (now EPFL)

Institutional Responsabilities

2021 – now      Member of the Steering Committee of the SNSF NRP 79 “Advancing 3R”

2017 – now Member of the Resources Committee, Medical Faculty, University of Bern
2016 – now Member of several faculty search committees for professor positions, University of Bern
2015 – now Member of the Extended Management of the ARTORG Center, University of Bern
2012 – now Member of the Microscopy Committee (MIC – interfaculty group), University of Bern
2010 – now Head Organs-on-Chip Technologies Laboratories, University of Bern

Approved Research Projects (selection)

2022 - 2025 SNSF, Lead Agency with DFG, Pulmonary arterial hypertension-on-chip (609kCHF)                                                                                                              2022 – 2025 MCID, Liver-on-chip for co-infection (malaria and HBV), Lead: Volker Heussler, Uni Bern (720kCHF)
2021 – 2023 Innosuisse, Microvascularised organoid (304kCHF)
2020 – 2023 3RCC, IPF-on-chip as replacement for the bleomycin model, (315kCHF)
2020 – 2021 Novartis Foundation, MAPK signalling in 2nd generation Lung-on-Chip (60kCHF)
2019 – 2023 SNSF, Bioartificial Microvascularized Lung Alveoli Array, (998kCHF)
2019 – 2021 Eurostars (H2020), project Nr. 12977 AIM4Doc (tot: 1.7mio€, 439k€)
2019 - 2022 ITN (H2020) Project Nr. 812954 – EUROoC Organs-on-Chip (tot: 3.9mio€, 281k€)
2018 - 2019 Innosuisse, Nr. 27813.1, Lung-on-Chip System for Preclinical Studies (312kCHF)
2016 - 2018 Lungenliga Switzerland, Acute lung injury, (160kCHF, co-PI with PD Dr. S. Freigang).
2015 - 2017 Swiss CTI, Nr. 18171.1, Lung-on-Chip for Pulmonary Fibrosis Compound Test (332kCHF)
2015 - 2018 3R foundation, Acute Lung Injury, with PD Dr. S. Freigang, Bern (138kCHF)
2014 - 2016 SNSF R’Equip & Chefärtzefond, Microscopy Equipment for Organ-on-Chips (360kCHF)

Supervision of Juniors Researchers

Postdocs: supervision of 10 postdocs and senior scientists in the last 6 years

Soheila Zeinali: 2020 – now; Pauline Zamprogno: 2020 -now; Arunima Sengupta: 2020 – now; Andreas Stucki: 2018 – 2019 (Peta International Science Consortium); Andreas Hugi: 2018 – 2019 (senior engineer, AlveoliX); Nuria Roldan Lopez: 2018 (senior scientist AlveoliX); Nina Hobi: 2016 – 2017 (co-CEO, AlveoliX); Janick Stucki: 2016 – 2017 (co-CEO, AlveoliX); Artur Galimov: 2015 –2017 (Novartis); Emanuele Marconi: 2011 –2014 (Thermo-Fischer).

PhD students: supervision of 14 PhD students in the last 5 years

• Current: Karin Rechberger, 2021 - now; Tobias Weber, 2020 – now; Jan Schulte, 2020 – now; Lisette van Os, 2019 – now; • Past: Dario Ferrari, 2022, Ye Tang, 2021, Soheila Zeinali, 2020 (post-doc ARTORG); Pauline Zamprogno, 2020 (post-doc ARTORG); Ludivine Guillaume, 2017 (Innopsys); Janick Stucki, 2016 (co-CEO, AlveoliX); Andreas Stucki, 2016 (Peta International Science Consortium); Colette Bichsel, 2016 (Roche, pRED); Janine Rüegsegger-Ruppen (project manager biopharma & simulation, Pixon), 2015; Marcel Felder, 2015 (Innosuisse), Silvia Generelli, 2006 (section head CSEM)

Teaching Activities (only current)

2019 – now Introduction to Biomechanics, MSc Biomedical Engineering (8h/y)
2018 – now Tissue engineering, MSc Biomedical Engineering students (8h/y)
2012 – now Biomicrofluidics, MSc Biomedical Engineering students (30h/y)
2007 – now BioMEMS, MSc Biomedical Science students (20h/y)
2000 – now Supervision of PhD thesis and MSc thesis

Memberships in Panels, Boards

• Member of the Steering Committee of the SNSF NRP 79 “Advancing 3R” (Switzerland)

• Reviewer for national & international grant applications: Wellcome Leap Fund, Swiss Cancer League, Health Holland (advisory panel), Swiss National Science Foundation, NSERC-CIHR (Canada), ERC
Starting grant (EU), National Research Council Canada, FQRNT (Quebec), Syngapore AStar.
• Reviewer for scientific journals: Adv, Health. Mat., Tissue Eng., ADDR, Acta Biomat., Anal. Chem., Anal. Chim. Acta, ATLA, Biomicrofluidics, Cancer Res., Electrophoresis, JMEMS, JMM, Lab Chip, PlosOne, Sensors & Actuators B, Solid State Electronics.

Memberships

2019 – now ESAO, European Society for Artificial Organs
2019 – now EUROoCs, European Organ-on-Chip Society
2014 – now TEDD, Tissue Engineering – Drug Development, Switzerland
2012 – now European Society for Alternatives to Animal Testing, EUSAAT member
2011 – now Swiss Society of Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Club, Switzerland
2005 – now IEEE, Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), Affiliate

Organisation of Conferences

2009 – now Member of the International Steering Committee for the Microtechnologies in Medicine and Biology Conferences (IC MMB)
2018 MIC Symposium, From Organoids to Organisms, Bern (150 participants)
2014 TEDD Organs-on-chip Seminar, November 18th, Bern, Switzerland (organizer) (40 pers.)
2011 MMB2011, Lucerne, Switzerland (chair) (180 pers.)
2009 MMB2009, Quebec, Canada (program chair) (180 pers.)

Prizes, Awards, Fellowships (selection of the most important)

2019 Fonds Carlo 2019 (30kCHF), Fonds Carlo de la Fondation Philanthropia, Geneva
2018 FENRIV award (10kCHF), foundation for alternative methods to animal experimentation
2017 Nomination at the Swiss Medtech Award 2017, Lung-on-chip for preclinical applications
2016 Swiss Innovation Forum: Lung-on-Chip Project selected by Swissuniversities
2015 Ypsomed award 2nd prize (20kCHF), A Breathing Lung-on-Chip
2014 Venturekick I and II awards (10kCHF + 20kCHF), with AlveoliX
2012 Swiss Society for Biomedical Engineering, 2012 Poster Award, Lausanne, EPFL
2012 Research Prize, Alumni MedBern 2012
2012 Swiss Thoracic Surgery Society Prize, Best experimental communication, Davos
2011 Conference Chair Award, MMB2011, Lucerne, Switzerland
2004 Swiss National Science Foundation, Advanced Researcher Fellowship, (84kCHF)

Technology Transfer Activities

AlveoliX AG (http://www.alveolix.com) was spun out of my lab in 2015 (several patents from my lab licenced). Round A closed in 2017, to bring a lung-on-chip system on the market. 11 FTE (state 01/2021).

Number of items: 20.

Journal Article

Kiener, Mirjam; Roldan, Nuria; Machahua, Carlos; Sengupta, Arunima; Geiser, Thomas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry; Funke-Chambour, Manuela; Hobi, Nina; Kruithof-de Julio, Marianna (2021). Human-Based Advanced in vitro Approaches to Investigate Lung Fibrosis and Pulmonary Effects of COVID-19. Frontiers in medicine, 8(644678), p. 644678. Frontiers 10.3389/fmed.2021.644678

Wang, Limei; Dorn, Patrick; Zeinali, Soheila; Froment, Laurène; Berezowska, Sabina; Kocher, Gregor; Alves, Marco P; Brügger, Melanie; Esteves, Blandina I.O.; Blank, Fabian; Wotzkow, Carlos; Steiner, Selina; Amacker, Mario; Peng, Ren-Wang; Marti, Thomas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry; Bode, Peter Karl; Moehrlen, Ueli; Schmid, Ralph and Hall, Sean (2020). CD90+CD146+ identifies a pulmonary mesenchymal cell subtype with both immune modulatory and perivascular-like function in postnatal human lung. American journal of physiology - lung cellular and molecular physiology, 318(4), L813-L830. American Physiological Society 10.1152/ajplung.00146.2019

Felder, Marcel Christian; Trueeb, Bettina; Stucki, Andreas Oliver; Borcard, Sarah; Stucki, Janick Daniel; Schnyder, Bruno; Geiser, Thomas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2019). Impaired Wound Healing of Alveolar Lung Epithelial Cells in a Breathing Lung-on-a-chip. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 7(3), p. 3. Frontiers Media 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00003

Mermoud, Yves; Felder, Marcel Christian; Stucki, Janick; Stucki, Andreas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2018). Microimpedance tomography system to monitor cell activity and membrane movements in a breathing lung-on-chip. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 255(3), pp. 3647-3653. Elsevier 10.1016/j.snb.2017.09.192

Guenat, Olivier Thierry; Berthiaume, François (2018). Incorporating mechanical strain in organs-on-a-chip: Lung and skin. Biomicrofluidics, 12(4), 042207. American Institute of Physics 10.1063/1.5024895

Stucki, Janick; Hobi, Nina; Galimov, Artur; Stucki, Andreas; Schneider-Daum, Nicole; Lehr, Claus-Michael; Huwer, Hanno; Frick, Manfred; Funke-Chambour, Manuela; Geiser, Thomas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2018). Medium throughput breathing human primary cell alveolus-on-chip model. Scientific Reports, 8(1), p. 14359. Nature Publishing Group 10.1038/s41598-018-32523-x

Sfriso, Riccardo; Zhang, Shengye; Bichsel, Colette Andrea; Steck, Oliver Thomas; Despont, Alain; Guenat, Olivier Thierry; Rieben, Robert (2018). 3D artificial round section micro-vessels to investigate endothelial cells under physiological flow conditions. Scientific Reports, 8(1), p. 5898. Nature Publishing Group 10.1038/s41598-018-24273-7

Bichsel, Colette; Wang, Limei; Froment, Laurène; Berezowska, Sabina Anna; Müller, Stefan Jürg; Dorn, Patrick; Marti, Thomas M.; Peng, Ren-Wang; Geiser, Thomas; Schmid, Ralph A.; Guenat, Olivier Thierry; Hall, Sean (2017). Increased PD-L1 expression and IL-6 secretion characterize human lung tumor-derived perivascular-like cells that promote vascular leakage in a perfusable microvasculature model. Scientific Reports, 7(1), p. 10636. Nature Publishing Group 10.1038/s41598-017-09928-1

la Cour, Jakob B.; Generelli, Silvia; Barbe, Laurent; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2016). Low-cost disposable ALT electrochemical microsensors for in-vitro hepatotoxic assessment. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 228, pp. 360-365. Elsevier 10.1016/j.snb.2016.01.008

Wick, P.; Chortarea, S.; Guenat, Olivier Thierry; Roesslein, M.; Stucki, Janick; Hirn, S.; Petri-Fink, A.; Rothen-Rutishauser, B. (2015). In vitro-ex vivo model systems for nanosafety assessment. European Journal of Nanomedicine, 7(3), pp. 169-179. De Gruyter 10.1515/ejnm-2014-0049

Bichsel, Colette Andrea; Hall, Sean; Schmid, Ralph; Guenat, Olivier Thierry; Geiser, Thomas (2015). Primary human lung pericytes support and stabilize in-vitro perfusable microvessels. Tissue engineering. Part A, 21(15-16), p. 2166. Mary Ann Liebert 10.1089/ten.TEA.2014.0545

Stucki, Andreas; Stucki, Janick Daniel; Hall, Sean; Felder, Marcel Christian; Mermoud, Yves; Schmid, Ralph; Geiser, Thomas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2015). A lung-on-chip array with an integrated bio-inspired respiration mechanism. Lab on a chip, 15(5), pp. 1302-1310. Royal Society of Chemistry 10.1039/C4LC01252F

Ruppen, Janine; Wildhaber, Franziska Daniela; Strub, Christoph; Hall, Sean; Geiser, Thomas; Schmid, Ralph; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2015). Towards personalized medicine: Chemosensitivity assays of patient lung cancer cell spheroids in a perfused microfluidic platform. Lab on a chip, 15(14), pp. 3076-3085. Royal Society of Chemistry 10.1039/C5LC00454C

Stucki, Janick; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2015). A microfluidic bubble trap and oscillator. Lab on a chip, 15(23), pp. 4393-4397. Royal Society of Chemistry 10.1039/C5LC00592B

Felder, Marcel; Stucki, Andreas; Stucki, Janick; Geiser, Thomas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2014). The potential of microfluidic lung epithelial wounding: towards in vivo-like alveolar microinjuries. Integrative biology : quantitative biosciences from nano to macro, 6(12), pp. 1132-1140. Royal Society of Chemistry 10.1039/c4ib00149d

Ruppen, Janine; Cortes-Dericks, Lourdes; Marconi, Emanuele; Karoubi, Golnaz; Schmid, Ralph; Peng, Renwang; Marti, Thomas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2014). A microfluidic platform for chemoresistive testing of multicellular pleural cancer spheroids. Lab on a chip, 14(6), pp. 1198-1205. Royal Society of Chemistry 10.1039/c3lc51093j

Das, Tamal; Meunier, Liliane; Barbe, Laurent; Provencher, Diane; Guenat, Olivier Thierry; Gervais, Thomas; Mes-Masson, Anne-Marie (2013). Empirical chemosensitivity testing in a spheroid model of ovarian cancer using a microfluidics-based multiplex platform. Biomicrofluidics, 7(1), p. 11805. American Institute of Physics 10.1063/1.4774309

Conference or Workshop Item

Bakirci, Ezgi; Guenat, Olivier Thierry; Hugi, Andreas; Ahmad, Sufian; Kohl, Sandro; Gantenbein, Benjamin (2017). Optimization of 3D printed hydrogels with primary cells for tissue engineering (Unpublished). In: AOSPine Masters Symposium-Novel and Emerging Technologies in Translational Medicine. Bern. 22 September 2017.

Felder, Marcel; Sallin, Pauline; Barbe, Laurent; Gazdhar, Amiq; Geiser, Thomas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2011). Lung on Chip: In vitro HGF effects on injured alveolar A549 epithelial cells in microfluidic system. European respiratory journal, 38(Suppl 55), P4585. European Respiratory Society

Marconi, Emanuele; Schoeni, Anna; Barbe, Laurent; Gazdhar, Amiq; Geiser, Thomas; Guenat, Olivier Thierry (2011). Lung on a chip: Co-culture of alveolar epithelial cells and bone marrow derived stromal stem cells in a microfluidic system. European respiratory journal, 38(Suppl 55), P4585. European Respiratory Society

This list was generated on Sat Oct 12 05:06:36 2024 CEST.

Scientific Founder and Board Member of http://www.alveolix.com/. The ARTORG start-up Alveolix co-founded by Olivier Guenat is developing a novel service offering for drug discovery and precision medicine application. The functional and physiological Alevolix Lung-on-a-Chip technology that originated from research in the Organs-on-Chip technology lab at the ARTORG, is an award-winning technology set to change fundamentally how early stage drug discovery is carried out and how treatments are prescribed in lung disease.