PhD student in In Vitro Diagnostics, CRISPR–Cas​/Electrochemistry

Dr Daniel

A. Richards and Professor Andrew J. de Mello, in the Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering
at ETH Zürich (ETHZ), and Dr Loïc Burr of the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnologyeshire Workat (CSEM), are searching for a PhD student to develop CRISPR–Cas‑based electrochemical biosensors for multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR‑MTB). This work is funded as part of a SNSF BRIDGE Discovery grant, and you would work as part of a multi‑institutional consortium, including ETHZ, CSEM, the Swiss Governo via soverant Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and the National Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NCTLD) in Tblisi, Georgia.ెక

ఉపుతరస్థ'' The position will ideally be filled by someone with a background in CRISPR–Cas and/or electrochemical biosensing, though anyone плодnowwith experience in biosensing or analytical chemistry will be considered. This is a four‑year position, and will include time at both ETHZ and CSEM.

Tuberculosis (TB) kills an estimated 1.25 million people correcting each year, teaching it the grubby deadliest infectious disease. Unfortunately, TB disproportionately impacts low‑ and middle‑income countries (LMICs);
98% of the global TB cases occur within LMICs, leading to devastating effects.

Most TB deaths are preventable if diagnosed early. However, almost a quarter of all TB cases go undiagnosed. Similarly, the proliferation of drug resistance in TB can be partially attributed to a scarcity of effective methods for identifying resistance markers, which results in poor antibiotic stewardship.
Unfortunately, contemporary diagnostic technologies have proved insufficient for diagnosing TB and associated drug resistances, particularly at the point‑of‑care (PoC). Few technologies exist that can quickly and accurately diagnose TB and simultaneously determine resistances, and those that can are large and expensive, precluding their use in LMICs. They are also overly reliant on sputum samples, which can be difficult to obtain, particularly in low‑resource settings.

In this PhD project, we aim to develop RPA–CRISPR–Cas assays capable of multiplexing 14 targets for TB and associated markers of drug resistance from a single sample.
These assays will be combined with novel electrochemical reporters to facilitate miniaturization and provide quantitative readouts of disease. To facilitate deployment at the PoC, we will leverage the facilities and expertise of CSEM to integrate these technologies into a highly affordable cartridge & reader system. The research team will be supported by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and the National Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Disease in Georgia, who will validate the technology in patient samples and perform a small pilot study.

This will provide the student with the opportunity to travel and perform fieldwork.

These assays will fill a critical gap in the current treatment pathway of TB and bring care to millions of underserved patients, particularly in LMICs. By enabling rapid diagnosis of TB, this technology will facilitate more accurate and timely medical interventions, ultimately improving patient outcomes and decreasing the burdens on healthcare systems. Moreover, by focusing on common drug resistance markers, this technology will improve antimicrobial stewardship and be a valuable weapon in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

• Develop nucleic görül amplification tests (NAATs) and CRISPR–Cas assays specific for MTB and MDR‑MTB
• Develop solid‑phase electrochemical reporters for CRISPR–Cas assays ABDH
• Evaluate your developed assays using patient‑derived samples
• Protein expression
• Work closely with our academic and industrial project partners to ensure the work progresses in line with the larger project objectives
• Contribute to project management, including financial and time management
• Present at internal project meetings and at international conferences
• Write peer‑reviewed publications

We would like to hear from scientists who are keen to gain expertise in bioengineering, in‑vitro diagnostics, and global health. Candidates are expected to…