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In recent years, interest in insect breeding has increased to supply the production of raw materials, food, or as biological/environmental control. The pollination by managed mason bees will play a key role in future agriculture if anthropogenic global change continues. In a warming climate with an earlier flowering period, using mason bees is an advantage, compared to honeybees, as they are active earlier in the season.

One issue of large mason bee rearings is their susceptibility to pathogens, pests and parasitoids which can spread rapidly within the wild bee population. Thus, it is important to monitor the spread of such manifestations. The research group around Dr. Henning Richter and Bart Thomson introduced the use of computed tomography, a medical imaging technique, to enable imaging of cocoons for a collaboration with the Zurich-based company Wildbiene & Partner AG. Tedious, manual quality control of cocoons motivated the group to use machine learning for optimization and standardization to guarantee high-quality readouts. In a proof-of-concept study in 2020, they were able to reduce the sample analysis time from 90 minutes to 10 seconds using the new methodology. Link to publication. In a project supported by Innosuisse, the team is further improving the methodology by adding machine-learning based evaluation of the images for larger sample sizes, that are relevant to industry.

Dr. Henning Richter is heading the “DIRU” (Diagnostic Imaging Research Unit) at the Vetsuisse-Faculty of Zurich. The unit is focused on clinically applied imaging studies collaborating with internal research groups as well as with external partners, resulting in several interdisciplinary and translational research projects.

UZH Startups

Every year, entrepreneurial students, researchers and alumni launch new innovative companies. Since 1999, more than 150 spin-offs have been founded, bringing innovative products and services based on UZH technologies to the market. Startup companies have the capacity to make a positive impact on society and the economy.

UZH Startup Label

The UZH Startup Label is an opportunity for dedicated entrepreneurs to gain visibility for their venture. It is awarded to companies built by UZH researchers, students, university members and alumni who achieved the first founding round, has a complete team and a business model to scale. The label confirms the link to UZH as a widely recognized university. The companies that are awarded the label become part of the UZH startup community and profit from an increased credibility for their activities. Last year, the UZH Innovation Office awarded four new university-based startups joining the UZH Startup label.

Kove & Oxyprem

Kove and Oxyprem are among 24 ground-breaking Swiss start-up innovations to be selected for the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator.

UZH Spin-off milestones 2022

EraCal

EraCal Therapeutics Ltd enters into a collaboration with Novo Nordisk A/S to find novel drug targets relevant for food intake regulation and additional metabolic phenotypes.

ImmunOs

UZH Spin-off milestones

UZH Spin-offs are startup companies that bring products and services to the market which are based on technology developed at the University of Zurich. These companies show a very high survival rate. More than 95 % of the companies are still operating 5 years after incorporation. In 2022, the University set up license agreements with four new spin-off companies, all in the life science domain. The timeline below show some of the milestones achieved by UZH spin-offs last year.

Oncobit

Oncobit has CE marked its first product to enable personalized cancer care. This product allows the sensitive and specific detection of mutations in the patient’s blood over time and can be used for the monitoring of treatment response, minimal residual disease, and disease recurrence of melanoma.

Cutiss

ImmunOs Therapeutics AG, a biopharmaceutical spin-off leveraging its HLA-based technology platform to develop first-in-class therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, announced the closing of an oversubscribed Series B financing round totaling $74 million.

The European Patent Office has granted a patent for the tissue graft developed by Cutiss. Cutiss’ first product for skin tissue therapy is currently in Phase IIb clinical trials.

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Wattz

Wattz’s focus is on the market integration of solar overshoot energy. This market grows yearly with double digit CAGR figures, since demand for retail rooftop solar is soaring. Currently, retail prosumers (both consuming and producing entities) do not get the correct market value for their overshoot energy. Wattz closes the gap and ensures full reward to prosumers.

Wattz connects the data from energy producers with the energy markets 24/7 in a simple and effortless way, ensuring lowest transactional costs. The size of the EU-27 market is significant: in 2030 more than 600 GWp solar residential power shall be installed. Go-to-market is provided through solar installer companies and real estate owners.

The company was founded in 2020 by two engineers, a political scientist and an economist. Their vision was to connect the European energy industry via a digital energy market system.

Clemedi

Clemedi AG releases Tuberculini, its first molecular test for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Tuberculini can recognise resistance to all major therapeutic agents used to treat tuberculosis.

Kuros Bioscience

Kuros Biosciences AG, a leading spin-off in next generation bone graft technologies, completed a CHF 6.0 million capital increase through a private placement of 3,750,000 new shares of Kuros.

Recolony

Aionite Capital

Aionite Capital is an alternative investment brand that follows the approach of Evolutionary Investing. Aionite was founded by the two economists. Their approach is based on the findings of “Evolutionary Finance”, where financial markets are seen as the struggle of different market participants and investment strategies.

The importance of the individual investment strategies changes dynamically over time. Using artificial intelligence, Aionite Capital tries to find out which investment strategies are evolutionarily superior in the current market environment. With this approach, Aionite Capital has a broad portfolio that should be more successful than traditional investment solutions over the long term.

Recolony, a biotech spin-off with the goal of developing a bacteriabased oral therapy to treat and prevent cancer, won CHF 150’000 from InnoBooster by the Gebert Rüf Foundation.

Muvon Therapeutics AG, an innovative clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced that the first patient with Stress Urinary Incontinence has been enrolled as part of the planned Phase II clinical trial (SUISSE MPC 2-Study).

Navignostics

Navignostics announced the closing of their seed financing round with an investment of CHF 7.5M. Bruker Invest AG led the oversubscribed round, joined by Think. Health Ventures, Ventura Biomed Investors, and the Zürcher Kantonalbank.