How many of you are fascinated by the latest advances in research while struggling to understand their implications for our future? If so, then – like me – you also belong to the tribe of the scientifically curious. In that case, I would like to invite you to join me on a voyage of discovery as I ask various ETH Zurich researchers about what they do and why it matters. On behalf of our tribe, I will inquire about their latest findings and how they might impact our future. So, buckle up and accompany me to meet ETH Zurich future makers…

Would you happen to know what chronic stress is? Would you maybe describe yourself as a chronically stressed individual? Have you ever wondered if stress could change our biology on a more fundamental, cellular level? And could it then potentially be inherited by our children or even our grandchildren? Well, allow me to introduce you to Katharina Gapp – a professor in the Department of Health Science and Technology at ETH Zurich who has dedicated her professional life to exploring the potential of the transmission of select environmental stressors from one generation to another. 

Katharina’s research area: Epigenetics and Neuroendocrinology

In simple terms, Katharina’s research focuses on exploring how stress (as an environmental factor) shapes our biology on a molecular level and the extent to which it can be passed on from one generation to another. Katharina’s current research is carried out using mouse models. It hence explores the important question of what is possible and can be understood in principle before it is further investigated on human beings.

More concretely, Katharina’s team has been able to demonstrate that mice exposed to chronic stress can pass this stress (for example, in the form of related behavioral consequences) on to the next generation on a molecular level. This can be seen by examining the stress hormones and their receptors in the germline (i.e., cells that form eggs and sperms) as well as in the corresponding offspring. In principle, these findings demonstrate that environmental factors can be inherited. It also suggests that the environment around us might not only influence our own biology, but also the biology of our offsprings. When asked about why this type of research fascinates her, Katharina mentioned her rethinking of the concept of personal responsibility and how it took on a more intergenerational dimension based on the research findings in this domain.

But how about 2040? Will Katharina’s research area still be relevant to our lives?

If Katharina and her peers are successful in their research endeavors, by 2040, we could have a more robust understanding of the exact environmental factors that are hereditary as well as of the way in which they could be passed on from one generation to the next in human beings. Such an understanding might completely transform the way we look at preventative care for our children. It could also catalyze further regulatory action regarding our environment – especially in the areas of newly identified toxicity that could be transmissible to offsprings.

In a more extreme future scenario, one could maybe even picture a world in which offspring optimization would be taken to a whole new level. Such an optimization could, for example, involve a more robust screening of eggs and sperms for traces of environmental factors that could be passed on to the potential offspring with the intent to replace those eggs or sperms deemed as undesirable by more desirable alternatives.

For better or worse, future research findings of experts such as Katharina Gapp might help us better understand the importance of epigenetic inheritance – i.e., the transmission of environmental information to offsprings on a molecular level. I cannot think of anyone who does not worry about their children’s health and wellbeing. Looking ahead into 2040 and beyond, such parental worrying is unlikely to change and could be further shaped by additional information and research findings such as those of Katharina’s team. And that is why Katharina Gapp is an ETH Zurich Future Maker!

How many of you are fascinated by the latest advances in research while struggling to understand their implications for our future? If so, then – like me – you also belong to the tribe of the scientifically curious. In that case, I would like to invite you to join me on a voyage of discovery as I ask various ETH Zurich researchers about what they do and why it matters. On behalf of our tribe, I will inquire about their latest findings and how they might impact our future. So, buckle up and accompany me to meet ETH Zurich future makers…

Have you ever got uncomfortable about sweating too much? Have you ever wondered what this seemingly uneventful fluid might reveal about the state of your mental or physical health?  Well, allow me to introduce you to Noé Brasier – a researcher, physician and lecturer in the Department of Health Science and Technology at ETH Zurich who has dedicated his professional life to exploring sweat and the potential it holds for enhanced medical diagnostics. 

Noé’s research area: Translational Health Monitoring 

In simple terms, I tend to think of Noé’s scientific magic as translating sweat sensor research from the advances in the lab into concrete interventions relevant for practicing doctors. Can you actually imagine all the information that your body fluids such as sweat, breath or saliva might contain about you? And once such information is collected, can you envision the potential it might have in helping us better understand and improve our future physical and cognitive functions?

I think that we all intuitively know that sweat is important. Among other things, it regulates our body temperature and helps to keep our skin – the largest organ of our body – healthy. But what is really fascinating to me about sweat is the amount of information it carries in the form of biomarkers (for example, chloride or cortisol) that can be collected by noninvasive wearable sensors. Currently, various such biomarkers can be detected and measured, yet their importance or impact is not fully understood. And that is where translational researchers like Noé come into the picture. Noé’s research area aims to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the information contained in such biomarkers that could eventually help us prevent, diagnose, monitor, and hopefully treat diseases and health impairments in a more effective manner. Already today, sweat analysis can help diagnose cystic fibrosis of newborn babies. Looking into the future, will sweat be able to tell us more about other potential disorders that we might be suffering from? Will this knowledge then increase our chances of effectively monitoring and treating such disorders? 

But how about 2040? Will Noé’s research area still be relevant to our lives?

If Noé and his peers are successful in their research endeavors, by 2040, we could see a lot of sweat sensors being worn on different parts of our bodies, constantly measuring and assessing sweat-related biomarkers (while transmitting this information into selected personal or medical databases to which individuals and their doctors have real-time access). This might sound relatively uncomplicated to an outsider like me, but it would be a large step in clinical diagnostics and care.

What is more, could you imagine a future scenario in which any form of medical treatment was customizable to your individual biology? Where the treatment’s efficacy would be monitored through body fluid sensors that you carry every day? In 2040, could you maybe enter a doctor’s office, receive your medication, and monitor how this medication impacts your key functions or biomarkers in real-time? And when such medication was no longer performing as desired, could it be immediately adapted or discontinued as both you and your doctor would have the real-time information obtained from your body fluid sensor analysis enabling you to take that decision?

For better or worse, our body fluids might turn out to be invaluable informational treasure troves in the years to come. Not only might they help us better understand our health, but they could also assist us in customizing our future medical treatments based on individual needs. Our health is one of our most important assets – and this is unlikely to change by 2040 or beyond. In this context, researchers like Noé might be key in helping us better understand and preserve this asset as we look ahead. And that is why, ladies and gentlemen, Noé Brasier is an ETH Zurich Future Maker!    

How many of you are like me – fascinated by the latest advancements in research while struggling to understand its implications on our future?  If you belong to my tribe of the scientifically curious, join me on my journey of discovery as I ask the ETH Zurich researchers about what they do and why it matters… on behalf of our tribe, I will inquire about their latest findings and how they might impact our future.

Buckle up and accompany me on my journey to meet ETH’s future makers …  

Do you ever worry about the encryption of your data? Should you? Or is “encryption” just a confusing term to you that is void of any meaning? Well, allow me to introduce you to Kenny Paterson – a professor of computer science at ETH Zurich who has dedicated his life to perfecting our encryption systems. 

Kenny’s research area: Applied Cryptography 

In simple terms I tend to think of encryption as mathematical magic that wraps our data in a complex code to prevent anyone from changing or seeing it. While encryption is the code protecting our data, cryptography is the science of researching and applying such codes in real life. In general, cryptography can be construed as the science of secure communication (including securing data at rest or under computation) with applied cryptography referring to a particular approach within that science.

What makes applied cryptography especially fascinating to me is its breath and immediate utility. In other words, Kenny’s team needs to understand the theoretical underpinnings of complex mathematics in addition to delving deeper into the behavioural science – exploring how humans use and understand cryptographic tools. Nowadays there seems to be a gap between theoretical research in cryptography and its application/understanding by software engineers. This is important because if encryption systems are sub-optimally designed, they can provide a false sense of security and put our data at risk. And that is where the applied cryptographers come into the picture. Such experts can not only bridge the understanding gap but can also scan for weak links and suggest improvements to make the existing systems more resilient.  Would you have guessed that Kenny’s students’ training includes waging attacks on an encrypted system in a laboratory setting?

But how about 2040? Will applied cryptography still be relevant to our lives?

We live in a digital era marked by the omnipresence of data and its exploitation. Therefore, if you care about your privacy not being invaded and your bank account balance not being altered, you care about cryptography more than you might know. Further digitization of our everyday lives between today and 2040 is likely to reinforce the importance of cryptography and its application as the future quality of our encryption systems will dictate the degree of privacy and integrity that our data gets to enjoy. Think of all the players – be they hobby hackers, governmental agencies, or criminal actors – that might be interested in breaking encryption or other cryptographic mechanisms to pursue their goals. These goals might range from simple annoyance to material abuse or persecution. 

And for the curious ones wondering about the next frontier in Kenny’s research domain, please stay tuned for the era of computation on encrypted data. How can we allow a wide range of actors to analyse our data without enabling them to see it in any shape or form? Currently, there is a series of techniques emerging in this space. Hence, a decade from now, we might be able to see a massive deployment of such tools.

Cryptography will remain an important part of the deep tissue of our digital society headed into 2040. What is more, our future is likely to be shaped by complex digital systems that only a select few will develop and understand in greater detail. In such a future, our privacy and data integrity protection will lie in the hands of experts like Kenny Paterson. And that is why Kenny is an ETH Zurich’s Future Maker!