The Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Bern is engaged in research with the aim to advance veterinary medicine for the benefit of animals, humans, and the environment. Core thematic areas of research have been specified to promote collaboration within and beyond the faculty. These include Animal Health and Welfare, Infectious Diseases and One Health, and Sustainability and Biodiversity.
The faculty maintains a Faculty Clinical Research Platform (FCRP) to foster early-career clinician scientists and facilitate collaborative clinical research. It also hosts the Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID), a strategic center of the University of Bern, aimed at determining the origins of infectious disease risks, preparing for emerging diseases and managing these risks.
The faculty plays an active role in the use and further development of all of the university’s core facilities, notably the Experimental Animal Center (EAC), the Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit (IBU), the Microscopy Imaging Center (MIC), the Next Generation Sequencing Platform (NGSP), and the Data Science Lab (DSL). This involvement enables the faculty to leverage state-of-the-art research infrastructure for veterinary and biomedical research, as well as contributing to its strategic advancement.
Research Project
At Vetsuisse Faculty, the researchers investigate how NogoA affects the development of neurons linked to Parkinson’s disease. Their work may reveal mechanisms that enable early neuroprotective strategies for Parkinson’s disease and support targeted central nervous system therapies.
Meike Mevissen, Rouaa Ben Chaabene, Angélique Ducray, Michaela Waeber, Sara Alonso, Léa Walther
The project develops an AI-driven system for objective assessment of nostril stenosis in brachycephalic dogs, improving diagnostic consistency, informing evidence-based surgical decisions, and strengthening standardized evaluations in breeding programs
Deborah Rohner
The research group PHAR-OH explores the biology of phage–bacteria interactions to understand how phages shape adaptation and antibiotic resistance in staphylococci across One Health, and leverages this knowledge to advance phage-based solutions for public health.
Elena Gómez-Sanz
The researchers integrate near-infrared fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green-loaded tumor-derived nanoparticles to enhance the precision of tumor and lymph node removal in dogs, aiming to reduce recurrence and advance surgical oncology.
Simona Vincenti, Marilena de Matteo, Sara Soto
Research
The 2025 Faculty Award for the best veterinary dissertation goes to Cleo Schwarz from the Institute of Genetics. Schwarz identified the genetic variant responsible for a neurodegenerative disease in Miniature American Shepherd dogs.
The Vetsuisse Faculty in Bern honors Julia Helen Schäfer in recognition of her outstanding scientific contribution to animal welfare. With her work “Management, health, and veterinary care of donkeys in Switzerland: A cross-sectional study,” she has created a comprehensive and representative database on the husbandry conditions, feeding, and veterinary care of donkeys in Switzerland.
The Albert Heim Foundation supports research projects related to canine research. We also report on this year's Albert Heim Foundation event at the Natural History Museum in Bern, where prizes were awarded to young researchers from the Vetsuisse Faculty.
Read article (only in German)
Martín González Fernández, postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Animal Pathology, has been awarded this year's Dr. Lutz and Dr. Celia Zwillenberg Prize. His research has uncovered a new mechanism of chemotherapy response in mouse models for BRCA1-deficient breast cancer.
An interdisciplinary team from the Vetsuisse Faculty, together with researchers from FIBL, the University of Basel, and Miguel Hernández University of Elche, has been awarded a COST research grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The project is investigating whether selected medicinal plants can improve the health of calves and reduce the use of antibiotics in newly relocated male calves before weaning.
Forschung
The latest issue of The SPREAD shows how our immune system interacts with microorganisms and how it changes over the course of our lives. Learn why women may have a different risk of infection around the time of menopause. You will also find a report on the Annual Event in November in the latest MCID newsletter.
Read now!
Georgia Salanti and Volker Thiel have been included in the annual list of most cited researchers. This is not only a confirmation of the continuous excellence of their research, but also of the significant and far-reaching influence of the two MCID members in their fields.
8. Januar 2026
17:00
Hörsaal Bremgartenstrasse
DIP Seminar
15. Januar 2026
16:15
22. Januar 2026
29. Januar 2026
30. Januar 2026
bis 31. Januar 2026
08:00 − 18:00
von Roll-Areal, Bern
KIS
Drüsen: wichtige Organe, die Aufmerksamkeit verdienen
17. Februar 2026
12:15
Hörsaal Anatomie / Zoom
Science@Lunch
Morgane Geminiani
19. Februar 2026
Hörsaal Paraklinik
Nicole Dietrich
24. Februar 2026
Alba Neher-Mestre
09:00 − 17:00
Vetsuisse-Campus
Vetsuisse-Fakultät
intern, Anmeldung erforderlich
3. März 2026
Eleonora Benetti
19. März 2026
24. April 2026
2. September 2026
bis 4. September 2026
House of Sports, Ittigen
EPIZONE annual meeting 2026
IVI
3. September 2026
Bern