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PRODID:-//Memento EPFL//
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:EPFL BioEngineering Talks
DTSTART:20261123T121500
DTEND:20261123T134500
DTSTAMP:20261027T184202Z
UID:dd99177ab83f0d5fe9e8c6c6b6ac2e29b71b80c2248fcfb2c86f5332
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Invited Speaker and Student Speaker\nWeekly BioEngineering Tal
 ks (Lunch Provided)\n\nINVITED SPEAKER:\n\nAI-guided Protein Design for Bi
 omedical Applications\nProf. Thomas Schlichthärle\, Technical University
  of Munich\nHost: Prof. Florian Schueder\n\nAbstract:\nRecent advances in 
 AI-guided protein design enable the generation of novel receptor binders w
 ith high experimental success rates. We have applied this approach to desi
 gn new-to-nature FGFR isoform-specific agonists that direct stem cell fate
  toward arterial over venous identity\, and TrkA agonists that retain neur
 otrophic activity while reducing nociceptive signaling commonly observed i
 n the natural binding partner NGF. These studies demonstrate that signalin
 g bias can be encoded directly into the molecular architecture of de novo 
 designed agonists\, and we propose that integrating such growth factor mim
 etics into stem-cell differentiation workflows will unlock new opportuniti
 es in regenerative medicine and disease modeling.\n\nBio:\nThomas Schlicht
 härle is a German scientist specializing in AI-guided protein design\, sy
 nthetic biology\, and cellular signaling.\nHe studied Molecular Medicine a
 t the University of Tübingen and Molecular Bioengineering at TU Dresden. 
 Following research at Harvard's Wyss Institute\, he completed his PhD at t
 he Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich\, working on super-resol
 ution microscopy and computational analysis.\nHe subsequently spent nearly
  five years as a postdoctoral researcher in David Baker's laboratory at th
 e University of Washington\, developing computationally designed synthetic
  growth factors.\nIn June 2025\, he joined TUM as a tenure-track assistant
  professor. His laboratory uses deep learning and generative AI to enginee
 r proteins that control signaling pathways\, cellular differentiation\, an
 d therapeutic responses.\n\nSTUDENT SPEAKER:\n\nHigh-throughput sequence-f
 unction mapping for transcription factor-based biosensors\nRicardo Javier 
 Farrera Muro\, Jeschek Lab\n\n\n----------------------------------------
 --------------------------------------\n\nBioEngineering Talks mandatory E
 DBB Seminar Attendance (1st-Year PhD Students)\n\n	 Attendance sheet to p
 rint HERE \n\nThe BioEngineering Student Seminar Series is an official co
 urse for which students can register and earn credits.\n\n\n	Register HERE
 \n	Attendance sheet to print HERE\n\nGeneral information:\nIn-person atten
 dance is preferred to support your fellow students. Zoom is mainly for stu
 dents on remote campuses\; please notify Fiorella Ghisays in advance and j
 oin using your full name.\nIf attending in person\, have your sheet signed
  after the talks and keep the original\, as no copy is retained.\n 
LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717 https://epfl.zoom.u
 s/j/68746410793
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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