@ ETH Zürich
Our Mission
Our aim is to determine the molecular mechanism(s) that prolong health during aging, using the nematode C. elegans, in order to develop novel strategies to treat age-related pathologies.
Global Challenge
Age-dependent diseases
By 2030 almost every fourth person will be 65 or older in Switzerland, Europe, and USA. Since old age is the main risk factor for developing cancer, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases, as well as other age-related pathologies, the growing elderly population poses an immense social and financial challenge. [read more] [pdf]
Strategic Goal
To identify novel strategies to improve human healthspan.
Using C. elegans as a pioneering system to model the aging process because of its ease for genetic manipulation, high evolutionary conservation of genes implicated in human diseases, and short lifespan (3 weeks). Importantly, using C. elegans lifespan assays as a read-out for extension of healthspan is a tractable and fast approach for discovering novel mechanisms that confer healthy aging. Several fundamental mechanisms discovered in C. elegans have been shown to delay age-related pathologies in higher organisms, such as mice, and these mechanisms have major implications for humans aging. Hence, by using C. elegans to model the aging process we could rapidly identify strategies to improve human healthspan.
Research
Currently, the lab focuses on exploring a novel and exciting mechanism that promotes healthy aging.
Our recent work has shown that many health- and longevity-promoting interventions re-activate the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) genes during aging (Ewald et al., Nature 2015, PMID:25517099). This ECM enhancement is required and sufficient for extending the lifespan of C. elegans. Our research efforts are focusing on exploring the mechanism(s) of how prolonged ECM homeostasis promotes healthy aging. [read more] [pdf]
Our core competencies are:
- Aging research
- Extracellular matrix biology
- Molecular biology, genetics, and neuroscience
Our technical expertise with using the model organism C. elegans are:
- Automated lifespan assessment using the lifespan machine.
- High-throughput screening with genetic manipulations and chemical compounds for aging research.
- Neuronal plasticity (learning) assays.
Experimental advantage for using C. elegans- No animal safety or ethical issues: For FSVO, C. elegans not defined as an animal
- 60-80% of genes conserved with humans
- multicellular and eukaryotic
- C. elegans ages similar to humans, but faster (lifespan of 3 weeks)
- scalable for high-throughput genetic and drug screens
Ziel der Forschungsgruppe
Lay summary in German
Wir alle werden älter und mit jedem zusätzlichen Jahr steigt das Risiko für den
Ausbruch einer altersbedingten Krankheit wie Krebs, Diabetes, Alzheimer oder
Herzkreislaufprobleme. [weiter lesen] [pdf]Wenn Sie mehr wissen wollen, meine Einführungsvorlesung an der ETH Zürich gibt eine gute Übersicht über unsere Forschung.
Videolink zur Einführungsvorlesung
Auf den Link klicken und die Vorlesung: "Molekulare Mechanismen des gesunden Alterns (Collin Ewald)" kommen.
News Media
Recent Interviews
Dem Alter auf der Spur: Jung bleiben bis ins hohe Alter: Das sagt die Forschung - SRF Kultur
«Warum altern wir? @sciencezoe sprach mit ETH-Forscher @CollinEwald, der dieses Rätsel mit Hilfe winziger Würmer lösen will.
Welcome to the (Extracellular) Matrix: An interview with Dr. Collin Ewald - Geroscience
Ep. 3 - Prof. Collin Ewald talks getting old and feeling young - Part 1 | Simplifyd
Ep. 3 - Prof. Collin Ewald talks the cost of Alzheimer's and "mega cancer"- Part 2 | Simplifyd
An almost forgotten pioneer - UNI NOVA
Dauer-independent insulin/IGF-1 signalling implicates collagen remodelling in longevity.
Ewald, C.Y., Landis, J.N., Porter Abate, J., Murphy, C.T., Blackwell, T.K. (2015).
Media Coverage:
Joslin News release video [link]
Science Daily [link]
MedicalXpress [link]
The Scientist: Long Live Collagen [link]
TV interview, 7vor7, TeleBasel, Switzerland [link]
Radio interview, SWR2 (Südwestrundfunk) German Public Radio [link]
Honoree mentioning from American Federation For Aging Research [link]
NADPH oxidase-mediated redox signaling promotes oxidative stress resistance and longevity through memo-1 in C. elegans.
Elife. 2017 Jan 13;6. pii: e19493. doi: 10.7554/eLife.19493.
Ewald CY `*, Hourihan JM`, Bland MS, Obieglo C, Katic I, Moronetti Mazzeo LE, Alcedo J, Blackwell TK*, Hynes NE*.
`co-first author and * corresponding author
Media Coverage:
The Longevity Reporter [link]
Funding
Our science is supported by
Competitive ETH Equipment Grant and ETH PhD Research Grant
Novartis Foundation for medical-biological Research
http://www.stiftungmedbiol.novartis.com
Bridging high-throughput screens with automated lifespan machine to identify novel molecular targets that promote healthy ageing
Dr. Wilhelm Hurka Stiftung Zürich
Meet Our Team
The Ewald Lab officially started on June 1st 2016.
Principal Investigator
PhD in Neuroscience, City University of New York, 2011
Research ID: K-6303-2015
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1166-4171
Jasmin Mantl
Technician
Cyril Statzer
PhD Student
Master Program Biochemistry ETH Zürich
Master Thesis, University of Cambridge, UK, 2016
Bachelor in Biology, ETH Zürich, 2014
Study Exchange Semester, Princeton University, NJ, USA, 2014
CV
Email: cyril-statzer@ethz.ch
Alina Teuscher
PhD Student
Master in Biology, University of Cologne, 2016
Master Thesis, Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Response in Aging-associated Diseases 2016
Research Assistant, Max Planck Institute of Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, 2015
Bachelor in Biology, University of Cologne, 2013
Internship, Life & Medical Sciences Institute for Developmental Biology, University of Bonn, 2012
Publication List
Eline Jongsma
PhD Student
Master of Neurosciences, VU University Amsterdam
Currently working on Master's thesis at ETH Zurich
Internship at Netherlands Institute for NeurosciencesBachelor of Life Sciences, HAN university, Netherlands
Thesis at Wageningen University, Laboratory of Nematology
Internship at Dundee University, department of Gene Regulation and Expression
Small collaboration project with Oxford University, department of Biochemistry
Alex Baillifard
Master Student
Richard Venz
PhD student
Research Associate, Friedrich Mieschter Institute, 2016-2017
Chiquet-Ehrismann Originality Prize, 2016
Master in Molecular Biology, University of Basel, 2014
Bachelor in Biology, University of Basel, 2014Teaching Diploma for Highschool (Biology and Chemistry) , PH FHNW, 2017
Alumni
- 2018 Julia Kan (Internship, Medical Student)
- 2018 Cosmina-Maria Matioc (Amgen Scholar)
- 2018 Özgen Eren (Master Thesis; together with IBM Research Zürich)
- 2018 Surya Häne (Master Project)
- 2017 Seraina Domenig (Master Thesis, nominated for ETH medal)
- 2017 Max Hess (Master Thesis)
- 2017 Anna Bircher (Master Thesis)
- 2017 Yannik Trabesinger (Maturaarbeit: «Ein Schlüssel zur Unsterblichkeit - Rejuvenation mit C. elegans». Recognized with appraisal of excellence from Kantonsschule Wattwil)
- 2017 Özlem Altintas (Internship)
- 2017 Kieran Toms (Amgen Scholar/Medical Student)
- 2017 Mariam Baghdady (Bachelor Thesis)
- 2017 Nadine Herrmann (Internship)
- 2017 Kateryna Selcuk (Master project)
- 2017 Julia Bertschinger (Maturaarbeit)
- 2017 Cindy Somsak (Maturaarbeit)
Misc
Check out our YouTube channel: EwaldLab ETHZ
Swiss Society for Aging Research
We are members of the Swiss Society for Aging Research (SSFAR)
Swiss Society for Matrix Biology
We are members of the Swiss Society for Matrix Biology (ssmb)
GENiE Member
We are a member of the GENiE network that connects young research labs across Europe that work with the model organism C. elegans. Link to our GENiE profile.
ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich Life Science Zurich Graduate School
We are a member of the Molecular Life Science PhD program at the ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich Life Science Zurich Graduate School.
Productivity Tools
We use Benchling. Ewald Lab profile on Benchling. Our recent protocol on Benchling.
Recommended Reading
C. elegans
Sydney Brenner (1974) The Genetics of Caenorhabditis elegans.
Corsi, A.K., et al. 2015. A Transparent Window into Biology: A Primer on Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics. 2015 Jun;200(2):387-407. doi: 10.1534/genetics.115.176099.
Aging Research
Herndon, L.A. et. al., 2002. Stochastic and genetic factors influence tissue-specific decline in ageing C. elegans. Nature. 24;419(6909):808-14.
Kenyon, C.J., 2010. The genetics of ageing. Nature, 464(7288), pp.504–512.
López-Otín, C. et al., 2013. The hallmarks of aging. Cell, 153(6), pp.1194–1217.
Scott, C.T., 2015. Selling long life. Nat Biotechnol. 2015 Jan;33(1):31-40. doi: 10.1038/nbt.3108.
Advice for young researchers
Alon, U., 2009. How to choose a good scientific problem. Molecular cell, 35(6), pp.726–728.
Martin Chalfie. 2014. The Secret to Getting the Postdoc You Want
Peter Walter: On Careers and 42
Richard Axel. 2018, Neuron, 99(6), pp.1110–1112. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2018.09.003
Beautifully presented papers
Additional Resources:
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.
The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.
Is It Real? Can We Win? Is It Worth Doing?: Managing Risk and Reward in an Innovation Portfolio
