Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit

Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit

Titleimage: Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit

Welcome to the Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit | IBU.

We partner with researchers to unlock insights from next-generation sequencing and genomics data - from the first spark of an idea through to publication-ready results. Our expertise spans study design, cutting-edge analysis methods, and custom tool development.

As active contributors to major interdisciplinary research projects, we build robust data pipelines and create intuitive visualization tools that make complex datasets accessible. Our high-performance computing infrastructure and extensive software ecosystem enable us to tackle even the most demanding analytical challenges.

Beyond service and collaboration, we're committed to shaping the future of bioinformatics. Through hands-on research experiences, specialized courses, and our Master's program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, we mentor the next generation of computational biologists ready to drive scientific discovery.

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News

Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit contributes to new study on compromised cardiac repair

Heidi Tschanz-Lischer and Rémy Bruggmann from the IBU contributed to an exciting study investigating the regenerative limits of the heart in Xiphophorus fish. The research reveals that unlike zebrafish, platyfish and swordtails lack a vascularized compact myocardium, which prevents efficient cardiac repair. Following injury, these species exhibit delayed inflammation and fail to form reinforcing tissue, leading to permanent scarring and pseudoaneurysm-like protrusions. These findings provide crucial insights into how evolutionary traits, such as immune response regulation, determine regenerative success or failure in vertebrates.

Aparna Pandey Receives Max Burger Prize 2025

We are pleased to announce that Aparna Pandey from the IBU has been awarded the Max Burger Prize 2025, along with Josip Ahel and Michaela Schwaiger, in the framework of the Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI) Science Prizes. Their award-winning research reveals how cells protect their DNA from “jumping genes,” known as retrotransposons. Aparna and her co-authors discovered that the protein complex ChAHP2 acts like a guardian, reading a chemical “off switch” on the DNA to turn off the most active, potentially dangerous retrotransposons. Together with another complex, ChAHP, it forms a two-part defense system that keeps a broad range of these genetic threats under control. According to the prize committee, this work adds a brilliant new piece to our understanding of how cells maintain genome integrity by keeping retrotransposons in check.

Science is Fun! Nacht der Forschung 2025

When science makes children's and adults' eyes light up, it's Nacht der Forschung at the University of Bern. We were there with our "Lego & Strawberries" project. Numerous children and adults joined us and were able to extract DNA from a berry smoothie using simple household items (salt, washing-up liquid, coffee filters, etc.). And what do you do with such DNA? You run it through the Lego sequencer and see which fruit the DNA matches.

February 17, 2026

until January 13, 2026

09:15 − 10:30

Baltzerstrasse 6, D110

Alexander Nater: Pipelines for long-read sequence analysis

Contact

University of Bern
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Baltzerstrasse 6
3012 Bern

Phone: +41 31 684 48 99

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