Ongoing African swine fever transmission in Catalonia's wild boar population sustains risk to the swine sector, Spain https://beaconbio.org/en/report/?reportid=b6b8d083-fc22-47ed-9c4e-9260863c64d3&eventid=bfc25d17-d0b5-483e-aa54-fa9fc984c3ee&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

Which demographic was most likely to die during plague outbreaks in the 17th century? A mass grave in Switzerland found fascinating insights and a surprising parallel between this ancient scourge and the COVID-19 pandemic: bit.ly/3QYveeq

The MCID was again well represented at this year's GCB Symposium. Our students showcased their research through flash talks and poster presentations, highlighting both MCID-funded projects and work carried out in laboratories led by MCID members. Congratulations to everyone who presented!

Really fascinating paper on how ancient pathogen genomes can help trace the origins and evolutionary history of infectious diseases...a captivating glimpse into what the past can reveal about the diseases we face today.

🦟 𝗕𝗘𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀! Join the @bereadycohort.bsky.social team for a lecture by Christine Föhr, Project Leader for Nature & Ecology at Stadtgrün Bern, who is directly involved in tiger mosquito containment efforts in the Obstberg district.

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲–𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 We co-hosted a great seminar with the Institute of Parasitology featuring Prof. Michelle Power (Macquarie University). She shared insights into infectious disease ecology at the wildlife–human interface, through a One Health lens.

𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝟭𝟰 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝘂𝘁! Featuring an exclusive article by filmmaker Christian Frei (BLAME), new research on student well-being during COVID-19, and a newly funded project on emerging morbilliviruses.

Congratulations to Dr. Isabel Schultz-Pernice on successfully defending her PhD “Brain Teasers: Deciphering the Riddles of Viral Neuropathologies Using Human Neural Organoids”! 🎓

"No one is safe until Africa is safe. And Africa is safer when the world invests in African health security, trusts African institutions, and works with Africa as a full partner." africacdc.org/news-item/u-...

We were delighted to welcome Prof. Placide Mbala from the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale and Université de Kinshasa to Bern for an MCID & @ispm.unibe.ch seminar introduced by @nicolamlow.bsky.social on the evolving global challenge of Mpox.

I was submerged in work on the current hantavirus outbreak in the recent week and reminded myself how important social media can be during outbreaks! The team at our Centre did quite some work, diagnosing a case in Switzerland, identifying the Andes strain by RT-PCR & full genome released by friday

Congratulations to Dr. Jonas Steiner on successfully defending his PhD “Influenza A viruses circulating in Swiss pig herds and farmers”! 🎓 His work contributed to an MCID-funded project building an integrative One Health network to monitor and characterize influenza A viruses in humans and pigs.

Great turnout for an inspiring seminar hosted by @bahtiyil.bsky.social, the MCID and @dbmr-unibe.bsky.social in Bern this week! We had the pleasure of welcoming Dr Yingyu Liu, Scientific Editor at @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social, who shared a behind-the-scenes look at the publication process.

The MCID wishes to congratulate Eva Maria Hodel and Philipp Jent, both MCID members who habilitated at the Medical Faculty in March 2026. #MCIDresearch #Habilitation @ispm.unibe.ch @inselgruppe.bsky.social @unibe.ch

Last week, the EPL team participated in the NRP79 3R Fair in Fribourg, an exchange platform on 3R principles in animal research. The team presented their work on the political & ethical analysis of the animal testing debate and engaged in rich exchanges on future directions. tinyurl.com/ycfkp6tz

Great to see the first insights from @bereadycohort.bsky.social in a new study on pandemic preparedness research. tinyurl.com/773mrv2e #PandemicPreparedness #PublicHealth #CohortStudies #BEready #MCIDresearch #Epidemiology #Vaccination #AffectivePolarisation

The latest issue of “BEinformed” is out now from the @bereadycohort.bsky.social team! • BEready is complete! • BEready pilot study • The tiger mosquito and its dangers Sign up on their website to receive the newsletter directly in your inbox. tinyurl.com/53f6jrj5

🎉 Happy 5th Birthday to the MCID! 🎂 On 18 Jan 2026, the Center celebrated five years since its launch 🚀 To mark the milestone, we prepared a special anniversary edition of The SPREAD, reflecting on achievements and looking ahead to the future. Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey!

Enjoy Galway! The MCID team is looking forward to being "enlightened" when you return to Bern!

Congratulations to Dr. Jule Ksinsik on successfully completing her PhD “When Science Becomes a Story. Exploring Expert Narratives in Switzerland’s COVID-19 Policy Debates”.

🌟 Excited to welcome our new MCID PhD cohort! 🌟 Last week we met for coffee&cookies at MCID HQ as our incoming students kick off their PhD journey with us. They’ll join the newly funded projects that recently began, and we can’t wait to see the innovative work and impact they’ll bring.

Congratulations to Dr. Céline Honegger on successfully completing her PhD investigating if Consensus Democracies can Curb Blame Games 🎓 Her work at the KPM Center for Public Management was part of the MCID-funded project "Governmental blame avoidance strategies during the Covid-19 pandemic".

On 11th Feb, the MCID, Swiss Biorisk Alliance & Institute of Infectious Disease hosted a full-house preview of Blame, the new documentary by Christian Frei. The film, centred on COVID-19, explores virology, public trust & political discourse. 👉 www.blame-documentary.com

The MCID were delighted to invite @beritlange.bsky.social to the @unibe.ch, where she delivered an excellent talk on integrating adaptive infectious-disease cohorts with dynamic modelling to improve epidemic predictions that truly support public-health decision-making. @ispm.unibe.ch

Congratulations to Dr. Martin Wohlfender on successfully defending his PhD integrating data sources for epidemic surveillance! 🎓 His work at the Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine was part of an MCID-funded project integrating multiple data sources for real time monitoring of SARS-COV-2.

New research funded by the MCID explores how political and affective polarisation shaped COVID-19 health behaviours. To read the full paper 👉 tinyurl.com/mtm7vpvy Or read more about the project 👉 tinyurl.com/3wvfptjb

🌍 30th January 2026 – World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day NTDs continue to affect the world’s poorest populations. MCID funds projects focused on studying, surveying, and eradicating these diseases. 👉 tinyurl.com/bd224b8e @who.int @unibe.ch #NTDDay #MCIDresearch #PandemicPreparedness

🎉 Congrats to @bereadycohort.bsky.social on completing enrolment—1,500+ households recruited! A major milestone. UniAktuell spoke with Eva Maria Hodel about the project. Funded by the MCID, BEready is building vital data for pandemic preparedness in the Canton of Bern. A truly unique study!

🎉🎓 Congratulations to Dr. Jérémy Cherbuin on successfully defending his PhD on therapeutic veterinary bacteriophages! His work at the Institute for Veterinary Bacteriology was part of an MCID-funded project tackling multidrug-resistant bacteria.🎓🎉 Read more 👉 tinyurl.com/yxczj4td @unibe.ch

Measles likely came from cows (via rinderpest) around the 6th century BCE. For 2,500 years, we didn’t evolve superhuman resistance—children just died. Real protection only came in the 1960s, with vaccines. Our superpower isn’t evolving into superhumans. It’s outthinking pathogens.

We're approaching the finishing line! Today we included the 200th pet in our study! @mcid-unibe.bsky.social @unibe.ch @bag.admin.ch @tamedia.bsky.social @nicolamlow.bsky.social

New paper from the @bereadycohort.bsky.social team! ‘Bern, get ready’, BEready, a household based cohort study for pandemic preparedness research in Switzerland: Pilot Study @ispm.unibe.ch @dcrbern.bsky.social @medfacultyunibe.bsky.social @unibe.ch

December 27th is International Day of Epidemic Preparedness and highlights the importance of pandemic readiness. MCID is funding projects focused on early detection, disease modeling, and crisis response, aiming for a safer future. These initiatives play a key role in combating future outbreaks.

The year wraps up with Issue 12 of the SPREAD! 🎉 This edition highlights more MCID research from the first funding call, and covers topics from how microbiota shape immunity to infection risks across menopause, viral impacts on malaria, and breastfeeding experiences during the pandemic.

The next BEready newsletter is ready, to sign up or read their blog online, then check out the webpage:- www.beready.unibe.ch/about/blog/i...

Great energy at the MCID Annual Event 2025 last Friday, despite the season’s first snowfall❄️, almost 100 participants joined us. We kicked off with keynotes on vector-borne disease surveillance and heard rapid-fire talks on respiratory viruses, TBE, AMR, and COVID-19–related research.

For Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week, the MCID is highlighting two of our projects: engineered phage for MDR pathogens and liposomal nanotraps for major enteric bacteria. Advancing science for a healthier future! #MCIDresearch #InfectiousDisease #AMR @medfacultyunibe.bsky.social @unibern

Congrats to MCID members Georgia Salanti and @profvolkerthiel.bsky.social who are named among this year’s Highly Cited Researchers! Their work ranks in the top 1% by citations, highlighting sustained excellence and wide-ranging impact. @ispm.unibe.ch @medfacultyunibe.bsky.social @unibe.ch

MCID’s Eva Gluenz, Caroline Schlaufer and @profvolkerthiel.bsky.social joined UniBE Talks on 5 Nov to discuss whether science has limits. Their take home message: scientific standards are constantly negotiated, and transparency about uncertainty and context is essential for public trust. @unibe.ch

🌍It's World Pneumonia Day🌍 At @mcid-unibe.bsky.social, we’re funding innovative research through antibody discovery and novel peptide therapies, to fight and treat one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. #WorldPneumoniaDay @dbmr-unibe.bsky.social @medfacultyunibe.bsky.social @unibe.ch

Switzerland is joining Horizon Europe! We are uniting two research powerhouses. For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more. Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.

Der heutige #OneHealthDay erinnert daran wie eng Mensch-, Tier- und Umweltgesundheit verbunden sind. Auch die #BEready-Studie der #unibern zeigt, wie interdisziplinäre Forschung helfen kann, Infektionskrankheiten besser zu verstehen und vorzubeugen: www.beready.unibe.ch @bereadycohort.bsky.social

On #OneHealthDay, we’re proud to support #OneHealth by recognising the links between human, animal & ecosystem health. Our work spans disciplines tackling infectious diseases, zoonoses, ethics, policy & pandemic preparedness. Collaboration is key! 🌍🤝 🔗 www.mcid.unibe.ch @unibe.ch

At Nacht der Forschung, the MCID had the pleasure to host the INPUT team from the ISPM. Throughout the evening, they ran a full-scale pandemic game with the crowd. The evening turned into a living lab, check out the results here:- 👉 tinyurl.com/ye8hsyzr @unibe.ch

MCID & @bereadycohort.bsky.social were featured in UniAktuell and SNF Horizons! 🎉 From local funding to Europe’s only such cohort, this research shows how locally rooted, globally relevant science strengthens pandemic preparedness. @unibe.ch @snsf.ch #UniAktuell #Horizonte #PandemicPrep

Welcome back from the summer break! 🌞 The 11th edition of The SPREAD is out now. 🔹 Research on Tropical Theileriosis 🔹 Why syndromic surveillance matters for wildlife health 🔹 How machine learning is helping discover new antimicrobials 🔹 Meet our MCID-funded PhD students: Mike and Martin

✨ We are proud to have taken part again in the Nacht der Forschung @unibe.ch ✨ 🔬 Highlights included a focus on MCID-funded research, interactive pathogen posters as well as “make your own pathogen” & the legendary Splat the Bacteria 🦠💥 Great to be sparking curiosity & connecting with the public ❤️

There is going to be so much interesting and fun science going on....the MCID team is really looking forward to a great evening!

Today is #WorldMosquitoDay — a reminder of the threat from the world’s deadliest animal. 🦟 Through MCID projects, we’re tackling insecticide resistance, rare diseases like Wesselsbron, and promoting public awareness with our @bereadycohort.bsky.social cohort study. @unibe.ch

MCID is back at Nacht der Forschung 🎉 on Sat 6 Sept 2025! Fun for all ages: 🎨 Face painting + “Make Your Own Pathogen” | 🎯 Klatsch die Bakterie | 🖼️ Interactive posters | 🦠 Pandemic Control Centre | 🕷️ BEready – take “a close look at ticks”! ⚖️Ethical dilemmas Come say hi! #ndfunibern @unibe.ch