IRB celebrates 20 years of scientific progress in Ticino

What do Ray Charles and biomedicine have in common? The answer lies in the initiative of a selected group of individuals – doctors, businessmen and politicians – who in June 1997 convened and brought to life an idea that would help shape the future of the Canton Ticino. This is when, exactly twenty years ago, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) was created, thanks also to the guidance that Dr. Giorgio Noseda, the inspirational father and first President of the IRB Foundation, found during a concert of the famous Afro-American artist, and during which the availability of a building in Via Vela for the future location of the IRB was proposed by the then Mayor of Bellinzona, Paolo Agustoni. These favourable occurrences eventually led to the solid and constant growth of the Institute, which over the years has provided significant progress in a sector that is increasingly important for human lives, as well as for the social and economic development of the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland.

Scientific journals such as “Science” and “Nature”, synonymous of high-quality research, are just two of the many leading publications in which IRB researchers have published their findings in over 500 articles produced so far. Likewise, Ebola, malaria, Dengue, Alzheimer, Zika, and influenza are just a few of the diseases on which the IRB focuses its research, allowing to make important progress in the study of the human immune system and related pathologies. To better understand the relevance of this work, journal-level metrics such as the journal impact factor (JIF) are worth mentioning: currently, the average JIF of IRB is 3, compared to the average global JIF in the biomedical sector of 1 – a very important result for the IRB researchers. Technological approaches involving the use of human monoclonal antibodies, a technology primarily developed by Prof. Antonio Lanzavecchia, are of great interest because they have the potential to address the main and yet unfulfilled clinical needs, and to continue the fight against infectious and immune system diseases. The work of the IRB is well understood and supported by several public funding agencies, in Switzerland by the Swiss National Science Foundation (with over 25 million francs granted since 2000), and in Europe through the ERC grants (the most prestigious funding programs, symbolizing scientific excellence). So far, four competitive research grants have been awarded to IRB researchers, of which two to the institute director, Prof. Antonio Lanzavecchia, one to Federica Sallusto and one to Peter Cejka, for a total of over 8,3 million euros.

Scientific impact and more

In addition to the scientific impact, there is also a social and economic value provided by the presence of IRB in Ticino, as the following numbers indicate, showing its growth in the regional context. In fact, the first annual report of IRB presented a balance sheet total of nearly four million Swiss francs, whereas today the number exceeds 20 million. When the Institute started its operations, in the year 2000, it counted around 20 staff: today, there are 115 highly-skilled staff and it is estimated that overall jobs in the biomedical and biotech sectors (at IRB, other institutes and the Humabs spin-off) in Bellinzona are more than 280. Furthermore, public funding from the City of Bellinzona (9,5 million CHF in 2000) and the Canton Ticino (29 million CHF) appears to have been well invested: according to a report issued by the DECS (Cantonal Department of education, sport and culture), measuring the economic and social impact of higher education and research institutes in Ticino, it is calculated that every Swiss franc the public sector spends on education and research generates an overall return of 2,8 CHF in the whole region, in the form of salaries, performance mandates and taxes. An interesting dynamic, also because it is combined with the significant support of the IRB coming from private foundations, which - in a sort of public-private partnership - have in recent years funded research projects for nearly 50 million francs. Apart from its international reputation as a place of science and innovation, the IRB has given Bellinzona and all of Ticino an important opportunity for development in a field that – thanks also to the creation of the USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences – has the potential to defend and support the Canton's economic attractiveness and competitiveness.

Ticino on the map of leading research

The dense network of IRB collaborations in these first twenty years has put Bellinzona and Ticino on the global map of cutting-edge research. A first-class network that includes ETH Zurich, EPFL, and the Swiss universities of Zurich, Berne, Fribourg, Geneva and Basel. The IRB is also conveniently situated at the heart of the Alps, acting therefore as a bridge between the North and South of the European continent, thus enabling many collaborations such as those in Italy with the universities of Pavia and Genoa, and research institutes and clinics such as INGM Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare and the San Raffaele Institute, both in Milan. The research conducted at the IRB goes beyond Switzerland and Italy, as shown by the high-level collaborations with several European and North American institutions, such as the National Institute of Health, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute, and Harvard Medical School, and also three Brazilian universities in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais. The benefits of such an extended network are essential, as they allow for – among other things – obtaining human biological samples of rare immunological diseases, which are primary “ingredients” for any research project in this field.

Looking ahead

On Friday, June 23, during an event organised by the IRB to celebrate its first 20 years of activity, the panel discussion “What future for research institutes in Swiss academia?” will be held, opened by the President of the IRB Foundation and of the Swiss National Science Foundation, Gabriele Gendotti, and State Councillor Christian Vitta, followed by keynote speeches by Mauro Dell’Ambrogio (State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation), Maurice Campagna (President of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences), Boas Erez (Rector of Università della Svizzera italiana), and Antonio Lanzavecchia (Director of the IRB). The IRB, today more than ever, is steadily looking ahead, on the one hand to the new USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences – of which the Institute is now a well-established and active part – and, on the other, to the new and important Bellinzona campus, the construction of which will begin this autumn.