1 October 2025

At the halfway point of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) AntiResist, around 40 laboratories are working intensively to develop new strategies against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Several clinics have provided several thousand biological samples and numerous data points on the diagnosis and treatment of infected patients to lay the grounds for this research.

The project impressively demonstrates how information from everyday clinical practice can be used for basic research and underpins the importance of interdisciplinary research data management. This has been intensively cultivated at the University of Basel for several years and is supported by a data stewardship program.

Data of high quality and security

At both, the DKF and the Biozentrum, several data stewards from this university network ensure that clinical data is transferred to the research laboratories for further processing in an efficient, regulatory-compliant and technically secure manner. For example, standards for data collection and data transfer, for quality controls and data protection measures such as de-identification and encryption are defined and compliance is monitored.

Better understanding of infection mechanisms

In the laboratory, the numerous clinical samples and data from recent years have already been successfully used to develop in-vitro models. Models have been developed for lung, bladder, blood and placental tissue that behave physiologically very similarly to tissue from infected patients. The infection mechanisms specific to certain pathogens are now being researched in these models with the aim of developing new antibiotic treatment strategies. Natural and synthetic agents are being tested, but unconventional approaches such as anti-biofilm agents or the use of bacteriophages are also being pursued.

Richard Kühl

 

"By linking clinical data with basic research in NCCR Antiresist, we achieve new and patient-relevant findings."

PD Dr. med. Richard Kühl, Chief physician at the Department of Infectiology, Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University Hospital Basel and member of the DKF research group Nina Khanna

Research data management, a central research discipline

The Data Stewardship Program at the University of Basel has been supporting researchers in all aspects of research data management (RDM) since 2017. With the support of swissuniversities, it has been greatly expanded in recent years: with a coordination office at the University Library and 37 decentralized data stewards in all faculties and institutes.

Five data stewards are based at the Department of Clinical Research (DKF) (see below). Their expertise lies primarily in dealing with health-related and personal data, thus particularly sensitive data. Sensitive data and data classification will also be focus topics for the coming year, for which swissuniversities has once again pledged its support.

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