Richard Plieninger

Richard Plieninger joined the Bioprocess Laboratory in February 2023 as a PhD student. His research focuses on upstream production and optimization of viral vectors.

Richard holds an MSc in Biotechnology with a major in Systems Biology from ETH Zürich. For his thesis in the Biotechnology and Bioengineering group, he modified mesenchymal stem cells to treat as a proof-of-concept diabetic conditions with an inducible system. Following his graduation, he joined the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel followed by EPFL. There he worked on a collaborative project with the Bertarelli Foundation Gene Therapy Core Facility as well as the Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering. This project focused on modeling and rational engineering of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector capsids for tropism optimization towards cells of the peripheral nervous system.