Team Members

Aline Zbinden holds a master degree in Life Sciences and Technology at EPFL (Switzerland). She pursued a PhD in biology at the University of Tübingen in Germany, where her focus was on the development of advanced in vitro models for the diabetes research field (Faculty of Medicine, Schenke-Layland Lab). In 2021, she was awarded a Postdoc Mobility grant from the Swiss National Foundation (SNF) to join the laboratory of Prof. Staal.

Her research interest lies in the captivating field of thymus biology, as it is the site where T cells develop, playing a critical role in T-cell diversity and the establishment of self-tolerance. Understanding the complex biology of the thymus not only provides insights into fundamental aspects of immunology but also holds promising implications for clinical applications. Currently, our focus is on deriving thymic epithelial cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for autologous transplantation in athymic patients.