Projects

The project aimed to launch and pilot work-based learning in the Business Information Technology (IABM) curriculum. Over two years, at least 11 Masters of IABM had to be awarded a diploma who performed 50% of their studies in the workplace by acquiring the competencies and learning outcomes of the IABM curriculum. The project resulted in changes to the IABM curriculum: four work-based project subjects were added. These four project subjects, together with the project management subject and master thesis, enable IABM students to acquire 50% of the curriculum on a job-based basis.

This project focuses on the development and integration of a Virtual Learning Factory Toolkit (VLFT), i.e., a set of existing digital tools to support advanced engineering education in manufacturing. The aim of the VLFT is to bring back to the engineering students the results of research activities in the field of digital manufacturing. Modeling, analysis, virtual and augmented reality, as well as the role of the human workers in the factories have been among the main research topics in manufacturing. The overall objective of this VLFT project is to support the transfer of latest research outputs back into education. By developing the easily usable Virtual Learning Factory toolkit, the ICT skills of teachers, professors and students are improved and the content (study outputs) of the curricula is in accordance with the labour market and societal needs.

There are many antimicrobial substances (e.g. antibiotics) in the use globally that are starting to lose their activity against pathogenic microbes (antimicrobial resistance). This is serious threat to human health and economy in general. This project aimed to develop new experimental technologies to investigate certain molecular mechanisms in the nature that can lead to such resistance. We used novel droplet technologies to investigate such mechanisms at single cell level in bacteria population. Water-in-oil-droplets are like small test-tubes that enable carrying out parallel investigation of biological and chemical phenomena in tens and even hundreds of thousands of such “test-tubes”. This high-throughput approach helps understanding biological problems better as large experimental datasets help seeing the patterns better with more confidence. In our case we investigated phenotypic heterogeneity in genetically identical bacteria populations that can lead to survival of bacteria during antibiotic treatment. Firstly, we developed user-friendly droplet analysis tools that help investigating biological experiments in droplets. Using droplets for experimental analysis is not yet mainstream, often because of the need for highly specialized tools or trained personnel. We addressed this issue by developing and comparing droplet tools that are easy to implement in non-droplet biological and chemical laboratories worldwide. Secondly, we used developed tools in our own laboratory to investigate how different is antibiotic impact on bacteria that are in different stages in their life cycle. This knowledge helps understanding why some bacteria manage to survive during antibiotic treatment without developing mutations. This in turn can help researchers to prevent spread of antibiotic resistance. As a project manager I am extremely satisfied that we developed user-friendly droplet technologies that help widening the access to droplet technologies worldwide.

The handling of SARS-CoV-2 needs to be carried out in BSL3 (Biosafety level 3) laboratories that is expensive and not always available. This has urged the need for solutions that would allow to work with SARS-CoV-2 material in lower biosafety level laboratories. Therefore a collaboration was established with virologists from Tartu University (Prof. Merits and Dr. Varjak). This project proposes two approaches to provide solutions for this important obstacle. First, we aim to develop a complementation system (trans-replicases) based on SARS-CoV-2. Second, we will create stable cell lines enabling packaging of viral replicase into virion-like particles. The new tools developed during this project will allow the studies assessing the effect of emerging mutations for virus replication. In addition, our systems will offer the possibilities to test neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 as well as other COVID-19 drug candidates. Therefore, the development of novel tools will support the tight collaboration with hospitals to study the effect of antibodies from patients.