Welcome!

The DDNZ is a platform for the exchange of ideas and know-how with a focus on Drug Discovery. It initiates transdisciplinary communication and collaboration between research teams, triggers the conception and application of large-scale projects and coordinates academic educational programs. The primary goal of the DDNZ is the translation of groundbreaking research discoveries into clinical applications for the benefit of patients.

The Drug Discovery program promotes the scientific education of PhD students from life science disciplines with special emphasis on subjects related to the identification and characterization of pharmacologically active compounds and their development into drugs. It covers the whole range of the drug development pipeline, from target identification to clinical trials, and prepares the successful participants for a scientific career in academic or industrial drug research and related disciplines. The program is run jointly by the University of Zurich (UZH) and the ETH Zurich. The prerequisite for the successful applicant is a master in a life science discipline from a recognized academic institution and the acceptance as a PhD student by one of the research groups associated to the program. For a list of the present principal investigators click HERE.
An integral compulsory part of this program is the lecture series "From A to Z in drug discovery and development" starting in the fall semester. The series comprises a weekly lecture of 2 h taking place at the ETH Hönggerberg and covers the topics: selecting drug targets, technologies used in drug discovery, small, medium and large drugs, objectives of the medicinal chemist, assessing drug safety, principles of personalized medicine, designing clinical trials and how intellectual property is protected and others.