ETH ZÜRICH · STUDENT RESEARCH & ENGINEERING TEAM

Better tools to understand fragile bones.

We are Ascleon, an interdisciplinary team bringing together engineering and health sciences at ETH Zürich. We develop new technologies to study bone fragility and diseases such as osteoporosis, working toward better ways to research and test treatments.

Potential Impact

  • Illustration of an ageing population

    Bone Health & Aging

    Understanding age-related bone fragility and disease.

  • Illustration of personalized medicine

    Personalized Medicine

    Exploring more individualized approaches to bone health.

  • Illustration of drug testing

    Drug Testing

    Advancing human-relevant methods for evaluating therapies.

  • Illustration of alternatives to animal testing

    Alternatives to Animal Testing

    Supporting the 3Rs and reducing reliance on animal experiments.

Mission and vision

Our Mission

To give researchers better tools for studying human bone.

Ascleon develops human-relevant technologies to investigate bone health and disease. By combining engineering and life sciences, we are creating new approaches to studying bone fragility and the biological processes behind it.

Our Vision

A future where fragile bones no longer mean a smaller life.

We envision a future where human-relevant research transforms our understanding of osteoporosis, aging, and bone disease, opening new possibilities for more effective treatments and healthier lives.

Our Approach

At Ascleon, we combine engineering simulations, 3D printing, prototyping, and laboratory testing to develop and refine technologies for studying human bone.

  1. Engineering simulation

    Computational models help us explore and refine ideas before we build them.

  2. Prototyping and 3D printing

    We turn ideas into physical prototypes and improve them through repeated design cycles.

  3. Laboratory testing

    Experiments in the laboratory show how our technologies perform and guide the next improvement.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND ASCLEON

Meet the Team

Eight students bring engineering and health-science perspectives to Ascleon, guided by Prof. Dr. Xiao-Hua Qin and four coaches at ETH Zürich.

Meet the Team

Support our research

Help build the next generation of bone research tools.

Sponsors help us buy materials and lab consumables, build and test prototypes, and reach the equipment and expertise this research needs.

  • Funding
  • Materials and equipment
  • Expertise
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