Foundation for Research on Information Technologies in Society

The IT’IS Foundation was established on November 22, 1999, with the mission to engineer accurate EM measurement methods and to provide science-based regulatory advice regarding interactions of EM fields with living tissues. The first foundation board consisted of ETH Zurich professors Ralf Hütter, Albert Kündig, Wolfgang Fichtner, and Niels Kuster, as well as Alexander Borbély (University of Zurich, CH), Masao Taki (Tokyo Metropolitan University, JP), Mirjana Moser (Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, CH), Quirino Balzano (Motorola Inc., USA), Michael Burkhart (Sunrise Communication AG, CH), Michael Milligan (Mobile Manufacturers Forum, BE), and Christophe Grangeat (Alcatel, FR).

During the first decade, IT'IS researchers focused on creating the scientific knowledge base and tools to assess potential health hazards of exposure to EM fields, developing experimental and computational methods, as well as instrumentation and procedures to reliably assess the specific absorption rate (SAR) of EM fields induced in humans associated with the use of wireless communication devices.{{Cite journal |date=November 2000 |title=Appropriate Modeling of the Ear for Compliance Testing of Handheld MTE with SAR Safety Limits at 900/1800 MHz. |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/883873 |journal=IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques |volume=48 |issue=11 |pages=1927–1934 |doi=10.1109/22.883873 |bibcode=2000ITMTT..48.1927K |via=IEEE Xplore |last1=Kuster |first1=N. |last2=Burkhardt |first2=M. |url-access=subscription }} IT’IS researchers have worked with engineering partner SPEAG and international research organizations to develop and fabricate exposure systems as well as dosimetry and quality assurance (QA) methods, and have collaborated on national and international research programs to investigate potential adverse biological effects of EM field exposure.{{Cite journal |date=28 October 2004 |title=In vitro exposure apparatus for ELF magnetic fields |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bem.20037 |journal=Bioelectromagnetics |volume=25 |issue=8 |pages=582–591 |doi=10.1002/bem.20037 |via=Wiley Online Library |last1=Schuderer |first1=Jürgen |last2=Oesch |first2=Walter |last3=Felber |first3=Norbert |last4=Spät |first4=Denis |last5=Kuster |first5=Niels |pmid=15515036 |s2cid=39407031 |url-access=subscription }} The exposure setups used in the National Toxicology Program (NTP) study funded by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) on the carcinogenicity due to exposure to the EM radiation emitted by mobile phone signals{{Cite journal |date=28 September 2006 |title=Development of novel whole-body exposure setups for rats providing high efficiency, National Toxicology Program (NTP) compatibility and well-characterized exposure |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/51/20/009 |journal=Physics in Medicine & Biology |volume=51 |issue=20 |pages=5211–5229 |doi=10.1088/0031-9155/51/20/009 |last1=Kainz |first1=Wolfgang |last2=Nikoloski |first2=Neviana |last3=Oesch |first3=Walter |last4=Berdiñas-Torres |first4=Veronica |last5=Fröhlich |first5=Jürg |last6=Neubauer |first6=Georg |last7=Kuster |first7=Niels |pmid=17019034 |bibcode=2006PMB....51.5211K |s2cid=25261904 |url-access=subscription }} were designed and fabricated by the IT’IS Foundation. IT'IS collaborated with the sleep laboratory of the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the University of Zurich on how radiofrequency (RF) exposure affects the sleep and the awake electroencephalogram (EEG).{{Cite journal |date=October 20, 2000 |title=Exposure to pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field during waking affects human sleep EEG |url=https://journals.lww.com/neuroreport/Fulltext/2000/10200/Exposure_to_pulsed_high_frequency_electromagnetic.12.aspx |journal=Neuro Report |volume=11 |issue=15 |pages=3321–3325 |via=Lippincott}}{{Cite journal |date=11 December 2002 |title=Electromagnetic fields, such as those from mobile phones, alter regional cerebral blood flow and sleep and waking EEG |url=https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2869.2002.00314.x |journal=Journal of Sleep Research |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=289–295 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2869.2002.00314.x |last1=Huber |first1=R. |last2=Treyer |first2=V. |last3=Borbely |first3=A. A. |last4=Schuderer |first4=J. |last5=Gottselig |first5=J. M. |last6=Landolt |first6=H.-P. |last7=Werth |first7=E. |last8=Berthold |first8=T. |last9=Kuster |first9=N. |last10=Buck |first10=A. |last11=Achermann |first11=P. |pmid=12464096 |s2cid=25981027 |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |date=May 28, 2007 |title=Pulsed radio frequency radiation affects cognitive performance and the waking electroencephalogram |url=https://journals.lww.com/neuroreport/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2007&issue=05280&article=00016&type=abstract |journal=NeuroReport |volume=18 |issue=8 |pages=803–807 |doi=10.1097/WNR.0b013e3280d9435e |pmid=17471070 |last1=Regel |first1=S. J. |last2=Gottselig |first2=J. M. |last3=Schuderer |first3=J. |last4=Tinguely |first4=G. |last5=Rétey |first5=J. V. |last6=Kuster |first6=N. |last7=Landolt |first7=H. P. |last8=Achermann |first8=P. |s2cid=28718332 }}{{Cite journal |date=17 August 2007 |title=Pulsed radio-frequency electromagnetic fields: dose-dependent effects on sleep, the sleep EEG and cognitive performance |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2007.00603.x |journal=Journal of Sleep Research |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=253–258 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2869.2007.00603.x |last1=Regel |first1=Sabine J. |last2=Tinguely |first2=Gilberte |last3=Schuderer |first3=Jürgen |last4=Adam |first4=Martin |last5=Kuster |first5=Niels |last6=Landolt |first6=Hans-Peter |last7=Achermann |first7=Peter |pmid=17716273 |s2cid=37502474 |url-access=subscription }} IT'IS worked with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to develop a group of anatomically detailed 3D human computational phantoms — the Virtual Family models, consisting of an adult male, adult female, and two children — based on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of healthy volunteers.{{Cite web |title=The Virtual Family: A set of anatomically correct whole-body computational models |url=https://cdrh-rst.fda.gov/virtual-family-set-anatomically-correct-whole-body-computational-models |access-date=30 October 2024 |website=U.S. Food & Drug Administration}}{{Cite journal |last1=Christ |first1=Andreas |last2=Kainz |first2=Wolfgang |last3=Hahn |first3=Eckhart G. |last4=Honegger |first4=Katharina |last5=Zefferer |first5=Marcel |last6=Neufeld |first6=Esra |last7=Rascher |first7=Wolfgang |last8=Janka |first8=Rolf |last9=Bautz |first9=Werner |last10=Chen |first10=Ji |last11=Kiefer |first11=Berthold |last12=Schmitt |first12=Peter |last13=Hollenbach |first13=Hans-Peter |last14=Shen |first14=Jianxiang |last15=Oberle |first15=Michael |date=17 December 2009 |title=The Virtual Family—development of surface-based anatomical models of two adults and two children for dosimetric simulations |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/55/2/N01 |journal=Physics in Medicine & Biology |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=N23–N38 |doi=10.1088/0031-9155/55/2/N01 |pmid=20019402 |last16=Szczerba |first16=Dominik |last17=Kam |first17=Anthony |last18=Guag |first18=Joshua W. |last19=Kuster |first19=Niels |s2cid=206012149|url-access=subscription }}

In 2006, the commercial firm ZMT Zurich MedTech was founded as a spin-off of the IT'IS Foundation.

In 2010, the IT'IS Foundation was featured in Technoscope,{{Cite web |date=November 2010 |title=Technoscope 3/10: Mobile Kommunikation |url=https://www.satw.ch/de/technik-bildung/technoscope/technoscope-alle-ausgaben-seit-2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626173245/https://www.satw.ch/de/technik-bildung/technoscope/technoscope-alle-ausgaben-seit-2009 |archive-date=26 June 2022 |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=Die SATW}} the "technical magazine for youth and the youthful" of The Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW), an independent organization for the promotion of the engineering sciences. A 2010 IT'IS publication on human exposure to EM fields from energy saving light bulbs was part of a report on the safety of fluorescent bulbs aired by the Canadian investigative newsmagazine television program 16:9 The Bigger Picture.{{Cite web |date=24 August 2012 |title=16x9 - Shedding Some Light on compact fluorescent bulbs |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH6ZcyCq50Q |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=YouTube}}

The IT'IS Foundation added a group of child anatomical computational phantoms, called the Virtual Classroom, to the Virtual Family in 2010. The library of computational phantoms was extended by the addition of Glenn (an elderly male model) and Fats (an obese male model) and was renamed the Virtual Population (ViP).{{Cite journal |date=21 August 2014 |title=Development of a new generation of high-resolution anatomical models for medical device evaluation: the Virtual Population 3.0 |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/59/18/5287 |journal=Physics in Medicine & Biology |volume=59 |pages=5287–5303 |doi=10.1088/0031-9155/59/18/5287 |last1=Gosselin |first1=Marie-Christine |last2=Neufeld |first2=Esra |last3=Moser |first3=Heidi |last4=Huber |first4=Eveline |last5=Farcito |first5=Silvia |last6=Gerber |first6=Livia |last7=Jedensjö |first7=Maria |last8=Hilber |first8=Isabel |last9=Gennaro |first9=Fabienne Di |last10=Lloyd |first10=Bryn |last11=Cherubini |first11=Emilio |last12=Szczerba |first12=Dominik |last13=Kainz |first13=Wolfgang |last14=Kuster |first14=Niels |issue=18 |pmid=25144615 |bibcode=2014PMB....59.5287G |s2cid=22835908 |url-access=subscription }} The FDA and IT'IS developed a multimodal imaging-based detailed anatomical (MIDA){{Cite web |title=MIDA: A Multimodal Imaging-Based Model of the Human Head and Neck |url=https://cdrh-rst.fda.gov/mida-multimodal-imaging-based-model-human-head-and-neck |access-date=30 October 2024 |website=U.S. Food & Drug Administration}}{{Cite journal |last1=Iacono |first1=Maria Ida |last2=Neufeld |first2=Esra |last3=Akinnagbe |first3=Esther |last4=Bower |first4=Kelsey |last5=Wolf |first5=Johanna |last6=Vogiatzis Oikonomidis |first6=Ioannis |last7=Sharma |first7=Deepika |last8=Lloyd |first8=Bryn |last9=Wilm |first9=Bertram J. |last10=Wyss |first10=Michael |last11=Pruessmann |first11=Klaas P. |last12=Jakab |first12=Andras |last13=Makris |first13=Nikos |last14=Cohen |first14=Ethan D. |last15=Kuster |first15=Niels |date=22 April 2015 |title=MIDA: A multimodal imaging-based detailed anatomical model of the human head and neck |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124126 |issue=4 |pages=e0124126 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1024126I |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0124126 |pmc=4406723 |pmid=25901747 |doi-access=free |last16=Kainz |first16=Wolfgang |last17=Angelone |first17=Leonardo M.}} model of the human head and neck, which includes representations of eyes, ears, and deep brain structures, as well as several muscles, bones and skull layers, arteries and veins, cranial nerves, and salivary glands. The models are freely available for use in non-commercial projects by research groups around the world.

IT’IS uses computational physics in precision medicine applications, and was funded in 2010 by Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI; now Innosuisse) to develop the Sim4Life computational platform,{{Cite web |date=27 November 2014 |title=Development of a Multiphysics Simulation Platform for Computational BioMed and Life Sciences (Sim4Life) |url=https://www.aramis.admin.ch/Grunddaten/?projectid=28397 |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=ARAMIS}} which was later commercialized by partner ZMT. The project Sim4Life CAPITALIS{{Cite web |date=27 November 2014 |title=R and D project : S4L-CAPITALIS - Extension of the Sim4Life Platform (S4L) for Analysis and Optimization of the Neurovascular and Neurological Devices and Treatments in the Head |url=https://www.aramis.admin.ch/Grunddaten/?ProjectID=34223 |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=ARAMIS}} was funded in 2013 and was nominated for the CTI Swiss Medtech Award in 2015.{{Cite web |date=30 March 2017 |title=Sim4Life CTI Swiss Medtech Award Nomination |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1wyopdogAU |website=YouTube}}

IT’IS co-organized the 2015 meeting of the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology (ESHO2015){{Cite web |date=22 June 2015 |title=FIRING UP CANCER 24 – 26 June 2015 |url=https://www.esho2015.org/home/conference/welcome/ |access-date=12 December 2023 |website=ESHO 2015}} on hyperthermia research. The IT'IS Foundation – together with the Competence Center for Personalized Medicine in Zurich{{Cite web |date=17 September 2014 |title=New Competence Center for Personalized Medicine in Zurich |url=https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/2014/neue-generation-von-biomedizinern.html |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=University of Zurich}} – organized the Latsis Foundation Symposium{{Cite web |date=7 December 2023 |title=Aktuelle und vergangene Latsis-Symposien |url=https://ethz.ch/de/forschung/wissenschaftspreise-und-veranstaltungen/latsis-symposium/vergangene-latsis-symposien.html |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=ETH Zurich}} in 2016, with the title "Personalized Medicine: Challenges and Opportunities" and with additional funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation.{{Cite web |date=31 August 2016 |title=Personalized Medicine: Challenges and Opportunities - Latsis Symposium ETH Zurich 2016 |url=https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/166951 |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=Swiss National Science Foundation}}

In 2017, the IT'IS Foundation was selected by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop the online simulation platform o²S²PARC – Open Online Simulations for Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions, a project funded through the NIH Common Fund’s SPARC program{{Cite web |date=1 November 2023 |title=Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) |url=https://commonfund.nih.gov/sparc |access-date=14 December 2023 |website=National Institutes of Health}} to establish a Modeling and Simulation (SIM-) Core within the SPARC Data and Resource Center.

The NTP study on the risks of exposure to wireless devices published in 2018{{Cite journal |date=14 March 2018 |title=Effect of cell phone radiofrequency radiation on body temperature in rodents: Pilot studies of the National Toxicology Program's reverberation chamber exposure system |journal=Bioelectromagnetics |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=190–199 |doi=10.1002/bem.22116 |last1=Wyde |first1=Michael E. |last2=Horn |first2=Thomas L. |last3=Capstick |first3=Myles H. |last4=Ladbury |first4=John M. |last5=Koepke |first5=Galen |last6=Wilson |first6=Perry F. |last7=Kissling |first7=Grace E. |last8=Stout |first8=Matthew D. |last9=Kuster |first9=Niels |last10=Melnick |first10=Ronald L. |last11=Gauger |first11=James |last12=Bucher |first12=John R. |last13=McCormick |first13=David L. |pmid=29537695 |s2cid=3865998 |doi-access=free }} was carried out with exposure systems designed, produced, and maintained by IT'IS, and IT'IS representatives participated in the peer review of the resulting technical reports.{{Cite web |date=November 2018 |title=Cell Phone Radio Frequency Radiation |url=https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/topics/cellphones/index.html |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=National Toxicology Program}} IT’IS investigations on 5G exposure have contributed to the development of novel measurement instrumentation and phase reconstruction algorithms to analyze the power density in the very close near-field of transmitters.{{Cite journal |date=19 June 2018 |title=Total field reconstruction in the near field using pseudo-vector E-field measurements |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8388718 |journal=IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility |volume=61 |pages=2 |doi=10.1109/TEMC.2018.2837897 |s2cid=59525348|url-access=subscription }} IT'IS Foundation research on exposure to 5G wireless devices and the absorption of millimeter-waves by the skin and the resulting temperature increase{{Cite journal |date=16 January 2020 |title=RF-induced temperature increase in a stratified model of the skin for plane-wave exposure at 6–100 GHz |url=https://academic.oup.com/rpd/article/188/3/350/5707344 |journal=Radiation Protection Dosimetry |volume=188 |issue=3 |pages=350–360 |doi=10.1093/rpd/ncz293 |pmid=31950182 |last1=Christ |first1=A. |last2=Samaras |first2=T. |last3=Neufeld |first3=E. |last4=Kuster |first4=N. |hdl=20.500.11850/424372 |hdl-access=free }} draws attention to potential hazards.{{Cite news |date=21 October 2018 |title=Wie man Handystrahlung minimiert |work=Tages Anzeiger |url=https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/wie-man-handystrahlung-minimiert-254514204036 |access-date=13 September 2022}}

IT'IS also performs research in the area of MRI technology to analyze the risks of RF exposure, especially in the context of medical implant safety.{{Cite journal |last1=Neufeld |first1=Esra |last2=Gosselin |first2=Marie-Christine |last3=Murbach |first3=Manuel |last4=Christ |first4=Andreas |last5=Cabot |first5=Eugenia |last6=Kuster |first6=Niels |date=6 July 2011 |title=Analysis of the local worst-case SAR exposure caused by an MRI multi-transmit body coil in anatomical models of the human body |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/56/15/002 |journal=Physics in Medicine & Biology |volume=56 |issue=15 |pages=4649–4659 |bibcode=2011PMB....56.4649N |doi=10.1088/0031-9155/56/15/002 |pmid=21734334 |s2cid=206012938|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Córcoles |first1=Juan |last2=Zastrow |first2=Earl |last3=Kuster |first3=Niels |date=8 September 2015 |title=Convex optimization of MRI exposure for mitigation of RF-heating from active medical implants |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/60/18/7293 |journal=Physics in Medicine & Biology |volume=60 |issue=18 |pages=7293–7308 |bibcode=2015PMB....60.7293C |doi=10.1088/0031-9155/60/18/7293 |pmid=26350025 |s2cid=206018967|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Yao |first1=Aiping |last2=Zastrow |first2=Earl |last3=Neufeld |first3=Esra |last4=Kuster |first4=Niels |date=19 July 2019 |title=Efficient and reliable assessment of the maximum local tissue temperature increase at the electrodes of medical implants under MRI exposure |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.22208 |journal=Bioelectromagnetics |volume=40 |issue=6 |pages=422–433 |doi=10.1002/bem.22208 |pmid=31325162 |s2cid=198132214|url-access=subscription }} In 2017, the researchers of IT'IS, together with their colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard Medical School, and Imperial College London, established the concept of deep brain stimulations with temporal interference (TI).{{Cite journal |last1=Grossman |first1=N. |last2=Bono |first2=D. |last3=Dedic |first3=N. |last4=Kodandaramaiah |first4=S. B. |last5=Rudenko |first5=A. |last6=Suk |first6=H. J. |last7=Cassara |first7=A. M. |last8=Neufeld |first8=E. |last9=Kuster |first9=N. |last10=Tsai |first10=L. H. |last11=Pascual-Leone |first11=A. |last12=Boyden |first12=E. S. |date=1 June 2017 |title=Noninvasive deep brain stimulation via temporally interfering electric fields |journal=Cell |volume=169 |issue=6 |pages=1029–1041 |doi=10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.024 |pmc=5520675 |pmid=28575667}} The spin-off company, TI Solutions AG, was founded in 2019 to support TI research through development of flexible TI stimulation devices and corresponding planning tools as well as to advance the translation of this research into clinical therapies.

With NIH funding, IT'IS continues to develop the o²S²PARC platform as part of the SPARC Portal.{{Cite web |date=22 April 2025 |title=SPARC — bridging the body and the brain |url=https://sparc.science/ |access-date=22 April 2025 |website=SPARC}} The computational modeling pipeline developed by IT’IS was used in a clinical study to apply spinal cord neuromodulation to restore trunk and leg motor function in patients after complete paralysis.{{Cite journal |last1=Wagner |first1=F. B. |last2=Mignardot |first2=J. B. |last3=Le Goff-Mignardot |first3=C. G. |last4=Demesmaeker |first4=R. |last5=Komi |first5=S. |last6=Capogrosso |first6=M. |last7=Rowald |first7=A. |last8=Seáñez |first8=I. |last9=Caban |first9=M. |last10=Pirondini |first10=E. |last11=Vat |first11=M. |last12=McCracken |first12=L. A. |last13=Heimgartner |first13=R. |last14=Fodor |first14=I. |last15=Watrin |first15=A. |display-authors=1 |date=31 October 2018 |title=Targeted neurotechnology restores walking in humans with spinal cord injury |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0649-2 |journal=Nature |volume=563 |issue=7729 |pages=65–71 |bibcode=2018Natur.563...65W |doi=10.1038/s41586-018-0649-2 |pmid=30382197 |s2cid=53148162 |last16=Seguin |first16=P. |last17=Paoles |first17=E. |last18=Van Den Keybus |first18=K. |last19=Eberle |first19=G. |last20=Schurch |first20=B. |last21=Pralong |first21=E. |last22=Becce |first22=F. |last23=Prior |first23=J. |last24=Buse |first24=N. |last25=Buschman |first25=R. |last26=Neufeld |first26=E. |last27=Kuster |first27=N. |last28=Carda |first28=S. |last29=von Zitzewitz |first29=J. |last30=Delattre |first30=V.|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Rowald |first1=A. |last2=Komi |first2=S. |last3=Demesmaeker |first3=R. |last4=Baaklini |first4=E. |last5=Hernandez-Charpak |first5=S. D. |last6=Paoles |first6=E. |last7=Montanaro |first7=H. |last8=Cassara |first8=A. |last9=Becce |first9=F. |last10=Lloyd |first10=B. |last11=Newton |first11=T. |last12=Ravier |first12=J. |last13=Kinany |first13=N. |last14=d'Ercole |first14=M. |last15=Paley |first15=A. |display-authors=1 |date=February 2, 2022 |title=Activity-dependent spinal cord neuromodulation rapidly restores trunk and leg motor functions after complete paralysis |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01663-5 |journal=Nature Medicine |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=260–271 |doi=10.1038/s41591-021-01663-5 |pmid=35132264 |s2cid=246651655 |last16=Hankov |first16=N. |last17=Varescon |first17=C. |last18=McCracken |first18=L. |last19=Vat |first19=M. |last20=Caban |first20=M. |last21=Watrin |first21=A. |last22=Jacquet |first22=C. |last23=Bole-Feysot |first23=L. |last24=Harte |first24=C. |last25=Lorach |first25=H. |last26=Galvez |first26=A. |last27=Tschopp |first27=M. |last28=Herrmann |first28=N. |last29=Wacker |first29=M. |last30=Geernaert |first30=L.}} IT'IS researchers developed new hardware concepts for precise TI stimulation, EEG and MRI filters for closed-loop TI protocols in experimental and clinical studies, and the Temporal Interference Planning (TIP) tool, which is used for optimized electrode placement for targeted TI stimulation. TI stimulation has been applied in a series of studies performed in collaboration with the Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille (INSERM) and the Imperial College London,{{Cite journal |last1=Acerbo |first1=Emma |last2=Jegou |first2=Aude |last3=Luff |first3=Charlotte |last4=Dzialecka |first4=Patrycja |last5=Botzanowski |first5=Boris |last6=Missey |first6=Florian |last7=Ngom |first7=Ibrahima |last8=Lagarde |first8=Stanislas |last9=Bartolomei |first9=Fabrice |last10=Cassara |first10=Antonino |last11=Neufeld |first11=Esra |last12=Jirsa |first12=Viktor |last13=Carron |first13=Romain |last14=Grossman |first14=Nir |last15=Williamson |first15=Adam |date=17 August 2022 |title=Focal non-invasive deep-brain stimulation with temporal interference for the suppression of epileptic biomarkers |journal=Frontiers in Neuroscience |volume=16 |pages=945221 |doi=10.3389/fnins.2022.945221 |pmc=9431367 |pmid=36061593 |doi-access=free}} the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL),{{Cite journal |date=19 October 2023 |title=Noninvasive theta-burst stimulation of the human striatum enhances striatal activity and motor skill learning |journal=Nature Neuroscience |volume=26 |pages=2005–2016 |doi=10.1038/s41593-023-01457-7 |pmid=37857774 |last1=Wessel |first1=M. J. |last2=Beanato |first2=E. |last3=Popa |first3=T. |last4=Windel |first4=F. |last5=Vassiliadis |first5=P. |last6=Menoud |first6=P. |last7=Beliaeva |first7=V. |last8=Violante |first8=I. R. |last9=Abderrahmane |first9=H. |last10=Dzialecka |first10=P. |last11=Park |first11=C. H. |last12=Maceira-Elvira |first12=P. |last13=Morishita |first13=T. |last14=Cassara |first14=A. M. |last15=Steiner |first15=M. |last16=Grossman |first16=N. |last17=Neufeld |first17=E. |last18=Hummel |first18=F. C. |issue=11 |pmc=10620076 }} and the UK Dementia Research Institute.{{Cite journal |date=19 October 2023 |title=Non-invasive temporal interference electrical stimulation of the human hippocampus |journal=Nature Neuroscience |volume=26 |pages=1994–2004 |doi=10.1038/s41593-023-01456-8 |pmid=37857775 |last1=Violante |first1=Ines R. |last2=Alania |first2=Ketevan |last3=Cassarà |first3=Antonino M. |last4=Neufeld |first4=Esra |last5=Acerbo |first5=Emma |last6=Carron |first6=Romain |last7=Williamson |first7=Adam |last8=Kurtin |first8=Danielle L. |last9=Rhodes |first9=Edward |last10=Hampshire |first10=Adam |last11=Kuster |first11=Niels |last12=Boyden |first12=Edward S. |last13=Pascual-Leone |first13=Alvaro |last14=Grossman |first14=Nir |issue=11 |pmc=10620081 }}

In 2022, the IT'IS Foundation established the Katja Poković Research Fund (KPRF){{Cite web |date=1 February 2024 |title=The Katja Poković Research Fund (IT'IS) |url=https://bioem.org/the-katja-pokovic-research-fund/ |access-date=30 October 2024 |website=BioEM}} to honor the memory of Katja Poković, PhD (1968–2021), who had been the Director of Laboratory and Customer Services of SPEAG from 1999 to 2021. The KPRF offers research fellowships specifically for female applicants as well as funding support for research projects internal to the IT'IS Foundation.

Seed funding for the IT'IS Foundation was provided in part by SPEAG and the MMF; SPEAG and ZMT remain reliable sources of funding. Other major funding has been obtained through competitive applications to Swiss (CH), European Union (EU), and international funding instruments. Selected major research projects are listed below.

The aim of the EU FP5 REFLEX project — Risk Evaluation of Potential Environmental Hazards From Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure Using Sensitive In Vitro Methods — was to apply advanced methods and procedures developed in toxicology and molecular biology to investigate the basic mechanisms of cellular and sub-cellular responses to exposure to EM energy. The coordinator of the REFLEX consortium was Prof. Franz Adlkofer of the VERUM Foundation; there were 8 biological laboratory partners to perform in vitro experiments, for which the IT'IS Foundation developed the exposure systems. Soon after publication of findings from the REFLEX study,{{Cite journal |date=26 August 2002 |title=Induction of DNA strand breaks by intermittent exposure to extremely-low-frequency electromagnetic fields in human diploid fibroblasts |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383571802001092 |journal=Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis |volume=519, Issues , 26 August 2002, Pages |issue=1–2 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.1016/S1383-5718(02)00109-2 |pmid=12160887 |last1=Ivancsits |first1=S. |last2=Diem |first2=E. |last3=Pilger |first3=A. |last4=Rüdiger |first4=H. W. |last5=Jahn |first5=O. |bibcode=2002MRGTE.519....1I |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |date=6 June 2005 |title=Cell type-specific genotoxic effects of intermittent extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383571805000914 |journal=Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis |volume=583 |issue=2 |pages=184–188 |doi=10.1016/j.mrgentox.2005.03.011 |pmid=15899587 |last1=Ivancsits |first1=S. |last2=Pilger |first2=A. |last3=Diem |first3=E. |last4=Jahn |first4=O. |last5=Rüdiger |first5=H. W. |bibcode=2005MRGTE.583..184I |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |date=6 June 2005 |title=Non-thermal DNA breakage by mobile-phone radiation (1800 MHz) in human fibroblasts and in transformed GFSH-R17 rat granulosa cells in vitro |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383571805000896 |journal=Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis |volume=583 |issue=2 |pages=178–183 |doi=10.1016/j.mrgentox.2005.03.006 |last1=Diem |first1=Elisabeth |last2=Schwarz |first2=Claudia |last3=Adlkofer |first3=Franz |last4=Jahn |first4=Oswald |last5=Rüdiger |first5=Hugo |pmid=15869902 |bibcode=2005MRGTE.583..178D |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |date=16 February 2008 |title=Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (UMTS, 1,950 MHz) induce genotoxic effects in vitro in human fibroblasts but not in lymphocytes |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00420-008-0305-5 |journal=International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health |volume=81 |pages=755–767 |doi=10.1007/s00420-008-0305-5 |last1=Schwarz |first1=Claudia |last2=Kratochvil |first2=Elisabeth |last3=Pilger |first3=Alexander |last4=Kuster |first4=Niels |last5=Adlkofer |first5=Franz |last6=Rüdiger |first6=Hugo W. |issue=6 |pmid=18278508 |bibcode=2008IAOEH..81..755S |s2cid=29017163 |url-access=subscription }} allegations of data falsification, data fabrication, and general scientific misconduct were made against project participants, including the IT'IS Foundation.{{Cite book |last=Lerchl |first=Alexander |title=Fälscher im Labor und ihre Helfer: Die Wiener Mobilfunk-Studien - Einzelfall oder Symptom? |publisher=Books on Demand |year=2009 |isbn=978-3837063417 |language=DE}}{{Cite journal |date=29 March 2010 |title=Critical comments on DNA breakage by mobile-phone electromagnetic fields [Diem et al., Mutat. Res. 583 (2005) 178–183] |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383571810000483 |journal=Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis |volume=697 |issue=1–2 |pages=60–65 |doi=10.1016/j.mrgentox.2010.01.010 |s2cid=88512715 |last1=Lerchl |first1=Alexander |last2=Wilhelm |first2=Adalbert F.X. |pmid=20100594 |arxiv=0807.2554 |bibcode=2010MRGTE.697...60L }} The assertions, which persisted for more than a decade, were laid to rest by a German court of appeals, whereby the author{{Cite web |title=Prof. Dr. Alexander Lerchl |url=https://constructor.university/faculty-member/alexander-lerchl |access-date=31 October 2024 |website=Constructor University}} of the unfounded allegations was ordered to cease and desist his attacks on the REFLEX findings.{{Cite news |date=8 February 2021 |title=German court moves to silence relentless critic of RF DNA studies |work=Microwave News |url=https://www.microwavenews.com/news-center/german-court-moves-silence-critic-rf-dna-breaks |access-date=17 September 2022}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://itis.swiss The IT'IS Foundation website]
• [https://speag.swiss/ Schmidt & Partner Engineering AG website]
• [https://zmt.swiss/ Zurich MedTech AG website]
• [https://temporalinterference.com/ TI Solutions AG website]

{{coord missing|Switzerland}}

Category:Scientific research foundations

Category:Research institutes in Switzerland

Category:Research institutes established in 1999