A shortcut for drug discovery: Novel method predicts on a large scale how small molecules interact with proteins
For most human proteins, there are no small molecules known to bind them chemically (so called “ligands”). Ligands frequently represent important starting points for drug development but this knowledge gap critically hampers the development of novel medicines. Researchers at CeMM, in a collaboration with Pfizer, have now leveraged and scaled a method to measure the binding activity of hundreds of small molecules against thousands of human…
CeMM Research Report 2023: On the path to utopia
We would like to present you the CeMM Research Report 2023 dedicated to: on the path to Utopia in research. It represents our endeavour to embrace the joy of dreaming and visualizing the future. What does the future hold? We have embarked on a journey to envision the future, going beyond traditional planning to truly 'dream it up'. Inspired by the EU-LIFE Utopia Conference in Lisbon in 2023, we posed this question to the CeMM community, inviting…
Light Show in Living Cells: New method allows simultaneous fluorescent labelling of many proteins
Observing proteins precisely within cells is extremely important for many branches of research but has been a significant technical challenge - especially in living cells, as the required fluorescent labelling had to be individually attached to each protein. The research group led by Stefan Kubicek at CeMM has now overcome this hurdle: With a method called "vpCells," it is possible to label many proteins simultaneously, using five different…
ERC Advanced Grant for CeMM Adjunct PI Nuno Maulide
We congratulate Nuno Maulide, CeMM Adjunct Principal Investigator and Professor at the University of Vienna, for receiving the ERC Advanced Grant - which makes him one of the very few people in Europe who have won all the European Research Council grants in a row (ERC Starting Grant in 2011, ERC Consolidator Grant in 2016, ERC Proof of Concept Grant in 2018 and 2023). In his new ERC project "C-HANCE" hosted by the University of Vienna, Nuno…
EU-LIFE Charter of Independent Life Science Research Institutes
CeMM is a proud member of the EU-LIFE alliance since the beginning, and Giulio Superti-Furga, Scientific Director of CeMM and the Ri.MED Foundation, is the current Chair of EU-LIFE. The 15 EU-LIFE member institutes are leading and renowned life science research centers in Europe, and are profiting from the exchange of best practices, having common principles of research excellence, and contributing to European research policy. The different…
New Insights Could Improve Treatment of Liver Fibrosis
Repeated or chronic liver injury, for example by viral hepatitis or alcohol consumption, triggers a complicated molecular process of scaring called liver fibrosis. Researchers at CeMM and MedUni Vienna have now succeeded in better understanding this process in a new study by examining gene activities at various stages of the liver disease. Their findings could contribute to a first-time therapy for fibrosis. The liver is not only the largest…
FWF "Emerging Fields" Grant for Brain Resilience
We congratulate the Consortium of the newly funded "Brain Resilience" grant! CeMM PI Christoph Bock is part of a team of world-renowned scientists that received one of the first "Emerging Fields" grants of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). Over five years, the research groups coordinated by Igor Adameyko, MedUni Vienna will receive up to 6 million Euro to investigate brain resilience against disease. The brain of mammals is formed through…
Georg Winter joins global Cancer Grand Challenges team taking on solid tumours in children
The team, which is co-led by Martin Eilers of the University of Würzburg, Germany, and Yaël Mossé of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, US, will receive up to $25m over five years to take on the challenge of solid tumours in children. A global, interdisciplinary team of researchers, including CeMM PI Georg Winter, has been selected to receive a Cancer Grand Challenges award of up to $25m over five years to tackle the solid tumours in children…
Giulio Superti-Furga awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class
On 26 February 2024, Giulio Superti-Furga had the pleasure and honor to receive the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class (Österreichisches Ehrenkreuz I. Klasse für Wissenschaft und Kunst) from the Austrian President Professor Alexander Van der Bellen. The Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class is awarded based on the recommendation of the Federal Government. Established in 1955, this Austrian state…
New System Triggers Cellular Waste Disposal
Established treatments for cancer and other diseases often focus on inhibiting harmful enzymes to mitigate their effects. However, a more innovative approach has emerged: harnessing the cell's natural waste disposal system not just to deactivate but to entirely eradicate these proteins. Researchers at CeMM have already demonstrated the efficacy of this approach through two distinct methods. Now, in collaboration with colleagues from the…
Vienna Science Ball 2024
CeMM members had a great time at the Wiener Ball der Wissenschaften - Vienna Science Ball 2024! Thanks to the organizers for the terrific programme and special focus on climate, fantastic music, a joyful quadrille, the opportunity to be at the Orchesterloge and the chance to have a nice CeMM group picture with a lot of happy faces. The Vienna Science Ball is an exceptional opportunity to mingle with our colleagues and friends from the research…
New therapeutic approach for the treatment of sarcoidosis
A research team led by Georg Stary (Medical University of Vienna and CeMM) has identified a new approach to treating the inflammatory disease sarcoidosis. In a clinical study, the inhibition of a specific signaling pathway showed clear success in the treatment of granulomas in the skin. This opens up new therapeutic paths for sarcoidosis and similar inflammatory diseases. The results were published in the journal Lancet Rheumatology. Sarcoidosis…
CCRI - CeMM Collaboration Agreement
CCRI Directors Kaan Boztug and Jörg Bürger, and CeMM Directors Giulio Superti-Furga and Anita Ender have signed a partnership agreement which further strengthens scientific collaborations and training aspects. CeMM’s research is strongly oriented towards medical needs and integrates research on fundamental biological processes with clinical expertise to gain new insights into human pathophysiology and develop innovative diagnostic and…
Vaccine boosts innate immunity in people with dormant immune cells
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is one of the world’s oldest and most widely used vaccines. It was developed in the early 20th century to provide protection from tuberculosis. Surprisingly, this vaccine protects not only against tuberculosis but also reduces the risk for various other infections, through a mechanism called trained immunity. A new study led by Christoph Bock and Mihai Netea found that epigenetic cell states predict whether or not…
Giulio Superti-Furga and Marta Miączyńska are appointed new chair and co-chair of EU-LIFE
Giulio Superti-Furga, Scientific Director of the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Marta Miączyńska, Director of the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw (IIMCB), have been appointed new Chair and Co-Chair of the EU-LIFE alliance of leading life science research institutes in Europe. Over the next two years, Giulio and Marta will work closely with Marta Agostinho,…
