In the quest to find the origin of the puzzling symptoms in four children, researchers from St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute, the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), and the Medical University of Vienna have discovered a completely new disease, linking disruptions of blood formation, the immune system, and inflammation. This groundbreaking discovery provides the basis for a better understanding of similar diseases. It is a milestone that the researchers have now published in a prestigious international journal, the New England Journal of Medicine.

A newly identified defect in…

CeMM has been honored with the German Brand Award in the category of Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation in the field of Education & Research!

In 2022, after 15 years of exceptional research and growth, we knew it was time to adapt our corporate identity to reflect our progress and achievements. We embarked on a collaborative effort with our talented team of scientists, administration, and alumni to highlight CeMM's identity, values, and aspirations.

In close collaboration with the creative design agency Büro X, we crafted a new image, and presented our new motto, "Science is our Medicine". The new logo embodies innovation, precision,…

On 12 June 2023, the REsolution consortium held its fourth and final consortium meeting. The event took place at CeMM with 20 participants coming from different countries and 5 participants joining virtually. The REsolution consortium is a public-private research partnership supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), EU and EFPIA with 9 partners from academia and the pharmaceutical industry. The project has a duration of 2 years and aims to understand how genetic variants in humans affect the function of cellular solute carrier transporters (SLCs).

During the meeting, REsolution scientists summarized the data generated on the…

CeMM celebrated the 10 years of EU-LIFE milestone with our partner institutes! We were delighted to attend the annual EU-LIFE Community Meeting and take part in the 10th Anniversary Conference in Lisbon, Portugal!

From 5 to 6 June 2023, we joined our partners at Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia for a productive one-and-a-half-day program. We discussed the highlights and achievements of the EU-LIFE network this year, set priorities for various projects and activities, and agreed on the strategy and position papers for 2023 and the next year. The meeting featured insightful discussions and best-practice sharing within the working groups,…

In crisis, the nucleus calls antioxidant enzymes to the rescue. The nucleus being metabolically active is a profound paradigm shift with implications for cancer research.

A typical human cell is metabolically active, roaring with chemical reactions that convert nutrients into energy and useful products that sustain life. These reactions also create reactive oxygen species, dangerous by-products like hydrogen peroxide which damage the building blocks of DNA in the same way oxygen and water corrode metal and form rust. Just how buildings collapse from the cumulative effect of rust, reactive oxygen species threatens a genome’s integrity.

Cells…

On 8 May 2023, CeMM held its 16th Landsteiner Lecture featuring keynote speaker Benjamin F. Cravatt, Professor, and Norton B. Gilula Chair of Chemical Biology at the Department of Chemistry of The Scripps Research Institute (USA).

The event opened with “Les Tecchler”, the first duet performed by cellist Matthias Bartolomey and violinist and mandola player Klemens Bittmann, whose music style emphasizes the spontaneity and improvisation of jazz, incorporating rock elements, grooves, ballads, and fast up-tempo compositions.

CeMM Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga gave a welcome address, followed by the Denise P. Barlow Award Ceremony,…

From 7-8 May 2023 the annual CeMM Alumni event took place in Vienna. 

We started with a nice, informal Dinner at the old AKH campus on Sunday, and continued with an Alumni Gathering on Monday at CeMM. This included an update of activities by the Alumni Board, mentor-mentee meetings during the day, and an interesting workshop on decision making with guest speaker Jafar Rezaei, from the Delft University of Technology NL. In the evening Alumnae and Alumni also joined the CeMM Landsteiner Lecture by Benjamin Cravatt from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, in the festive hall of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. 

We thank the CeMM…

Making progress, innovating, and finding solutions to global challenges requires extensive and intensive basic research across multiple fields. To make new discoveries, we must put in the effort, exertion, and brainpower required. But research does not simply start and end. Rather, we insert ourselves into a chain of knowledge seekers. The foundations of our present research and wealth were laid already by many people in the past. The CeMM Research Report is always unique and this year, in its 16th edition, we pay tribute to these great minds who have paved the way for us. We asked ourselves, "Who are those pioneers of the part and how did…

On 31 March 2023, Prof. Dr. Martin Polaschek, the Austrian Minister for Education, Science and Research visited CeMM for the first time. Minister Polaschek met the CeMM Directors Giulio Superti-Furga and Anita Ender and spoke to the new Principal Investigators Laura de Rooij and André Rendeiro. He also met CeMM PI Stefan Kubicek and visited the CeMM Molecular Discovery Platform. 

We are thankful for the visit and are also grateful that Minister Polaschek will be a testimonial in the next CeMM Research Report, supporting our mission and the claim of CeMM: Science is our Medicine! 

Take a look at the picture gallery here.

For the third time, the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences is one of the winners of the Innovation Awards 2023 of the Austrian Society for Consumer Studies. On this occasion, CeMM has received recognition for its outstanding “Innovation Management”, and also achieved a top-5 ranking in organic chemistry and pharmaceuticals, as well as a top-10 ranking in the biotechnology field. These distinctions are a demonstration of CeMM's groundbreaking contributions to molecular medicine and healthcare.

The ÖGVS – Gesellschaft für Verbraucherstudien, an independent society for consumer studies in Austria,…