On July 30, 2021, CeMM was honored to welcome Dr. Wolfgang Mückstein, Austrian Federal Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection. This was the first visit of Minister Mückstein to our institute, and we are very grateful for this opportunity to present CeMM, our research highlights and innovations. CeMM actively supported the AGES and the Ministry in fighting the pandemic, by analyzing and integrating Austrian viral genome data into a global map of SARS-CoV-2 mutations, which helped decipher the mutational dynamics underlying the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister Mückstein was welcomed by CeMM Directors Giulio Superti-Furga and Anita Ender, who gave a short introduction to CeMM, its location and mission in the middle of the medical campus including research highlights and future goals. CeMM Faculty Andreas Bergthaler, Christoph Bock, Barbara Maier and Thomas Reiberger joined the discussion in the Brain Lounge, a special room dedicated as an art and thinking space to kickstart new and creative ideas. After a short update on the “Mutational Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Austria” project by Coordinator Andreas Bergthaler, which was launched in March 2020 at CeMM, Minister Mückstein went on a guided tour of the institute meeting PhD students and PostDoc representatives, and visiting the Biomedical Sequencing Facility, the Time Capsule art room, the PhD gallery, and the Molecular Discovery Platform.

We would like to thank our honorable guest Minister Mückstein for his time, and interest in CeMM and our research activities. Given the challenging times we are living in, his visit reinforced the trust in science, and the relevant biomedical work at CeMM. A successful collaboration between research, medicine and society is necessary in advancing our knowledge in molecular medicine to improve healthcare and to be prepared for the future.

photo credit: Michael Sazel / CeMM