A New Achilles’ Heel of Blood Cancer
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive form of blood cancer that frequently develops in children. The diseased cells often carry mutated forms of a specific gene, which is known to function within large protein networks. Researchers at CeMM and LBI-CR identified a protein of this network crucial for the survival of the cancer cells – a novel potential approach for targeted therapies. The study was published in Nature Communications. AML…
How immune cells kill bacteria with acid
The first line of immune defense against invading pathogens like bacteria are macrophages, immune cells that engulf every foreign object that crosses their way and kill it with acid, in a process called phagocytosis. In their quest to systematically study proteins that transport chemicals across cellular membranes, researchers at CeMM characterized the critical role for transporter SLC4A7 in this process, providing valuable new insights for many…
CeMM Landsteiner Lecture 2018 with Yasmine Belkaid
At the 12th CeMM Landsteiner Lecture, held by Yasmine Belkaid, Director of the NIH Center for Human Immunology and Director of the NIAID Microbiome Program, everything revolved around one of the most important emerging fields of research in life sciences: the microbiome. Yasmine Belkaid explained how microorganisms living in and on our bodies influence every aspect of our immune system, and why research in this field will change the medicine of…
Tracing the footprints of a tumor: genomic “scars” allow cancer profiling
DNA mutations driving cancer development are caused by different mechanisms, each of them leaving behind specific patterns, or “scars” in the genome. Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, researchers at CeMM and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute at Cambridge, UK were able to show for the first time in cell culture that specific genetic alterations indeed lead to the predicted pattern of mutational signatures observed in human cancers. The results were…
“Livable Cities for the 21st century” - 8th CeMM S.M.A.R.T. Lecture with Jan Gehl
The 8th CeMM S.M.A.R.T. Lecture held by architect and urban design consultant Jan Gehl was exceptionally entertaining and inspiring. It illustrated with many captivating examples the problems cities developed in the 20th century by pursuing an object- instead of a people-centered city planning and how simple measures can make cities livable. “We knew more about the natural habitat of the mountain gorilla or the Siberian tiger than about the Homo…
How a virus becomes chronic
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) served as an indispensable model system for chronic viral infections over the last 80 years; two Nobel prizes were awarded for its exploration. However, the molecular interactions during the life cycle of the virus were hitherto poorly understood. In a new study, published in PLOS Pathogens, CeMM scientists revealed the comprehensive set of cellular proteins that physically interact with the LCMV…
Promotion sub auspiciis praesidentis of Barbara Mair
We congratulate Barbara Mair to the highest possible honor for achievements in university studies - the promotion sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae, Alexander Van der Bellen. The ceremony was held in the Van Swieten Hall of the Medical University of Vienna. Straight A´s from high school until the end of the doctorate, graduation within a given time scale, accompanied by exemplary moral character – in order to qualify for the honor of a…
WWTF Life Science Call 2017 for Chemical Biology
Congratulations to Giulio Superti-Furga, CeMM´s Scientific Director, Miriam Unterlass, Technical University of Vienna, and Stefan Kubicek, CeMM for winning one of the WWTF 2017 Life Science Grants on Chemical Biology. In the project called “3C - Cellular color chart” the research team aims to generate new fluorescent molecules that probe intracellular processes with a full molecular understanding of their biological specificity. This proposal is…
CeMM International PhD Program 2018
The next PhD Program at CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna will start in October 2018. We offer 15 fully funded PhD positions and are looking for exceptionally motivated PhD candidates with a keen interest in genomics, medicine and interdisciplinary teamwork. +++ Apply now! The application deadline is 2nd February 2018 +++ The 2018 CeMM PhD Program will focus on the thematic areas of…
How nuclear metabolism controls (cancer) genes: ERC Consolidator Grant awarded to CeMM-PI Stefan Kubicek
What impact do the nuclear components of metabolism have on gene expression? And how does the distribution of metabolites contribute to the emergence of cancer? To answer those key questions, a Consolidator Grant of the European Research Council ERC was awarded to Stefan Kubicek, Principal Investigator at CeMM. Genes need to be controlled. This very basic principle for a well-functioning cell – and thus a healthy organism – has been investigated…
Diabetes drug helps repair UV-damaged DNA in cells of "Moon children"
The severe and debilitating genetic disease Xeroderma pigmentosum impedes cells to repair UV-induced DNA damage. Scientists from CeMM found a drug approved for diabetes treatment to alleviate the impact of the gene defect in cell culture, which led to the discovery of a previously unknown DNA repair mechanism. The study was published in Molecular Cell. The destructive force of UV radiation on DNA molecules is only fully visible, when repair…
Pharmacoscopy improves therapy for relapsed blood cancer in a first clinical trial
Researchers at CeMM and the Medical University of Vienna presented a preliminary report published in The Lancet Hematology on the clinical impact of an integrated ex vivo approach termed pharmacoscopy. The interims analysis of the first-ever clinical trial with the approach shows that pharmacoscopy can assist decision-making of the responsible clinicians effectively and thus represent a powerful tool for practical precise and personalized…
When two wrongs make a right: Artificial CRISPR gene disruptions could rescue genetic disease
Defective DNA repair mechanisms can lead to diseases like Fanconi anemia. Utilizing a concept called “synthetic viability”, researchers at CeMM, in international collaboration, found additional gene disruptions that rescue the phenotype of this disease in cell culture and identified the responsible protein complex. The study, published in Nature Communications, intriguingly demonstrates the potential of synthetic viability screens to identify…
Obituary Denise P. Barlow
With great sadness, we inform our colleagues and the scientific community of the decease of Prof. Dr. Denise P. Barlow. Denise died on October 21, 2017 at the age of 67 after severe illness in the company of friends. Denise Barlow was one of the most accomplished geneticists ever to operate in Austria and one of the most inspiring epigeneticists in Europe. Denise Barlow is one of the few researchers who could claim not only to have discovered a…
CeMM-visit of President Alexander Van der Bellen and Mayor Michael Häupl
CeMM had the pleasure to host the Federal President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, and the Mayor of the City of Vienna, Michael Häupl on October 3, 2017. The guests came to our institute on the occasion of CeMM´s 10th anniversary, which we celebrated in September, and to inaugurate our PhD Gallery. Welcomed by CeMM Directors Giulio Superti-Furga and Anita Ender and cheered by the entire staff of CeMM, the guests were accompanied to the…
