News

May 15, 2013
Annual Report 2012

On May 15 CeMM´s research report 2012 was presented to the CeMM faculty and to the artists and designers who contributed to the CeMM Brain Lounge and are pictured in the report . The 2012 Report is centered on the process of thinking and conceiving ideas. The science & art project Brain Lounge is used as guiding element in the report around which the diverse research themes are assembled. The report is wonderfully staged by the photographer Iris Ranzinger and contains valuable contributions of Gitti Huck, the renowned art historian. Among the guests of the presentation event were: The new designated Vice-President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Michael Alram, Vice-President responsible for mathematical-natural science class, George Brasseur, Joanneum president Peter Pakesch, MedUni Vice Rector Christiane Druml, Peter Kogler, Martin Walde, Dorothee Golz, Iris Ranzinger, the Brain Lounge Designers Walking Chair, Karl Emilio Pircher and Fidel Peugeot. The cover picture of the research report shows a detail of the Brain Lounge carpet, based on the artistic interpretation of a gel electrophoresis picture of postdoctoral fellow Thomas Karonitsch.

(Picture Gallery)

May 6, 2013
7th CeMM Karl Landsteiner Lecture

Hans Clevers, M.D. Ph.D., Director of the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht and President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, gave the 7th CeMM Karl Landsteiner Lecture, on May 6th, 2013, in the festive hall of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Around 350 scientists and interested lay people attended his lecture, “Stem cells of the bowel: Bright site, dark site”. We would like to thank Hans Clevers for his brilliant talk. We would also like to thank the Acies Quartett for their memorable performance of Mozart´s String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K. 421/417b.

(Picture Gallery)

April 15
Vienna City Marathon

Some thirty-six CeMM scientists and administrative personnel participated in the 30th Vienna City Marathon on Sunday, April 14, 2013. PhD student Carol Ann Eberle, ran the half-marathon in 01:27:16, which was the 11th best time out of 4271 women and the second place in her age bracket! On average the CeMM teams needed about 4 hours and 7 minutes for the 42 kilometer distance. CeMM congratulates the nine running teams and wishes them all the best for their next competitions!

April 9, 2013
Next Generation Sequencing Vienna Symposium & Workshop

Researchers from around Vienna gathered at CeMM to discuss the latest developments and future perspectives of the arguably hottest technology in biomedicine. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has made it relatively routine to determine the DNA sequence of entire human genomes (a procedure that would have cost millions of Euros just a few years ago), and it provides unprecedented research opportunities in organisms ranging from bacteria and plants to insects and mammals. The symposium provided an overview of NGS-enabled research in Vienna, with scientific talks by Renée Schroeder (MFPL), Sebastian Nijman (CeMM), Julius Brennecke (IMBA), Franco Laccone (MedUni Vienna) Johannes Zuber (IMP) and Renate Panzer (St. Anna CCRI). Furthermore, a keynote lecture by Prof. Reinhold Schäfer (Vice director of the Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center) highlighted the medical relevance of genome-scale technology for cancer research, and a subsequent technical workshop provided the venue for discussing the challenges of this complex technology in greater depth. The meeting was organized by CeMM Principal Investigator Christoph Bock, who is also coordinating the joint Biomedical Sequencing Facility of CeMM and the Medical University of Vienna, and by Andreas Sommer, who is the head of the NGS unit at the CSF. Both facilities also presented their sequencing services, which are provided at a significantly subsidized rate to academic researchers in Austria, thus contributing to the wide availability of this breakthrough technology to researchers in Vienna and Austria.

Further information:
BSF: http://biomedical-sequencing.at/
CSF: http://www.csf.ac.at/facilities/ngs

Pictures of the event

March 21, 2013
CeMM Adjunct PI Thijn Brummelkamp identified entrance mechanism
of the Lassa Virus into Cells

In collaboration with scientists at Radboud University (Netherlands) and Harvard University (USA), the laboratory of Thijn Brummelkamp (Netherlands Cancer Institute, Adjunct Principal Investigator at CeMM) identified genes that are required for coupling sugar groups to the dystroglycan protein. Defects in these genes make cells insensitive to infection of the hemorrhagic fever causing Lassa Fever virus but also cause severe brain, muscle and eye defects as observed in children diagnosed with Walker-Warburg syndrome. For the identification of the genes the scientists used a unique human cell line where genes are present only in a single copy. The availability of the “haploid” cell line is an achievement of Thijn Brummelkamp who circumvented the obstacle of diploidy by knocking out genes in a rare human cell line that only carries one copy for >95% of its genes. The technology is not only crucial for the current study but also being employed by several groups at CeMM to study host-pathogen interactions and mechanisms of drug action. The recent study was published advanced online in Science, on March 21st, 2013. Congratulations from CeMM! (link to paper)

(read more)

March 4, 2013
_{Interlaboratory reproducibility of large-scale human protein-complex analysis by standardized AP-MS}
Setting the foundation to map the proteome

A joint research project of the CeMM and ETH Zurich seems to make the complete mapping of the interactions within the human proteome achievable. Researchers around Giulio Superti-Furga, Scientific Director at CeMM and Matthias Gstaiger, Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zurich demonstrated in a systematic study of the intra- and interlaboratory reproducibility of a standardized affinity purification-mass spectrometry protocol the high reproducibility of this technique and hints at the feasibility of a large-scale human interactome project through interlaboratory efforts. The study involved the laboratories of Keiryn Bennett, Ruedi Aebersold, director of the institute at the ETH and Jacques Colinge. Giulio Superti-Furga, "The knowledge of the complex interplay of proteins is a Rosetta stone for the interpretation of the genome. Only then we can try to understand the role of individual gene products and how their interaction actually works. This unique Zurich-Vienna effort have shown that our technology is very reliable. I would like to thank everybody involved for the heroic effort. It would now take about 10 million Euro and approximately 5 years of workt to map of the entire machinery of the human cell.” The study was published in Nature Methods ahead of print on March 3rd, 2013, DOI 10.1038/nmeth.2400. (link to paper)

(Press Release German)

February 28, 2013
Giulio Superti-Furga elected to the Board of the University of Vienna

In its inaugural session, on February 26th, 2013 the new Board of the University of Vienna elected Giulio Superti-Furga for ninth member. The University Board is one of the three governing bodies of the University, next to the Senate and the Rectorate, and has supervisory functions. Eight of its members are nominated by the Senate of the University and the Austrian Government. A ninth member is elected by the eight nominees. Chairwoman Eva Novotny takes over the presidency of Max Kothbauer, who has held this position since the beginning of the autonomy of the University of Vienna. Her first deputy is Prof. Wilfred van Gunsteren (ETH Zurich). In his first statement Rektor Heinz W. Engl acknowledged being very much looking forward to work with the new Board. The University of Vienna was founded in the year 1365 and counts 15 Nobel Prize winners among its pupils.
(link to University of Vienna)

February 28, 2013
Opening Christian Doppler Laboratory at CeMM

On February 28, 2013 the ceremonial opening of a Christian Doppler Laboratory took place at CeMM, under the auspices of the President of the Christian Doppler Research Association, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Reinhart Kögerler, the President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Helmut Denk, and the Scientific Director of CeMM, Giulio Superti-Furga. The Laboratory for Chemical Epigenetics and Antiinfectives is headed by Stefan Kubicek. It focuses on novel methods to characterize and perturb chromatin pathways in cancer and the identification of novel small molecules targeting host factors in infectious disease. The industrial partners were represented by Norbert Kraut, Vice President Oncology Research, Boehringer Ingelheim RCV and Georg Casari, CEO of Haplogen GmbH.

The inauguration was followed by a Minisymposium on March 1, kicked-off by a fascinating key note lecture of Maria Mota (University of Lisbon) on “Approaching malaria from the host side but not always”. This lecture represents a role model for the Christian Doppler laboratory’s approach to targeting host-pathogen interactions with small molecules. The symposium continued with a series of international speakers presenting their work on chemical biology approaches to epigenetics, the second focus of the Christian Doppler lab.

The traditional Austrodrugs Conference of local researchers interested in using and developing small molecules as biological probes and potential new drugs concluded the event.

(Picture Gallery)

February 19, 2013
_{CeMM and University Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine}Discovery of previously unknown immunodeficiency

(Vienna 21st February 2013) Severe autoimmunity in childhood can be an indication of a primary immunodeficiency (PID) – this has now been demonstrated in a 13-year-old patient by the research group of Kaan Boztug at CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the Medical University of Vienna and the St. Anna Children’s Hospital. Using next generation sequencing technologies and detailed functional analyses, the researchers could demonstrate that a hitherto unknown primary B-cell deficiency was the molecular cause of the disease. The study has been published in "Blood". (link to paper)

: "VIRUS CAPTURED, 'IF-IT' CONTAINS PPP-RNA", (c) Bhushan Nagar/McGill University

January 13, 2013
McGill University and CeMM uncover details of virus detection by human immune system protein

Researchers at McGill University and CEMM have discovered the molecular blueprint behind the IFIT protein. This key protein enables the human immune system to detect viruses and prevent infection by acting as foot soldiers guarding the body against infection. They recognize foreign viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) produced by the virus and act as defender molecules by potentially latching onto the genome of the virus and preventing it from making copies of itself, blocking infection. The findings are a promising step towards developing new drugs for combatting a wide range of immune system disorders.

(Press Release German)
(Press Release English)

January 2, 2013
Two Entries, Best of Science 2012 & Silver Medal, Discoveries Made in Austria

After considerable recognition by the press in the 2012 overviews, CeMM enters the new year with
great confidence.
Der Standard, December 24-26, 2012 (Best of Wissenschaft 2012)
Die Presse, December 15, 2012 (Entdeckungen Made in Austria 2012)

December 13, 2012
CeMM identifies fundamental gene silencing mechanism

Scientists in the research group of Denise Barlow at CeMM have identified a fundamental gene silencing mechanism that depends only on the transcription of unusual long non-coding RNAs ('lncRNAs' for short). LncRNAs, which do not code for proteins are some of the most abundant transcripts in a human cell and are thought to control the activity of protein-coding genes. Florian Pauler (together with past group members Martha Koerner and Paulina Latos) in the team of Denise Barlow, took a risky approach of testing if the lncRNA abundant transcript was needed at all to silence an overlapped protein-coding gene. Their results (published on December 14, 2012 in Science), which show that only transcription is needed for silencing, while the abundant lncRNA transcript is an unused byproduct, are a wake-up call for the non-coding RNA community.
(read more)
(Press release German)
(Graph)

November 19, 2012
Inauguration of the CeMM Brain Lounge

On Monday, November 19, around 100 guests followed the invitation to the opening of the CeMM Brain Lounge. Based on the concept of Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga and the designers Fidel Peugeot and Karl E. Pircher from “Walking Chair”, the special room under the rooftop of CeMM is dedicated to the process of thinking and finding new ideas. The involvement of artists is part of the conception. Central piece is a carousel with 14 leather chairs. Their reverse side is detachable and meant to be designed by artists, currently by Eva Schlegel, Thomas Feuerstein, Martin Walde, Alois Moosbacher und Dorothee Golz, as well as the walls, with artworks of Esther Stocker and Brigitte Kowanz and the ceiling dominated by light shades of Walking Chair. Daniel Kroh is responsible for the design of special Brain Lounge costumes. Most of the artists were present at the inauguration. We thank all artists, donors and sponsors who helped to realize the project so far. (read more)

Links
Picture Gallery
Works of Art in the CeMM Brain Lounge
Credits
Press Release German

October 23, 2012
ERC Starting Grants for Kaan Boztug and Sebastian Nijman

The European Research Council awarded ERC Starting Grants to two CeMM Principal Investigators. Kaan Boztug, Group Leader at CeMM and Visiting Professor at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of the Medical University of Vienna was chosen for his research project “Integrated Genetics of Congenital Defects of Innate Immunity” which will focus on the elucidation of Mendelian disorders of the human immune system. Sebastian Nijman received the prestigious grant for his proposal “Discovering Gene-Drug Interactions in Breast Cancer With a Systematic and Genetically Tractable Model”. Each grant amounts to approximately 1.5 Million Euro for a period of up to 60 months. We are very proud and congratulate the awardees Sebastian and Kaan!

(read more)

September 30, 2012
Research work published in Nature Chemical Biology:
Understanding off-target synergy for kinase inhibitors against drug resistant CML

The off-target activity of two drugs that target an oncogene, called BCR-ABL, explains their synergistic and selective ability to induce cell death in gatekeeper mutated chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells. The findings of scientists in the research groups of CeMM Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga, Keiryn L. Bennett (Mass Spectrometry), and Jacques Colinge (Bioinformatics) together with research group of Forest M. White, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts and colleagues of the Medical University of Vienna, esp. Peter Valent and Martin Bilban have been published online on September 30th, 2012, in Nature Chemical Biology.

Publication: Systems-pharmacology dissection of a drug synergy in imatinib resistant CML byGeorg E. Winter, Uwe Rix, Scott M. Carlson, Karoline V. Gleixner, Florian Grebien, Manuela Gridling, André C Müller, Florian P. Breitwieser, Martin Bilban, Jacques Colinge, Peter Valent, Keiryn L. Bennett, Forest M. White and Giulio Superti-Furga. Nature Chemical Biology. 2012 Sept 30. DOI: 10.1038/NChemBio.1085.

(read more)
(Press Release German)

August 31, 2012
CeMM was honored by a visit of EU-Commissioner Johannes Hahn. The former Minister of Science and Research was one of CeMM´supporters in its early stages. It was his first visit in the new building. Hahn took the opportunity to get an update about the fast progress and spirit of optimism of the young and dedicated team.

(Link to Picture Gallery)

August 1, 2012
CeMM one of the best places to work in Academia

CeMM is proud to be ranked as the best European place to work in Academia, according to a recent survey by The Scientist that was published on August 1, 2012. Internationally CeMM appears at the fourth place. The survey ranks academic as well as personal satisfaction in the working environment and has been carried out for the last 10 years by the journal. This distinction comes after being voted as the 3rd European place to work for Postdocs some months ago again by The Scientist.
Read more: http://the-scientist.com/2012/08/01/best-places-to-work-academia-2012

July 19, 2012
Visit of Mayor Dr. Michael Häupl

CeMM was honored by a visit of Dr. Michael Häupl, the Mayor of Vienna and one of the grounding fathers of the institute. After a tour through the research building, presentations, and discussions with the faculty, the Mayor congratulated to the achievements of our “young” institute and pointed out the importance of CeMM for medical-oriented research in Vienna.
(picture gallery)

July 18, 2012
CeMM-Research work published in Nature: Viruses give insight into the vulnerability of the defense mechanisms of human cells

Scientists in the research groups of CeMM Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga, Keiryn L. Bennett (Mass Spectrometry), and Jacques Colinge (Bioinformatics) succeeded in describing and identifying the weak points of the molecular network that human cells utilize against viruses. Results from the comparisons of the attacking strategies of 30 known viruses were published as an advanced online publication on July 18, 2012 in Nature. The insights can provide the basis for further investigations targeted towards the development of new antiviral therapies.

Publication: Viral immune modulators perturb the human molecular network by common and unique strategies by Pichlmair A, Kandasamy K, Alvisi G, Mulhern O, Sacco R, Habjan M, Binder M, Stefanovic A, Eberle CA, Goncalves A, Bürckstümmer T, Müller AC, Fauster A, Holze C, Lindsten K, Goodbourn S, Kochs G, Weber F, Bartenschlager R, Bowie AG, Bennett KL, Colinge J, Superti-Furga G. Nature. 2012 Jul 18. doi: 10.1038/nature11289. [Epub ahead of print]

(read more)

July 1-3, 2012
Small Molecules for Big Biology

Small molecules can have a profound impact on biological systems. The 3rd European Chemical Biology Symposium/ 2nd CeMM Vienna Drug Action Conference took place at CeMM and in the Festive Hall of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, was attended by 130 scientists from all over the world and lasted 3 days, from the 1st to the 3rd of July, 2012. It was opened by a keynote lecture by Stuart Schreiber, Director of the Chemical Biology Program of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and comprised 20 long talks by invited speakers, 8 short talks from the participants as well as 40 poster presentations. The sessions encompassed a broad spectrum of modern chemical biology research from drug screening and drug discovery to cell differentiation and therapeutic innovation in the systems biology era. We are thankful to all speakers and participants that contributed to the success of the meeting.
Link to Conference Website: http://ecbs2012.cemm.at/

: F.l.t.r. Christoph Kratky, Kaan Boztug, Karlheinz Töchterle

June 12, 2012
CeMM Principal Investigator Kaan Boztug awarded START Prize

Kaan Boztug is one of seven young scientists out of 54 applicants who have been accepted into the prestigious START Program of the Austrian government this year. The START Program is Austria’s most renowned funding scheme for excellent young scientists and is open to all disciplines. On June 12, 2012 Austria’s Federal Minister for Science and Research Karlheinz Töchterle and FWF President Christoph Kratky announced this year’s awardees. Kaan Boztug was chosen for his research project “Integrated Genetics of Congenital Defects of Innate Immunity” which will focus on the elucidation of Mendelian disorders of the human immune system. We are very proud and congratulate Kaan!
(Read more)
(Download Press Release German)

June 13, 2012
Personalized HIV therapy – a blueprint for cancer treatment?

Cancer is difficult to treat because it behaves differently in each patient and evolves over time. One promising approach to cancer treatment combines several drugs in a personalized way, accounting for each tumor’s molecular characteristics. CeMM Principal Investigator Christoph Bock – in joint work with Thomas Lengauer at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics – has now looked beyond cancer and reports that recent advances in HIV therapy could provide a strategy for developing personalized cancer therapies. Until recently, most HIV-infected patients died from AIDS within several years after infection, even after the first anti-HIV drugs had become available. This was because HIV evolves in the patient and quickly becomes resistant against single drugs (which is also true for most cancers). However, over the last decade sophisticated treatment strategies have been developed, which are based on combinations of several drugs, genome-based diagnosis of drug resistance and the use of computers for designing powerful combination therapies. In a Perspective article in Nature Reviews Cancer, Christoph Bock and Thomas Lengauer now argue that the time has come to pursue a similar strategy for cancer research. CeMM researchers are already pursuing several projects along these lines, for example personal cancer genome sequencing at the newly established Biomedical Sequencing Facility and patient-specific drug evaluation at the PLACEBO lab.

Publication: Bock C, Lengauer T (2012). Managing drug resistance in cancer: lessons from HIV therapy. Nat Rev Cancer. 2012 Jun 7. doi: 10.1038/nrc3297.

May 25, 2012
1st VIIRUS Symposium at CeMM

The first Vienna Infection Immunology Researchers - United Symposium, organized by CeMM PIs Sylvia Knapp and Andreas Bergthaler on May 24, 2012 brought together more than 30 research groups that are actively involved in this topic. The interdisciplinary meeting was thought to get an overview of the cumulative know how and combined resources of the growing bio-research cluster in the Vienna region. Around 100 scientists from various disciplines, such as medicine, molecular biology, biochemistry, veterinary medicine and systems biology set the stage for collaborations, common grants and possibly further local symposia in the future.

Press release (German)

May 3, 2012
6th CeMM Karl Landsteiner Lecture

How does an organism distinguish self from non-self? This was the central question of the talk that Prof. Ruslan M Medzhitov delivered to more than 300 guests, in the magnificent Festive Hall of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. A world pioneer in the field of innate immunity, Prof. Medzhitov has been working on the intricacies of the molecular mechanisms of innate immune recognition and the control of adaptive immune responses by innate immune recognition for more than 20 years.

[read more, picture gallery]

April 25, 2012
Fresh from the press, the 2011 CeMM Research Report was presented to a selected audience, the CeMM faculty, the Medical University of Vienna on April 24, 2012 in the historic reading room of the Josephinum. The choice of the location reflects the central theme of the volume: to build a bridge from the exceptional anatomical wax models to the molecular medical research at CeMM. Together with photographic artist Klaus Pichler and graphic designers Stefanie Lichtwitz and Kriso Leinfellner, the Research Report is in line with CeMM´s strategy of out-of-the-box thinking and brings together different aspects of science and art. Among the guests were: Federal Minister Karlheinz Töchterle, the Liechtenstein Ambassador to Austria, Her Excellency Maria-Pia Kothbauer, the Rectors of the Medical University Wolfgang Schütz, Christiane Druml, Karin Gutiérrez-Lobos, Franz Wurm, the President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Sigrid Jalkotzy-Deger and the artists duo“walking chair” Karl Emilio Pircher and Fidel Peugeot.

(picture gallery)

March 29, 2012
CeMM one of the best places to work for postdocs in the world

According to a study by “The Scientist”, CeMM was voted as the 3^rd best place in the world to work for postdocs (excluding US institutions). The web-based survey that was used to rank the institutes was online from September 5 to December 16, 2011. A variety of factors were used for the ranking, like quality of training and mentoring, career development, quality of facilities, as well as pay and benefits. Two out of the 5 best international places are from Austria, with the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA), being second in the list.

http://the-scientist.com/2012/03/29/best-places-to-work-postdocs-2012/

March 19, 2012
Inauguration of the CeMM SMART series of Lectures by Dr. Norbert Bischofberger

The first CeMM SMART* Lecture was inaugurated on Monday 19 March 2011 by Dr. Norbert Bischofberger, Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer of Gilead Sciences, Inc. The new series of lectures address contemporary challenges of science in an interdisciplinary manner and at the interface of science & society and science & art. In the first SMART lecture entitled “Antiviral Drug Discovery & Development: Combating the Global Threat of HIV and HCV”, Dr. Bischofberger talked about the HIV and HCV disease evolution and treatment. He explained the rationale and the decision making as well as all the scientific breakthroughs that enabled transition to fewer, more effective and better tolerated antiviral drugs with the subsequent improvement of patients’ quality of life. The lecture was followed by a panel discussion, in which Dr. Bischofberger stated that despite his overall optimism concerning therapeutics for HIV, he does not consider it likely that a vaccine will be developed in the near future. Rather, modern technologies will enable more efficient, targeted as well as better tolerated compounds that combined with policy changes can contribute to a more global availability of drugs leading to a sharp increase in patient survival and well-being.

* SMART – Science, Medicine, Art, Research & Technology
(picture gallery)

March 19, 2012
Austrodrugs 2

The Austrodrugs Initiative was started in 2011 with the aim of bringing together the Austrian community of academic chemical biologists and industrial drug discoverers. To strengthen and expand this community and shape future European public-private initiatives in the area, Giulio Superti-Furga and Stefan Kubicek organized the second Austrodrugs get-together on March 19, 2012 at CeMM.

(read more)

March 12, 2012
Visit of Federal Minister Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Töchterle

CeMM was honored by a visit of Prof. Karlheinz Töchterle, Federal Minister of Science and Research and the Presidium of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. "The importance of basic research for the long-term improvement of medical care is evident", Karlheinz Töchterle summarized and emphasized the advantages CeMM´s positioning. "CeMM is a role model for successful collaboration between a flagship institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Medical University of Vienna." During the one-and-a-half-hour visit the delegation had the opportunity to get insights into cutting edge facilities and research at CeMM and was especially impressed by the spirit of the young and international team.

(picture gallery)

February 16, 2012
Approximately 120 scientists attended the first iBiolMath Workshop at the Interface of {Molecular Biology ⋃ Medicine} and {Computational ⋃ Applied Mathematics} at CeMM. At the initiative of University of Vienna Rector of the Heinz Engl (also RICAM), CeMM Director Giulio Superti-Furga, and GMI director Magnus Nordborg, the one day workshop intended to stimulate interdisciplinary research activities among Viennese scientists working in the areas of mathematics linked to biology or medicine. Thirteen presentations, an inspiring keynote Lecture by Peter Schuster, as well as a poster session built the basis for lively discussions and networking among a large number of participants. The organizers, Jacques Colinge (CeMM) and Philipp Kügler (RICAM) will make this a yearly event and further develop the platform and infrastructure to foster collaborations within and beyond this interdisciplinary area of focus of the common mother organization, the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Program

January 29, 2012
Jak of all trades? Not of leukaemia therapy!

About one in five or six cases of adult leukaemia in Western populations relates to so-called chronic myeloid leukaemia, or CML. Treatment of CML usually relies on inhibitors of the abnormal protein that causes the condition but some patients do not respond to treatment and efforts are underway to develop a supplementary approach, targeting the so-called JAK2 kinase. Recent results from the groups of Veronika Sexl at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) and Giulio Superti-Furga at the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CEMM) have called this strategy into question. The work is published in the current issue of the prestigious journal Nature Chemical Biology and is of immediate relevance to leukaemia treatment. (read more)

[Download Press Release English]
[Download Press Release German]

December 15, 2011
Giulio Superti-Furga received “Prize of the City of Vienna for Natural Sciences”

In a ceremonial event, city councilman Andreas Mailath-Pokorny presented CeMM Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga with the Prize of the City of Vienna for Sciences. The prize is meant as a recognition lifetime achievement and is awarded yearly to people with outstanding accomplishments in the fields of music, literature, journalism, arts, science and education. We also congratulate Dontscho Kerjaschki and Ingrid Cella, who are recipients of this year´s prizes in medical sciences and humanities, respectively.

October 26, 2011
Giulio Superti-Furga is Austria´s Scientist of the Year

Readers of "Die Presse" and a top-class expert panel honored CeMM Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga as Austria´s scientist of the Year. The prize was awarded at a gala event on Austria´s national day by the FFG general managers Henrietta Egerth and Klaus Pseiner. Among the congratulators: Federal Ministers Karlheinz Töchterle and Beatrix Karl.

(ORF TV Broadcast AUSTRIA 11, 26.10.2011)

October 22, 2011
ERC “Proof of Concept”Grant awarded to Giulio Superti-Furga
In total, 30 top researchers, already holding ERC grants across Europe, are given this new, additional support to bridge the gap between their research and the earliest stage of a marketable innovation.
With his concept idea AIRSHIP” (Acute Inflammation Resolution by Soluble Human Inhibitory Protein), Superti-Furga is the only awardee working in Austria. Acute inflammatory processes are associated with infections as well as autoimmune flares at the basis of a variety of human diseases. While the molecular components and the logic of pro-inflammatory program are relatively well understood, less is known about the molecular mechanism of resolution, governing the termination of inflammatory responses. In the course of carrying out the i-FIVE ERC advanced grant plan, the team around Superti-Furga identified a novel component as a negative regulator of pro-inflammatory pathways. A set of measures aimed at obtaining solid evidence for therapeutic feasibility will be financed by the grant.

: f.l.t.r. Christoph Binder, Karlheinz Töchterle, David Weismann

October 18, 2011
Visit of Federal Minister Professor Karlheinz Töchterle
Federal Minister Prof. Karlheinz Töchterle honoured CeMM with his visit on October 18, 2011. The purpose of the visit was to celebrate the first ever Nature Article of CeMM in collaboration with the Medical University of Vienna (Weismann et al, Nature 2011). In this landmark study, the research group led by Christoph J. Binder identified a pathogenic mechanism of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Apart from Minister Töchterle, Wolfgang Schütz, rector of the Medical University of Vienna was also present as well as many other friends and collaboration partners.

(picture gallery)

October 13, 2011
Grebien et al: Disruption of the SH2-Kinase interface of the Bcr-Abl protein prevents leukemia development
Superti-Furga and his team discovered a novel regulatory mechanism as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia

A research group around Giulio Superti-Furga, Scientific Director of CeMM, has discovered, that a specific interaction in the cancer-causing Bcr-Abl protein is crucial for the development of leukemia. Artificially made proteins called monobodies, were used successfully to break this interaction and therefore prevent the disease outbreak. Senior author Giulio Superti-Furga: “Here we have discovered an unexpected weakness in this cancer-causing gene which plays a critical role in medical research.
We hope that in the future we will be able to make use of this weakness pharmacologically, in order to overcome the resistance problem of the current medications.” The results are published in the scientific journal Cell.

[Download Press Release English]
[Download Press Release German]
[Download Paper]
[Link to the Cell website with a Video/Paper Flick]

October 5, 2011
Weismann et al: Complement Factor H binds malondialdehyde-epitopes and protects from oxidative stress
CeMM and the Medical University of Vienna decode a mechanism of age-related macular degeneration that paves the way for the development of new therapies
A research group led by Christoph J. Binder at CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and at the Medical University of Vienna, has identified a pathogenic mechanism of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that was previously entirely unknown. This discovery opens new possibilities for the development of novel therapies for AMD, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. The study is published in the journal Nature, on October 6th.

September 25, 2011
Muellner et al: A chemical genetic screen reveals a resistance mechanism to PI3K inhibitors in cancer.
CeMM scientists discover new mechanism of resistance to anti-cancer drugs

The team led by CeMM Principal Investigator Sebastian Nijman has discovered how breast cancer can become resistant to an important group of anti-cancer drugs. “This finding could be critical for making sure the right drugs are used to treat the right patients, potentially saving many lives, as well as millions of euros”, says senior author Sebastian Nijman. The study was published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, on September 25th.

July 11th, 2011
Science Careers
“Farmer's son cultivates a career in translational research”

The renowned journal Science devoted July´s Career Profiles to CeMM group leader Robert Kralovics. The article provides a biographic sketch and points out an impressive scientific career based on strong roots. The 40-year-old researcher has followed his passion, and being endowed with a great talent in combining his diverse experiences in various countries, has managed to produce excellent scientific results and establish a distinguished career.

(Link to article)

June 6, 2011
Pichlmair et. al. - IFIT1 is an antiviral protein that recognizes triphosphate 5 'RNA.
Here comes the infantry: researchers from CeMM discover the foot soldiers of the antiviral molecular defense system of the cell

An intracellular receptor expressed in many cell types that seem to have an important role in the recognition and control of virus infection is reported online this week in Nature Immunology. Giulio Superti-Furga and colleagues find that a protein called IFIT1 is very strongly upregulated in virus-infected cells, where it then binds the 5′ end of viral RNA. They discover that IFIT1 demonstrates an exquisite ability to distinguish between host and viral RNA, which vary in their end structures, and that once bound, IFIT1 forms a large complex with many other cellular proteins and can block viral replication. As a result, mice lacking the IFIT1 protein are much more susceptible to infection by certain viruses. The team concludes that IFIT1 is therefore a key component of a cell’s virus-recognition and virus-neutralization machinery.

Due to the importance of the findings the paper became

•    THE TOP DOWNLOADED paper at the Nature Immunology site
•    ARTICLE OF THE MONTH in Nature Immunology
•    gained FREE ACCESS status
•    accompanying news and views by Dr. Veit Hornung plus
•    Nature Review in Immunology

Download Nature Immunology Paper

Download CeMM Press Release English
Download CeMM Press Release German
CeMM Director Giulio Superti-Furga and first author Andreas Pichlmair, jpg c CeMM/Leitner
Download Video

May 25, 2011
2nd Constantin Spiegelfeld Lecture

Around 150 guests, among them scientists as well as many interested lay people, attended CeMM´s second Constantin Spiegelfeld lecture, held by Dr. Greg C. Simon, Senior Vice President for Patient Engagement at Pfizer, Inc. His talk, “How Patient Engagement Can Improve Health, Happiness and Productivity for Patients and Companies”, focused on a new approach to medical research and therapy development. Greg C. Simon takes a stand for an intense involvement of patients and their “passion capital” to shorten the cycle from detecting efficient drugs to their application in cures. Those who are going to use the drugs should play a central role in the development of effective treatments. He voiced criticism on the positivistic approach to medical science and advocated for a need of rethinking in politics and society. The talk was followed by a lively panel and forum discussion and a cocktail reception on the CeMM terrace.
(picture gallery)

P. Halwachs, Gf LISA VR, ZIT, J. Wojta, MedUni CTR, G. Casari, CeMM, C. Aufricht, MedUni CTR, P. Schintlmeister, BMWFJ, J. Sarx, Gf LISA VR, AWS

May 5, 2011
LISA VR- Standortfest at CeMM
More than 130 Researchers and Austrian Biotechnology Company representatives had followed the invitation by LISA VR (LIfe Science Austria – Vienna Region ) to get introduced to CeMM and the neighboring institution, the CTR of the MUW with presentations and guided tours through the new research building. A successive networking event triggered lively discussions until late night.

picture gallery
For more info about LISA VR see also: http://www.lisavr.at/siteLayout.php?language=english

May 3, 2011
5th CeMM Karl Landsteiner Lecture
Prof. Dr. George Q. Daley, M.D. a world-leader in the field of stem cells, hematology and oncology, was the guest speaker of the 5th CeMM Karl Landsteiner Lecture, on May 2nd, 2011, in the festive hall of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Around 300 scientists and interested lay people attended his seminar, “Stem cells and regenerative medicine: breakthroughs and battles”. The event was framed by inspiring music and a cocktail reception. We would like to thank Prof. Dr. George Q. Daley for a brilliant talk and his insight into relevant research themes of future medicine and possible new treatments. We would also like to thank Prof. Jan G. Jiracek von Arnim for his wonderful performance of Franz Liszt´s Hungarian Rhapsody no. 13 in a-moll.
picture gallery
comment to media coverage in Der Standard

May 5, 2011
New insight into genetic changes acquired in MPN
Recent research in the group of CeMM PI Robert Kralovics gave new insight into genetic changes acquired in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Myeloproliferative neoplasms are a group of blood disorders characterized with overproduction of blood cells. The disease course of MPN is generally chronic but a proportion of patients show disease progression finally leading to the development of an acute myeloid leukemia. The group investigated the whole genome of 398 MPN patients. They identified 25 regions in the genome that are frequently affected in these patients. Patients that showed disease progression were especially prone to acquire chromosomal aberrations. Two novel tumor suppressor genes were identified to play a role in the disease. The data give insight into the genetic complexity of MPN.

The work was published in Blood online on 29.4.2011
bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/early/recent
download pdf

March, 2011
1^st Austrodrugs Conference on March 31, 13:00 – 20:00
Organizers: Stefan Kubicek, Christina Glöckel (MedUni Wien), Giulio Superti-Furga
An open speed-dating of Austrian industry and academia groups working on the generation, identification and characterization of bioactive small molecule compounds and approaches useful for drug discovery, chemical biology and mechanism of action studies.
Austrodrugs Poster
Austrodrugs Program

Dr. Beatrix Karl, Prof. Giulio Superti-Furga, Dr. Andreas Mailath-Pokorny, Prof. Helmut Denk

March 16, 2011
Ceremonial inauguration of the CeMM research building
CeMM is grateful to Federal Minister Dr. Beatrix Karl, Vienna's City Counsellor for Culture and Science, Dr. Andreas Mailath-Pokorny and Prof. Dr. Helmut Denk, President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences who officially opened the new CeMM research building on March 16, 2011. About 140 ceremony guests, amongst them Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schütz, Rector of the Medical University, Prof. Dr. Reinhard Krepler Medical Director of AKH, Prof. Dr. Carl-Henrik Heldin, director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Uppsala and member of the CeMM Scientific Advisory Board as well as Prof. Dr. Alexander van der Bellen, member of the National Council and Vienna´s special commissioner for University matters. Opera singer Lars Woldt made a surprise appearance in lab coat as quack doctor Dulcamara (from L'elisir d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti) challenging molecular medicine and triggering the reply address of CeMM scientific director Prof. Dr. Giulio Superti-Furga. The event also featured a dancing choir and a big band consisting of CeMM students and postdocs. CeMM thanks all guests and participants, who made the ceremonial inauguration and the following party a memorable event.
picture gallery

Prof. Helmut Denk, Prof. Carl-Hendrik Heldin, Prof. Giulio Superti-Furga, Prof. Wolfgang Schütz

New CeMM building as a result of a remarkable cooperation
During a press conference in the morning the strong collaboration between the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Medical University of Vienna and CeMM was confirmed by Scientific Advisory Board member Carl-Hendrik Heldin.
(download press release German)

March 8,2011
Life Sciences - Art Sciences - Life Art
In December 2010, CeMM initiated an unusual interdisciplinary project: a platform for artists and scientists to exchange ideas and experiences. As a kick-off, seven artists and seven scientists met to question similarities and differences between the artists’ and scientists’ approaches to their daily work, to the inventive process and the charting of unknown territories. The first evening resulted in the identification of many common interests, interest in pursuing common projects as well as some interesting pictures. What followed in the second phase were seven one-to-one meetings of artist-scientist pairs resulting in a variety of talks and small adventures (Giulio Superti-Furga and Martin Walde, Peter Kogler and Renée Schroeder, Julius Brennecke and Zenita Komad, Brigitte Kowanz and Josef Penninger). The proceedings of the meetings are published in the March issue of the magazine Wien live. The project is part of the initiative aimed at installing at a “Science and Society Workshop/Office” at CeMM.
download Wien live

Febuary 28; 2011
Eva Luise Köhler prize goes to a team of researchers including CeMM Principal Investigator Kaan Boztug

On February 28th, 2011 CeMM Principal Investigator Kaan Boztug was honoured with the “Eva Luise and Horst Köhler Research Prize for Rare Diseases”. He received the highly renowned award jointly with an interdisciplinary research team including Christoph Klein (Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology), Christopher Baum (Department of Experimental Hematology; both from Hannover Medical School, Germany) and Christof von Kalle (NCT Heidelberg, Germany). Kaan Boztug was successful in research on and development of targeted treatment for children suffering from Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome. The aim of the prize is to promote projects contributing to better diagnostics, prevention and treatment in the field of rare diseases. The prize was awarded during a ceremony in Berlin attended by various public figures including Horst Köhler, Federal President ret. http://www.evaluiseundhorstkoehlerstiftung.de/, http://www.achse-online.de/

February 20, 2011
THE 2011 CEMM PHD PROGRAM
For our next PhD Program starting in October 2011, we are looking for 10 exceptionally motivated PhD candidates with a keen interest in genomics and medicine and a strong interest to work in teams. EXTENDED Deadline for applications: March 31, 2011
Download announcement

February 3, 2011
Important role of p53 pathway lesions in leukemic transformation discovered
The research group of Robert Kralovics at CeMM, studying patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (a type of chronic leukemia), identified frequent defects in the p53 pathway. These defects were found mainly in patients who transformed from chronic phase of the disease to secondary acute myeloid leukemia that has poor prognosis. The study was done in collaboration with University of Pavia, Italy. The mutations in p53 gene (TP53) and the amplifications of MDM4 gene were identified through DNA sequencing and high-resolution microarrays analysis. TP53 is one of the best studied tumor suppressors, while Mdm4 is a negative regulator of p53. More importantly, p53 pathway lesions are already present in the chronic phase of the disease, suggesting that they can serve as predictive markers for leukemic transformation. The study is published in February 3, 2011 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine: p53 lesions in leukemic transformation. Ashot Harutyunyan (CeMM), Thorsten Klampfl (CeMM), Mario Cazzola (University of Pavia), Robert Kralovics (CeMM).
Link to article: http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMc1012718
Download article

January 28th, 2011
Initial characterization of the human central proteome
The research groups of Giulio Superti-Furga, Keiryn Bennett, and Jacques Colinge at CeMM have provided the first description of the repertoire of proteins widely expressed in human cells through an unbiased proteomics approach. These more than 1100 proteins are involved in fundamental metabolic processes and form a robust ensemble highly connected across the human interactome. Bioinformatic analysis shows among other results that the central proteome has gained increased regulatory flexibility through alternative splicing to adapt to multiple environments. Collaborators at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics have used this large dataset to annotate more than 4300 proteins of the UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot database. The study has been published in BMC Systems Biology.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1752-0509/5/17

January 10, 2011
CD14/TLR2 as an essential receptor complex for PVL-induced lung inflammation identified
Scientists led by Sylvia Knapp at CeMM and the Department of Medicine 1 at the Medical University Vienna uncovered the molecular mechanisms underlying the proinflammatory role of a clinically important bacterial toxin, called Panton Valentine Leukocidin. These findings discovered a previously unknown property of this toxin and illustrate that Toll-like receptor 2 and CD14 are required for this inflammatory response. The results are published in the Journal of Immunology (advance online publication). Zivkovic et al. ‘Toll-like receptor 2 and CD14 mediate innate immunity and lung inflammation to Staphylococcal Panton Valentine Leukocidin in vivo’ (http://www.jimmunol.org/content/early/2010/12/22/jimmunol.1001665.long)

November 26, 2010
Baumann et al. CD14 is a coreceptor of Toll-like receptors 7 and 9
New innate immunity mechanism against viruses discovered at CeMM

The research groups of Giulio Superti-Furga and Sylvia Knapp from the Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM) in Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna, Austria announce the discovery of a novel mechanism in the recognition of viruses by immune cells. The study appeared in the online advanced publication route of the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

(more information)
(link to article)
(link to press release)

November 10, 2010
Proteomic investigation of aqueous humour from cataract patients
Scientists in the laboratories of Professor Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth from the Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, and Keiryn Bennett, from the Mass Spectrometry Department at CeMM have qualitatively and quantitatively investigated the aqueous humour from patients that have undergone surgery for cataract removal. Approximately 200 unique proteins were identified from a total of 10 patients via combined proteomic approaches.
Published online in The Journal of Proteomics: Bennett et al. Proteomic Analysis of Human Cataract Aqueous Humour: Comparison of One-dimensional Gel LCMS with Two-dimensional LCMS of Unlabelled and iTRAQ®-labelled Specimens.
Link to article

: George Poste

November, 2010
Constantin Spiegelfeld Lecture
On November 8, 2010 the 1st Constantin Spiegelfeld Lecture, with the renowned scientist and health manager George Poste, Arizona State University, took place at CeMM. His lecture "Genomics, Demographics, Epidemics, Economics and Ethics: The Complex Forces Shaping Therapeutic Innovation and Investment" enlightened present and prospective aspects of the world medical research landscape as well as the global challenges of our health system. Around 150 interested parties attended, among them many interested non-experts as well as physicians, scientists, sociologists and artists. The lecture, co-managed by CeMM PhD students , was followed by an exciting panel discussion. The Spiegelfeld family, who attended and financially enabled the lecture, endorsed the event, as well as future lectures of the series, as important contributions to an increased awareness on the challenges of modern therapy and health management.

Presentation

Picture Gallery

Dr. George Poste,
is Chief Scientist, Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative (CASI) (http://www.casi.asu.edu) and Del E. Webb Professor of Health Innovation at Arizona State University (ASU). He assumed this post in 2009. From 2003 to 2009 he directed and built the Biodesign Institute at ASU (http://www.biodesign.asu.edu/). In addition to his academic post he serves on the Board of Directors of Monsanto, Exelixis , Caris Life Sciences and the Scientific Advisory Board of Synthetic Genomics. From 1992 to 1999 he was Chief Science and Technology Officer and President, R&D of SmithKline Beecham (SB). During his tenure at SB he was associated with the successful registration of 31 drug, vaccine and diagnostic products. In 2004 he was named as ‘R&D Scientist of the Year’ by R&D Magazine, in 2006 he received the Einstein award from the Global Business Leadership Council and in 2009 received the Scrip Lifetime Achievement award voted by the leadership of the global pharmaceutical industry.

He has published over 350 research papers and edited 14 books on pharmaceutical technologies and oncology. He has received honorary degrees in science, law and medicine for his research contributions and was honored in 1999 by HM Queen Elizabeth II as a Commander of the British Empire for his contributions to international security.

He is a Fellow of the UK Royal Society, the Royal College of Pathologists and the UK Academy of Medicine, a Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, a member of the Council for Foreign Relations and the US Institute of Medicine Forum on Microbial Threats. He also serves on several US government panels related to biosecurity and national competitiveness.

September 2010
Federal Minister Dr. Beatrix Karl visited CeMM on Tuesday, September 7th. CeMM was honored by the visit of Federal Minister for Science and Research Dr. Beatrix Karl who came ahead of the official grand opening with representatives of her team and prominent members of the Ministry, among whom Director General Mag. Barbara Weitgruber, to see the new building and hear about CeMM’s exciting research plans. Together with the CeMM Team, Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga reported on progress and presented the strategic outlook. Visitors took the opportunity to review the excellent facilities of the new CeMM-Building. Minister Karl inaugurated the PLACEBO Laboratory (Platform Austria for Chemical Biology, supported by the Ministry’s GEN-AU program), which is part of the EU OPENSCREEN project and an important step to enable identification of molecular tools for the investigation of diseases and new therapeutic options. The visitors also admired the new state-of-the-art mass spectrometry laboratories. In the interesting discussions between representatives of the Ministry and CeMM Faculty there was a consensual view about the importance of CeMM’s aim to bride basic research and the new individual and patient-oriented medicine of the future.

August, 2010
Bernd Binder, Professor at the Medical University of Vienna, Department Head of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis Research and one of the CeMM Founding members died prematurely on Saturday, 28th August of complications associated with cancer. Bernd Binder was a mentor and a role model for many colleagues and students at CeMM and around the world. His passion and dedication for innovative medically-oriented research and for teaching and training is legendary. We thank Bernd Binder for his professional and collegial support, also at critical times, and we will always miss the encouraging and inspiring conversations we were privileged to hold. We express our deepest condolences to his wife and children, especially to CeMM Principal Investigator Prof. Christoph Binder, who can count on our unconditional sympathy and support.

At CeMM we are positive about carrying on Bernd Binders' fearless investigative spirit and we will be yet more inspired to fight disease in his memory.

July, 2010
CeMM Research groups united at new premises
The moving of the CeMM labs to the new research building at the campus of the Medical University (MUW) at the General Hospital of Vienna (AKH) is well on track. The new postal address of all CeMM groups with immediate effect is

CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine
of the Austrian Academy of Sciences,
Lazarettgasse 14, AKH BT 25.3, A-1090 Vienna.

June 14, 2010
Immunomodulatory role of PTEN during bacterial pneumonia
Scientists working in the laboratory of Sylvia Knapp at CeMM and the Dept. of Internal Medicine 1, in close collaboration with Gernot Schabbauer from the Department of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis Research at the Medical University Vienna discovered a novel role for the tumor suppressor PTEN during pneumococcal pneumonia.
Published online in The Journal of Immunology: Schabbauer et al. Myeloid PTEN Promotes Inflammation but Impairs Bactericidal Activities during Murine Pneumococcal Pneumonia.
Link to article

June 9, 2010
CeMM had the honor to welcome The President of Austria Dr. Heinz Fischer and his wife Margit Fischer to present the research activities that will be focused on in the new CeMM building, a few weeks ahead of moving. On that occasion the President inaugurated the plaque acknowledging the sponsors of the art facade by Peter Kogler in front of the new CeMM building. It was a very joyful and highly memorable event and an exceptional additional motivating boost as CeMM starts operating in its new research environment.

Visitors and CeMM members in front of the new CeMM building
Architect Ing. Ernst Kopper, CeMM Director Prof. Dr. Giulio Superti-Furga, Artist Peter Kogler, Margit Fischer and President Dr. Heinz Fischer inaugurating the plaque acknowledging the sponsors of the art facade

President Dr. Heinz Fischer and CeMM members on the terrace of the new building

May 27, 2010
Novel tumor suppressor gene defect discovered in myeloproliferative neoplasms
The research team around Robert Kralovics at CeMM discovered a novel genetic defect playing an important role in the chronic blood disorder called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). In cooperation with clinicians from the Medical University of Vienna (Department for Internal Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Blood Coagulation) and the University of Pavia, Italy, Kralovics and his team identified the well-known hematopoietic transcription factor “Ikaros” to be involved in the process of leukemic transformation of chronic phase MPN patients. Post-MPN leukemia is a life threatening complication in MPN characterized by an aggressive course and resistance to therapy. Further characterization of aberrant Ikaros gene function revealed a downstream cooperation of Ikaros with mutations in the JAK2 gene, the most prominent genetic lesion described in MPN.
Published on-line in the journal Leukemia: Jäger et al. “Deletions of the Transcription Factor Ikaros in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms”.
Link to article

May 7, 2010
Cell Paper: “Peroxisomes Are Signaling Platforms for Antiviral Innate Immunity” by Evelyn Dixit, member of CeMM’s Director’s group, and Prof. Jonathan C. Kagan, groupleader at the Division of Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School. Evelyn Dixit visited Prof. Kagan’s laboratory as part of a collaboration exchange within the MUV/CeMM PhD program CCHD - Cell Communication in Health and Disease, sponsored by the FWF.
Link to article

May 1, 2010
For our next PhD Program starting in October 2010, we are looking for exceptionally motivated PhD candidates with a keen interest in genomics and medicine and a strong interest to work in teams. Deadline for Applications: May 31, 2010
More Information

April 27, 2010
The 4th CeMM Karl Landsteiner Lecture took place in the festive hall of the Austrian Academy of Sciences on the evening of April 26. Dr. Helen Hobbs, Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas, gave a seminar about “Genes versus Fast Food: Eat, Drink and be Wary” in front of some 250 scientists and interested lay persons. The event was framed by inspiring music and a cocktail reception. We would like to thank Dr. Helen Hobbs for a brilliant talk and Benedikt Hellsberg, a 16-year-old cellist, for his wonderful performance.

February 23, 2010
The scientific and artistic community gathers with sponsors and Minister Karl to celebrate the new landmark facade
On Tuesday evening, some 200 people gathered in a tent at the feet of the new CeMM building to celebrate the inauguration of the new 400 m2 glass facade by artist Peter Kogler. Following the welcome addresses of CeMM scientific director Giulio Superti-Furga and Peter Kogler, a speech by the federal minister of science and research, Dr. Beatrix Karl, hailed the importance of basic research for medicine and innovation, stressed the pivotal role of CeMM on the medical campus and congratulated for the successful bringing together of art and science. The private sponsors and prominent guests cheered to the new facade when spotlights illuminated the artwork on the building by architect Ernst Kopper. Among the well-wishers CeMM were the Rector of the MUW Prof. Wolfgang Schütz, AKH Director Prof. Reinhard Krepler, former presidents of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Werner Welzig and Prof. Herbert Mang, the newly-elected president of the ERC Prof. Helga Nowotny, numerous architects, museum directors and artists, including Anna Jermolaewa, Herwig Kempinger, Hans Kupelwieser as well too many research partners and friends to be all mentioned. The event was an extremely successful testimonial for cross-cultural integration and a celebration of the creative impetus common to art and science.

CeMM Direktor Giulio Superti-Furga, Bundesministerin Dr. Beatrix Karl, Künstler Peter Kogler

February 23, 2010
CeMM‘s art facade has been presented to the media today
during a press conference at the feet of the new CeMM building. The renowned artist Peter Kogler has created a very large glass abstract artwork covering the entire front facade of the new CeMM building inspired by molecular and cellular networks studied at CeMM and symbolizing a new transparent partnership between medical research and society. The work, accessible to thousands of daily hospital visitors, patients, workers and students is likely to become a city landmark. CeMM is especially grateful to the 50 individual sponsors that root the initiative into a large and varied basis of supporters of art and scientific research. The art project also embodies the strong will of the Ministry of Science and Research, the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Medical University of Vienna and the Vienna General Hospital in making CeMM the focus of a new collaboration paradigm for medical research.
Press Release and Photos

Architekt Ernst Kopper, CeMM Direktor Giulio Superti-Furga, Künstler Peter Kogler

December 16, 2009
Experimental cancer therapy with digitalis-like drugs
under question
In a study published in the journal Plos ONE, Sebastian Nijman and his team, together with the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the Medical University Vienna challenge the experimental use of cardiac glycosides in cancer patients.
Link to Press Release

November 23, 2009
ERC Advanced Investigator Grant awarded to
Giulio Superti-Furga
Giulio Superti-Furga, CeMM Director, received the prestigious grant awarded by the European Research Council (ERC). The program targets established research leaders and innovative, interdisciplinary and pioneering research projects. An international review panel appoints this grant based on scientific excellence of the principal investigator and scientific quality of the research proposal. With the 2 Mio. € support, Giulio Superti-Furga and his team will study the body’s immediate reaction to infections within the overall CeMM goal to bridge basic molecular biology and applied medicine.
Link to Press Release

November 6, 2009
Karl Landsteiner-Prize awarded to Giulio-Superti-Furga
Prof. Giulio Superti-Furga, Scientific Director and CEO of the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM), was awarded the Karl Landsteiner-Prize by the Austrian Society of Allergology and Immunology (ÖGAI) for his paper "An orthogonal proteomic-genomic screen identifies AIM2 as a cytoplasmic DNA sensor for the inflammasome" Nat.Immunol.(2009) 10:266-272. At the same occasion in Salzburg, Prof. Superti-Furga congratulated Prof. Dr. Georg Stingl, secretary of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, who had received the prestigious Karl Landsteiner-Medal.

Prof. Dr. Giulio Superti-Furga (r.) and Prof. Dr. Georg Stingl in Salzburg.

October 27, 2009
A biomedical adventurers’ guide to navigating between careers in academia and industry
A perspective by Giulio Superti-Furga.
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology Perspective

October 12, 2009
“Wiener Zukunftspreis 2009” of the City of Vienna awarded to Sebastian Nijman
Sebastian Nijman, principal investigator at the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Science (CeMM), was awarded the “Wiener Zukunftspreis” of the City of Vienna in the category “Newcomer & Start-ups” for his project “Searching for cancer Achilles’ heels“. The award was presented in collaboration with NEWS media and sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim.

Dr. Michael Häupl (r.), Mayor of the City of Vienna, offers his congratiulations to CeMM PI and award winner Sebastian Nijman.

October 3, 2009
Willhelm-Türk-Award of the Austrian Society for Hematology and Oncology awarded to Damla Olcaydu
Damla Olcaydu, Medical Doctor and Pre Doctoral Fellow at the Research Center of Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Science (CeMM) and at the Medical University of Vienna (MUV) was awarded the William-Türk-Preis of the Austrian Society for Hematology and Oncology (OeGHO) for her publication "A common JAK2 haplotype confers susceptibility to myeloproliferative neoplasms“.
More Information

Award winner Damla Olcaydu at work in the CeMM Laboratory (PI Robert Kralovics).

September 23, 2009
Innovative experimental therapy for acute lung injury and secondary pneumonia discovered
A research team led by Sylvia Knapp at CeMM, in cooperation with the Departments of Medicine I, Dermatology, Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics and Pathology of the Medical University of Vienna, discovered a novel therapeutic approach to attenuate acute lung injury and improve outcome during secondary pneumonia. These findings are significant as they push us one step closer in preventing pneumonia in intensive care patients. Our results are published in the advance online publication of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine: Matt et al. B{beta}15-42 Protects Against Acid-Induced Acute Lung Injury and Secondary Pseudomonas Pneumonia In Vivo.
Link to Article

September 1, 2009
Christoph Binder appointed as Professor for Atherosclerosis Research
Today CeMM Principal Investigator Christoph Binder has been appointed as Junior Professor for Atherosclerosis Research at the Medical University of Vienna (MUV). Christoph Binder is a member of CeMM’s faculty and holds a joint PI position between CeMM and the MUV as part of a tight cooperation between the organizations. CeMM is proud about this recognition of his achievements and congratulates the new Junior Professor.
Download Biosketch

July 17, 2009
Important Pneumonia Defense Mechanism Uncovered
A team of scientists around Sylvia Knapp at the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM) in cooperation with the Departments of Medicine I and Pathology of the Medical University of Vienna for the first time uncovered a beneficial pneumonia immune defense mechanism involving the receptor TREM-1, a potent amplifier of the inflammatory response to microbial infections.
Published online this week in The Journal of Immunology: TREM-1 Activation Alters the Dynamics of Pulmonary IRAK-M Expression In Vivo and Improves Host Defense during Pneumococcal Pneumonia by Heimo Lagler, Omar Sharif et al.
Download article in The Journal of Immunology

July 6, 2009
We are looking for Principal Investigators to start during 2010/2011 in the new purpose-made research building in the middle of Vienna’s medical campus. Extended application deadline: September 4, 2009 Further information under 'Open Positions'
Download Announcement

June 2, 2009
Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy, Knight Officer, awarded to Giulio Superti-Furga: We congratulate CeMM Director Superti-Furga who received the decoration by H.E. Dr. Massimo Spinetti, Italian Ambassador to Austria, in recognition of his achievements as outstanding representative in the scientific and academic field of Austria.

May 28, 2009
Macro non-coding RNAs
Two review articles on macro non-coding RNAs and their role in genomic imprinting and imprinted gene expression published by Denise Barlow and members of her research group at CeMM.
See article RNA Biology
Download article in Development

May 5, 2009
This year’s CeMM Karl Landsteiner was given by Dr. Vishva Dixit, Vice President of Research, Genentech Inc. San Francisco. The lecture was held in the early evening of May 4 in the festive hall of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Former Landsteiner Lecturers:
2008 - Kári Stefánsson, deCode genetics, IS
2007 - John Kuriyan, UC Berkeley, USA
Download Poster Vishva Dixit

April 29, 2009
Annual Report 2008: Read our second research report! 2008 has been another very important year in this center’s young life.
Please Download PDF or contact Anita Ender aender@cemm.oeaw.ac.at for a printed version.
Download Annual Report 2008 (PDF, 10.4 Mb)

April 13, 2009
Unknown Leukemia Protein Complex Identified
Scientists at the Director’s Group of CeMM for the first time mapped the precise molecular network of the oncogene Bcr-Abl. Bcr-Abl is a paradigmatic drug target in chronic myeloid leukemia. The results appeared as an advanced online publication in PNAS (The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America): Charting the molecular network of the drug target Bcr-Abl by Marc Brehme, Oliver Hantschel et al.
Download PNAS paper
Download press release, English
Download press release, German
Further information (photo, CV) under 'Downloads'

April 13, 2009
Fundamental property of natural antibodies detected
A team led by Christoph Binder at CeMM and the Department of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics (KIMCL) of the Medical University Vienna has discovered a hitherto unrecognized property for about a third of all natural antibodies. This finding points to an important function of the antibodies in numerous chronic inflammatory diseases including cardiovascular diseases. In the future, these results could be exploited for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Published online in JCI (The Journal of Clinical Investigation): Oxidation-specific epitopes are dominant targets of innate natural antibodies in mice and humans by Meng-Yun Cho et al.
Download JCI paper
Download press release, English
Download press release, German
Further information (photo, CV) under 'Downloads'

March 24, 2009
Topping-out ceremony for new CeMM building
Today CeMM celebrated the completion of the framework for its new building, which is located at the very heart of the Vienna General Hospital (AKH) and Medical University (MUW) campus. Johannes Hahn, Minister for Science and Research, took part in the ceremony and underlined the importance of CeMM for biomedical research in Austria. The whole project is on schedule, with the envisaged date of relocation in early 2010.
Download press release, German
Download photo (minister Hahn with CeMM principal investigators and directors, © Michael Sazel)
More information about the building (noch verlinken)

March 15, 2009
CeMM Identifies Inherited Susceptibility for a Blood Malignancy In cooperation with the Medical University of Vienna, CeMM scientists show that a common gene variant increases the risk of developing a certain type of blood malignancy. This is the first time in cancer research that a gene variant is found to preferentially acquire a disease-causing mutation. The results appeared in the online publication route of the journal Nature Genetics on Sunday, 15 March 2009: A common JAK2 haplotype confers susceptibility to myeloproliferative neoplasms. Damla Olcaydu (CeMM), Ashot Harutyunyan (CeMM), Roland Jäger (CeMM), Tiina Berg (CeMM), Bettina Gisslinger (MUW), Ingrid Pabinger (MUW), Heinz Gisslinger (MUW), Robert Kralovics (CeMM). Nature Genetics. DOI 10.1038/ng.341.
Download Nature Genetics paper
Download press release, English
Download press release, German
Further information (photo, CV) under 'Downloads'

March 3, 2009
Advance notice – CeMM Karl Landsteiner Lecture, 4 May 2009: This year's speaker at the CeMM Karl Landsteiner Lecture will be Vishva Dixit, Vice President Physiological Chemistry at Genentech. The US biotech company is considered by many to be the founder of the biotechnology industry.
http://www.gene.com/gene/about/corporate/history/
More than 30 years after its creation, Genentech is one of the leading biotech businesses in the world. The Lecture will be held at the premises of the Academy of Sciences and will begin at 6.30pm. The exact topic will be announced along with the official program.
For further information please contact aender@cemm.oeaw.ac.at.

February 26, 2009
Paper in Scientific Journal BMC Structural Biology: Jonathan A Winger (UC Berkeley), Oliver Hantschel (CeMM), Giulio Superti-Furga (CeMM), John Kuriyan (UC Berkeley). The structure of the leukemia drug imatinib bound to human quinone reductase 2 (NQO2). BMC Structural Biology 2009, 9:7doi:10.1186/1472-6807-9-7. 24 February 2009
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February 24, 2009
Upcoming CeMMinars
Ben Ebert from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute will be the next speaker of the CeMM seminar series on 23 March 2009. Ebert is interested in using genomic technologies to study hematopoietic malignancies and red blood cell production. For more information:
http://www.hsci.harvard.edu/pri-fac-profile/1624
Please find attached the schedule of the upcoming CeMMinars until September 2009.
Download CeMMinar schedule

February 20, 2009
New CeMM Administrative Director
Georg Casari joins CeMM as new Administrative Director. He complements the existing CeMM management team with Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga and Managing Director Gerhard Schadler.
Download CV Georg Casari

February 9, 2009
CeMM PI Robert Kralovics wins MPD grant
CeMM Principal Investigator Robert Kralovics won the New Investigator Grant of the American MPD Foundation. Robert Kralovics receives the grant together with researchers from the University of California, the Saint Antoine Hospital (France) and the University of Chicago. The scientists have been chosen because of their dedication to MPD research, the quality of the submitted research proposal and in part for their willingness to collaborate with other researchers. MPDs (Myeloproliferative Disorders) are a closely related group of hematological malignancies in which the bone marrow cells that produce the body's blood cells develop and function abnormally.
For more information:
http://www.mpdfoundation.org/2009GrantAnnouncement.php5

February 6, 2009
Paper in scientific journal Development: Paulina A. Latos, Stefan H. Stricker, Laura Steenpass, Florian M. Pauler (CeMM), Ru Huang (CeMM), Basak H. Senergin (CeMM), Kakkad Regha, Martha V. Koerner (CeMM), Katarzyna E. Warczok (CeMM), Christine Unger and Denise P. Barlow (CeMM). An in vitro ES cell imprinting model shows that imprinted expression of the Igf2r gene arises from an allele-specific expression bias. Development 136, 437-448 (2009) doi:10.1242/dev.032060
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February 5, 2009
Petition to the Austrian Government
The Austrian government plans to severely cut the budget for research. If these plans become reality they are a serious threat for the future of research and innovation in the country. We therefore urgently ask you to sign the attached petition. You simply have to write your name into an online from that you find on:
http://www.imba.oeaw.ac.at/forschung-ist-zukunft
The petition and the list of supporters will be handed over to the government.
Download Petition (PDF, English)
Download Petition (PDF, German)

January 26, 2009
Press Conference: Top scientists worry about possible cuts in the government’s budget for research
CeMM Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga and his colleagues Josef Penninger (IMBA), Rainer Blatt (IQOQI) and Anton Zeilinger (IQOQI) are worried about possible cuts in the funding of basic research by the new government in Austria. In a press conference they explained that such a policy deters top-scientists from coming to Austria, unsettles young researchers and has negative economic consequences for the entire country. The scientists might be forced to stop some of their most promising projects.
Download Press Release, German

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