CeMM

CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences At the center of CeMM’s interest are patients and associated diseases.

CeMM integrates basic research and clinical expertise to pursue innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches focused on cancer, inflammation and immune disorders.

What a great with Ivaylo Ivanov from Columbia University today at CeMM, hosted by our Scientific Director Maria Rescig...
09/04/2026

What a great with Ivaylo Ivanov from Columbia University today at CeMM, hosted by our Scientific Director Maria Rescigno and PI Clarissa Campbell.

Ivanov’s lab studies how immune responses to commensal bacteria influence host physiology. In his talk, “Adaptive Immunity at the Host–Microbiota Interface,” he described their work on commensal-specific Th17 cells in regulating mucosal homeostasis and systemic metabolic disease. He highlighted the coordinated roles of intestinal epithelial cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages, revealing a division of labor between dendritic cells and macrophages in shaping commensal-specific immunity and protective mucosal T cell responses.

Ivaylo Ivanov is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, where he heads the Laboratory for Mucosal Immunology. His research has been instrumental in defining how the microbiota interact with intestinal epithelial cells and regulate mucosal T cell differentiation and function. More recently, his group has also uncovered how interactions between diet, microbiota, and mucosal immunity can influence systemic diseases such as obesity.

Thank you, Ivaylo, for an insightful seminar on the complex dialogue between microbes and the immune system!

📸 Barbara Bachmann / CeMM

Congratulations to Lukas Englmaier, from the group of CeMM Adjunct PI Andreas Villunger (MedUni Innsbruck), who successf...
08/04/2026

Congratulations to Lukas Englmaier, from the group of CeMM Adjunct PI Andreas Villunger (MedUni Innsbruck), who successfully defended today his PhD thesis entitled "tRNA thiolation defects disrupt cellular proteostasis and tissue homeostasis in mammals".

During his PhD studies, Lukas investigated how the loss of a single sulfur atom on tRNA molecules (the cell's molecular messengers) can disrupt protein synthesis and cause DREAM-PL syndrome, a severe congenital disorder. Using both patient cells and a newly developed mouse model, his research revealed that this tRNA modification is required for the proper formation of primary cilia, providing a molecular explanation for the disease observed in patients.

Your colleagues and friends at CeMM are proud of you, Lukas. Well done! 🎉👏

📸 Wolfgang Däuble / CeMM

🚀 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 #𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗥𝗼𝘄𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 #𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱!We kick off by fe...
07/04/2026

🚀 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 #𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗥𝗼𝘄𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 #𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱!

We kick off by featuring CeMM research groups working on drug discovery:

🧬 Purines are important building blocks of DNA and RNA. In collaboration with the University of Oxford, CeMM PI Stefan Kubicek's group uncovered an unexpected regulatory role for the protein NUDT5 beyond its enzymatic activity.

"Our work reveals a completely different role—it acts as a structural regulator that determines whether the cell keeps producing purines or not," Kubicek reflected during their discussion at Vienna's English Theatre. Their results are relevant to cancer therapy and genetic disorders.

👉 https://bit.ly/3QbMITK

🔬 Solute carriers (SLCs) are the largest family of membrane transporters and control how cells exchange nutrients and metabolites. In 2025, CeMM Founding Director Giulio Superti-Furga's group and collaborators provided the first comprehensive functional landscape of SLCs and one of the largest systematic annotations of gene function ever undertaken.

At the 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯, Superti-Furga discussed their therapeutic potential, given that half of all SLCs are linked to human disease, including neurological diseases, diabetes, and cancer: “If we can understand the regulation of access to nutrients, building blocks, vitamins, and ions, then we can modulate disease, because if metabolism can be modulated, then there is no disease that cannot be modulated.”

👉 https://bit.ly/3O9lwVb

💊 Many disease-causing proteins remain difficult to target with conventional drugs. CeMM Adjunct PI Georg Winter (AITHYRA) studies new strategies to eliminate such proteins through targeted protein degradation. Recently, his group discovered that certain inhibitors can unexpectedly trigger the natural destruction of their targets inside the cell.

"Instead of finding artificial routes to trash unwanted proteins, we can ask what the cell already sees as trash, then identify drugs that make the protein resemble that," Winter explained during their discussion at the 𝘙𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 (Musicalvienna (VBW)). These findings open new possibilities for drug design by harnessing the cell’s own degradation machinery.

👉 https://bit.ly/3O9lwo9

📸 Klaus Pichler / CeMM

Spring is starting to bloom and the Easter holidays bring us an opportunity to pause, reflect, and recharge. This season...
02/04/2026

Spring is starting to bloom and the Easter holidays bring us an opportunity to pause, reflect, and recharge. This season symbolizes renewal and fresh perspectives, perfect for sparking creativity, new ideas, and inspiration for our research projects.

As part of a long-established tradition at CeMM, our community enjoyed the traditional “Pinze” today, a sweet specialty that Austrians cherish during this time of the year.

Wishing everyone a joyful and restful Easter break! 🐰💐

🦠 Recent research shows that tumors across different organs harbor microbial communities that can influence cancer biolo...
02/04/2026

🦠 Recent research shows that tumors across different organs harbor microbial communities that can influence cancer biology, immune responses, and therapeutic efficacy, highlighting the need to standardize methods for studying intratumoral microbes.

An international consensus article in 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘭, co-led by CeMM Scientific Director Maria Rescigno, synthesizes the available evidence, addresses key methodological challenges, and outlines shared standards for more reliable and reproducible detection of tumor-associated microbes. A step toward translating microbiota insights into practical strategies for better cancer care.

➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/3NQ2Jy7
📄 Article: https://bit.ly/4sV0F79

This week, and welcomed 30 PhD candidates to our institutes. Being among the top candidates, out of a pool of more t...
01/04/2026

This week, and welcomed 30 PhD candidates to our institutes. Being among the top candidates, out of a pool of more than 1200 applicants, is already a big success, and we highly appreciate the level of qualifications and excellence among the students. The program brought together candidate presentations, in-depth scientific discussions, one-on-one interviews with faculty, and interactions with group members and PhD representatives.

It is great to see such a high level of engagement and interest in Molecular Medicine and and Artificial Intelligence. It was a pleasure to connect with a diverse and talented cohort of early-career scientists.

Many thanks to the candidates, and to everyone who contributed to organizing and supporting the recruitment days.

🎉𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗲...
01/04/2026

🎉𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 (𝗘𝗣 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗠𝗲𝗱) 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹!

His three-year project, PharmocogenOmics for minimized Risk and better Efficacy in Children on high-dose Steroid Treatment (PhORECaST), aims to improve the use of high-dose glucocorticoids. While this therapy is widely used for acute immune-mediated diseases in children, treatment responses vary greatly, and clinicians currently lack reliable tools to predict which patients will benefit or experience adverse effects.

By integrating clinical data with multi-omics approaches, the consortium seeks to identify molecular signatures that predict therapeutic response and toxicity, enabling more precise and evidence-based therapies.

At CeMM, Christoph Bock and his team will lead the epigenomic analysis of patient samples to investigate how glucocorticoid treatment affects gene regulation in immune cells.

🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/3NPGAzV

📸 Klaus Pichler / CeMM

27/03/2026

📢 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄!

What does a year of transition, discovery, and cultural dialogue in science look like? In our 2025 Research Report, we invite you to explore exactly that.

This edition captures a defining moment for CeMM: the closing of an important chapter under the leadership of Giulio Superti-Furga, the arrival of Maria Rescigno as Scientific Director, and the continued growth of our research and innovation ecosystem.

🎭 In 2025, we brought our science into Vienna’s iconic theaters and concert halls, spaces that have long shaped cultural life and public discourse. By bringing researchers and admin colleagues into these historic spaces, we emphasize the role of science as an integral part of society, alongside art, music, and literature.

🔬 Inside the report, you will find:
• Breakthrough discoveries published in Nature and Science
• Advances in cancer research and immunotherapy
• Large-scale collaborative projects shaping future drug discovery
• The people, ideas, and collaborations behind CeMM’s work

📖 Discover the full report ➡️ https://bit.ly/4deepF5

If you would like to receive a printed copy, register here ➡️ https://bit.ly/4vdaRtt

Over the coming weeks, we will take you behind the scenes, introducing the stories, the labs, and insights from last year's report. Stay tuned!

🎉 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿é 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 Österreichi...
26/03/2026

🎉 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿é 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)! 👏

The Young Academy is a key initiative of the ÖAW, bringing together up to 70 outstanding early-career researchers from across disciplines who are advancing innovative research areas, strengthening interdisciplinary exchange, and improving conditions for the next generation of scientists. This year, the ÖAW selected 29 female and 17 male researchers for admission. For the first time in its history, women now make up the majority among members under the age of 60.

Rendeiro’s election recognizes both his scientific achievements and his growing international impact. At CeMM, his research in spatial and computational biology integrates machine learning and AI with biomedical data to uncover how tissues are organized and how these structures influence aging and disease.

This recognition highlights the growing importance of interdisciplinary approaches in shaping the future of biomedical science and fostering new opportunities for collaboration across fields.

👉 Find out more about the Rendeiro group ▶️ https://bit.ly/3Pkm5vL

📸 Klaus Pichler / CeMM

🎉 Congratulations to CeMM Principal Investigator André Rendeiro on being elected to the Young Academy of the Österreichi...
26/03/2026

🎉 Congratulations to CeMM Principal Investigator André Rendeiro on being elected to the Young Academy of the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)! 👏

The Young Academy is a key initiative of the ÖAW, bringing together up to 70 outstanding early-career researchers from across disciplines who are advancing innovative research areas, strengthening interdisciplinary exchange, and improving conditions for the next generation of scientists. This year, the ÖAW selected 29 female and 17 male researchers for admission. For the first time in its history, women now make up the majority among members under the age of 60.

Rendeiro’s election recognizes both his scientific achievements and his growing international impact. At CeMM, his research in spatial and computational biology integrates machine learning and AI with biomedical data to uncover how tissues are organized and how these structures influence aging and disease.

This recognition highlights the growing importance of interdisciplinary approaches in shaping the future of biomedical science and fostering new opportunities for collaboration across fields.

👉 Find out more about the Rendeiro group ▶️ https://bit.ly/3Pkm5vL

📸 Klaus Pichler / CeMM

As draws to a close, we would like to spotlight another remarkable woman whose ideas and work have shaped science, med...
25/03/2026

As draws to a close, we would like to spotlight another remarkable woman whose ideas and work have shaped science, medicine, and society. Meet 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻, selected by the group of CeMM Principal Investigator André Rendeiro.

Hildegard of Bingen (ca. 1098–1179) was a German Benedictine abbess, visionary mystic, composer, and medical writer and practitioner. Her counsel was sought by nobility across Europe, and she corresponded with kings, queens, and ecclesiastical authorities.

Through her writings on nature and medicine, Hildegard documented observations of plants, animals, and natural phenomena, earning recognition as the founder of scientific natural history in Germany. Her work combined careful observation with a deep interest in health and the natural world.

Beyond science and medicine, Hildegard was also an influential composer and thinker, and she is today considered a patron saint of musicians and writers.

Hildegard of Bingen’s contributions illustrate how curiosity about nature and the pursuit of knowledge have long influenced the foundations of science and medicine.

While Women’s History Month may be ending, it also reminds us that inspiring women whose ideas and discoveries shape science and society deserve to be celebrated every day! 👩‍🔬👩🏾‍🔬

We finished the week with another Impromptu Seminar at CeMM, featuring Peter Kharchenko currently at IMBA, hosted by Pri...
20/03/2026

We finished the week with another Impromptu Seminar at CeMM, featuring Peter Kharchenko currently at IMBA, hosted by Principal Investigator André Rendeiro.

In his talk, “Quantitative exploration of clonal fate biases,” Kharchenko presented how combining single-cell lineage tracing with machine learning provides structured information on cell fate during development. His work uncovered a continuous pattern linking a cell’s position with the types of tissues it contributes to, and showed how external signals can influence these fate decisions, providing new insights into how cells specialize and informing approaches to stem cell engineering.

Peter Kharchenko received his PhD in Biophysics from Harvard University under the mentorship of George Church and completed his postdoctoral training with Peter Park at Harvard Medical School, where he studied epigenetic regulation in model organisms and mammalian tissues. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School, where his lab specializes in developing statistical and computational methods for analysing high-throughput assays, including transcriptional, epigenetic, and genetic analyses.

Thank you, Peter, for an insightful session on quantitative genomics and computational approaches to understanding cellular fate.

📸 Barbara Bachmann / CeMM

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About CeMM

CeMM’s mission is to achieve maximum scientific innovation in molecular medicine to improve healthcare.

At CeMM, an international and creative team of scientists and medical doctors pursues free-minded basic life science research in a large and vibrant hospital environment of outstanding medical tradition and practice.

CeMM’s research is based on post-genomic technologies and focuses on societally important diseases, such as immune disorders and infections, cancer and metabolic disorders.

CeMM operates in a unique mode of super-cooperation, connecting biology with medicine, experiments with computation, discovery with translation, and science with society and the arts.