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.

🎓 Congratulations to Chrysanthi Kagiou, from the group of Georg Winter (CeMM Adjunct PI and Scientific Director Life Sci...
24/10/2025

🎓 Congratulations to Chrysanthi Kagiou, from the group of Georg Winter (CeMM Adjunct PI and Scientific Director Life Sciences of AITHYRA, on successfully defending her PhD thesis on "Hijacking novel non-PROTACable E3 ligases for targeted protein degradation."

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

📸 Laura Alvarez / CeMM

🧯 Safety first! At CeMM, safety is more than a protocol, it's a shared responsibility. Yesterday, CeMMies came together ...
22/10/2025

🧯 Safety first! At CeMM, safety is more than a protocol, it's a shared responsibility. Yesterday, CeMMies came together for our annual Safety Day 2025, a hands-on event dedicated to refreshing our colleagues' knowledge of safety in the lab and the building.

Throughout the day, participants revisited essential practices in lab safety, waste management, and reanimation/defibrillator use, while engaging in practical sessions across all floors. The program covered a wide range of topics, including fire and chemical spill response, equipment safety in freezer rooms, eye injury and emergency procedures, safe transport of hazardous materials, and the proper use of protective gear.

To round it off, everyone took part in an evacuation drill, reinforcing the importance of readiness and teamwork in maintaining a safe research environment.

A big thank-you to the organising team with Marc Wiedner and all CeMM volunteers, and to our partners Wolfgang Tremel and Katrin Kollegger from Helmcare, Susanne Mahnik and Andreas Pribitzer-Winner from VAMED, and the entire PULS - Verein zur Bekämpfung des plötzlichen Herztodes team. Your support and engagement made this day possible and successful! 👏

📸 Wolfgang Däuble / CeMM

21/10/2025

The 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 came to a close this year with the final sessions:

Last Friday, Ivan Bilic, Senior Director of Research and Development (R&D) at Takeda, introduced our students to the drug discovery process, sharing his experience on how research translates into therapeutic innovation. Yesterday, Matthias Brand, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Proxygen, followed with insights into building and growing a biotech company, from idea to impact.

After their talks, the speakers sat down with our PhD students Aljaž Simonič (Stefan Kubicek’s group) and Lilly Elaine Bremer (Georg Busslinger’s group) to share personal reflections and advice for aspiring scientists and entrepreneurs. They discussed how to make the most of the PhD years by exploring new ideas and thinking about practical applications of research, and how asking for advice and learning from others can open unexpected doors.

Thank you, Ivan Bilic and Matthias Brand, for visiting CeMM, sharing your expertise in drug development and biotech, and inspiring our PhD students with insights from your own scientific journeys! 🙏

We started the week with a new , featuring a truly captivating talk on the intestinal stem cell fate and the events dur...
20/10/2025

We started the week with a new , featuring a truly captivating talk on the intestinal stem cell fate and the events during tissue damage regeneration by Kim B. Jensen from the University of Copenhagen. The session was hosted by CeMM Adjunct Principal Investigator Georg Busslinger and Principal Investigator Christoph Bock.

Kim's research focuses on developing regenerative therapies for the intestinal epithelium. His lab uses both compound screening and CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches to map gene regulatory networks in intestinal stem cells that orchestrate tissue regeneration. In his lecture, he shared their work and how they have been able to identify key regulators of cell fate and the regenerative state.

Kim B. Jensen is Professor and Executive Node Director at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, University of Copenhagen. He earned his PhD from the University of Aarhus, focusing on cell type analysis, and completed postdoctoral training with Fiona Watt in the UK. He established his first research group at the University of Cambridge before relocating to Copenhagen in 2013.

Thank you, Kim, for sharing your insights into intestinal tissue regeneration with the CeMM community!

🧬 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲? 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸!Our immune system relies on specia...
20/10/2025

🧬 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲? 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸!

Our immune system relies on specialized cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells and T cells, to find and eliminate viruses or cancer cells. To do this, they release “packages” filled with powerful molecules, so-called cytotoxic granules, that destroy infected or malignant cells. While some key molecules involved in this process have been identified through immune disorders and their effects, others essential to this release mechanism have remained unknown.

Using a CRISPR-based genetic screen, researchers from CeMM, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, Medizinische Universität Wien, Medizinische Universität Graz, and the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn uncovered a set of unexpected genes linked to cellular lipid metabolism that are crucial for this deadly delivery system. The team discovered that specific lipids act as guides, helping important proteins navigate inside immune cells to ensure toxic granules reach their targets with precision.

🔍 The findings reveal a surprising connection between lipid biology and immune function, helping improve the diagnosis of rare immune defects and paving the way for future cancer immunotherapy approaches.

➡️Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2ant228p

📄Publication: https://tinyurl.com/yrbzt7st

📷 Illustration: Images of immune synapses formed by NK-92 cells. Red: cytotoxic/lytic granules; Green: sphingolipids, GM1 or GB3; Cyan: Actin staining (© Artem Kalinichenko).

🔬Today we welcomed Eva Schernhammer, Professor at Medizinische Universität Wien, to CeMM as part of the 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺...
16/10/2025

🔬Today we welcomed Eva Schernhammer, Professor at Medizinische Universität Wien, to CeMM as part of the 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. Hosted by CeMM Principal Investigator Stefan Kubicek, she introduced our students to epidemiological studies with the context of the disturbances of the circadian system on human health. During the interactive seminar, Eva discussed the impact of night shift on breast cancer risk, how being an early bird or a night owl affects our bodies, and how melatonin is measured during sleep studies.

After her talk, Negar Asadi (Laura de Rooij’s group) spoke with her about her career and the importance of recognizing and seizing opportunities along the way.

💬“If there is an opportunity, grasp it. Certain really good opportunities don’t come that often. Realize this could be it and go for it if you can. But also keep your family and friends in focus to not lose sight.”

Eva Schernhammer earned her MD from the MedUni Vienna and spent several years in clinical practice at SMZ-Süd (formerly Kaiser-Franz-Josef Hospital), focusing on oncology, before joining Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health as full-time faculty in 2003. Since 2015, she has been Professor and Head of the Department of Epidemiology at MedUni Vienna, while maintaining active research programs at Harvard.

🙏Thank you, Eva, for sharing your expertise on the circadian system and offering valuable insights and advice to our PhD Students!

📸 Barbara Bachmann / CeMM

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 from the group of Adjunct Principal Investigator Andreas Be...
14/10/2025

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 from the group of Adjunct Principal Investigator Andreas Bergthaler on receiving one of this year’s 𝗔𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗡𝗔 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱! 🎉👏

Now a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Charles M. Rice at The Rockefeller University in New York (USA), Alexander was recognized for his paper published in 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 in 2024, which showed how the innate immune system can develop a functional memory. In a SARS-CoV-2 mouse model, Alexander and colleagues demonstrated how type I interferons epigenetically reprogram alveolar macrophages, enhancing antiviral responses and conferring protection against a later, unrelated influenza infection. These findings pave the way for the development of broadly effective antiviral therapies and enhanced pandemic preparedness.
🔗 Link to publication: https://bit.ly/4ohYJ5S

The Austrian Scientists and Scholars in North America (ASciNA) Awards, endowed with €10,000 for the main prize in the “Junior Principal Investigator” category and €7,500 each for two “Young Scientist” awards, honor outstanding scientific publications by Austrian researchers during their stays in North America. The winners are selected by an international jury of the FWF Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds

At CeMM, we are proud to see Alex’s continued success and international recognition, and to see the CeMM alumni community making meaningful contributions to science around the world! 🌍🔬

👉 Read more about the awards: https://bit.ly/3IJsCx7

📷 Franzi Kreis / CeMM

We started the week by welcoming Roman Sarott from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research for an 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘂 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮...
13/10/2025

We started the week by welcoming Roman Sarott from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research for an 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘂 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 hosted by CeMM Adjunct Principal Investigator Georg Winter (AITHYRA).

In his talk, 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴, Roman presented his group’s innovative research on using chemically induced proximity to selectively eliminate diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma affecting the lymphatic system. His team is developing bifunctional molecules that induce new protein–protein interactions to reprogram cellular signaling and unlock novel therapeutic strategies.

Roman Sarott leads the Chemically Induced Proximity Research Group at the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg. After earning his doctorate in organic chemistry for his research on fluorescent and photoswitchable probes for the cannabinoid receptor, he completed a postdoc at the Stanford Cancer Institute before launching his independent lab in 2025.

Thank you, Roman, for an inspiring presentation and for sharing your work at the intersection of chemistry and cancer biology with the CeMM community!

📷 Barbara Bachmann / CeMM

In the latest 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 of the week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Florian Krammer, Profe...
12/10/2025

In the latest 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 of the week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Florian Krammer, Professor at Medizinische Universität Wien, last Friday. The session, hosted by CeMM Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga, was open to all CeMMies and sparked many intriguing questions. Florian spoke about his career, which took him from Pack in Styria to New York City, and his experience in developing non-seasonal influenza vaccines, as well as the lessons he learned from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic for future vaccines.

After his talk, Jan Slupski (Andreas Bergthaler's group) discussed with him about his career and passion for science. "I'm always saying that science is basically my work and my hobby; it's not worth doing if you don't care about it," said Florian. He emphasized the importance of having both support and freedom to succeed during a PhD.

Florian Krammer is a Professor at the Medical University of Vienna and Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Science Outreach and Pandemic Preparedness. He is also Professor of Vaccinology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where his NIH-funded lab focuses on developing universal influenza vaccines and countermeasures against emerging RNA viruses.

Thank you, Florian, for visiting CeMM, sharing your anecdotes about networking and vaccine development, and inspiring our PhD students with your expertise on viruses and pandemics!

📸 Barbara Bachmann / CeMM

09/10/2025

Two engaging sessions took place yesterday as part of the 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: Professors Martin Brunner (Medizinische Universität Wien) and Barbara Prainsack (Universität Wien) visited CeMM to explore the topics of clinical trials and the broader impact of biomedical research on society.

After their talks, Carla Aranda Vallejo (Florian Grebien’s group) and Julie Beaucamp (Georg Winter’s group) spoke with them about the importance of collaboration: engaging with colleagues, sharing resources, and supporting one another to succeed in clinical research. They also discussed how pursuing topics that truly inspire you helps maintain motivation and stay true to your scientific passions.

A heartfelt thank you to Martin Brunner and Barbara Prainsack for sharing your expertise and valuable advice with our PhD students as they embark on their scientific journeys!

José Ordovás-Montañés from Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School visited CeMM for an Impromptu Seminar, ...
08/10/2025

José Ordovás-Montañés from Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School visited CeMM for an Impromptu Seminar, co-hosted by CeMM Principal Investigators Christoph Bock and Clarissa Campbell, and Adjunct Principal Investigator Georg Stary.

In his talk, 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴, José discussed his team’s research on how memories of previous inflammatory episodes enable barrier tissues, such as the skin or intestine, to recall diverse environmental exposures and shape future responses.

José leads a research group at Boston Children’s Hospital and is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. During his PhD, he trained with Uli von Andrian, studying how the nervous and immune systems function together as principal sensory interfaces between the internal and external environments. As a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Alex K. Shalek at MIT, the Broad Institute, and the Ragon Institute, he began mapping the human gut and airway and discovered how human stem cells can be shaped by, and remember, inflammation. His research bridges immunology, tissue biology, and single-cell genomics.

Thank you, José, for an inspiring seminar and for broadening our understanding of immune memory at barrier surfaces!

📸 Wolfgang Däuble / CeMM

08/10/2025

What were our students up to yesterday during the 𝗖𝗲𝗠𝗠 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀? 👩‍🔬👨🏿‍🔬

Michael Bronstein (Scientific Director of AI of AITHYRA Research Institute for Biomedical Artificial Intelligence) gave an inspiring session on how geometry drives advances in drug design and artificial intelligence. Afterwards, Jürgen Knoblich (Deputy Scientific Director of Institute of Molecular Biotechnology) spoke about brain development, how brains are built and what we can learn from their errors.

Our PhD students Mauriz Lichtenstein (Georg Winter’s group) and Freya Jungen (Davide Seruggia’s group) met with the speakers after their talks to learn more about their scientific paths, what it means to be a scientist, and the importance of flexibility and collaboration in research.

Thank you, Michael Bronstein and Jürgen Knoblich, for visiting CeMM, sharing your expertise in AI and brain development, and inspiring our PhD students with insights from your own scientific journeys! 🙏

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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.