news 2024

Progress in biomedical imaging with PyrAt compounds Fluorescent molecules enable the visualization of tissue and cells and are therefore indispensable in medicine and pharmacy. A team led by Nuno Maulide and Leticia González from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna and Harald Sitte from MedUni Vienna has developed a series of novel fluorescent molecules.

A MedUni Vienna study team led by geneticist Markus Hengstschläger has used a stem cell model to model the earliest stages of embryonic development and to characterize the membrane that surrounds the embryo, conferring shape and stability. This membrane is responsible for the specification and organization of the embryo's cells and allows it to grow in a controlled manner.

April 5, 2024 New research shows: key molecules within nerve cells persist throughout life Most human nerve cells last a lifetime without renewal. A trait echoed within the cells' components, some enduring as long as the organism itself. New research by Martin Hetzer, molecular biologist and president of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), and colleagues discovered RNA, a typical transient molecule, in the nerve cells of mice that remain stable for their entire lives.

April 4, 2024 Pressure changes and mechanical forces trigger wound healing in plants Plants are very robust and survive harsh environments, owing in part to their remarkably efficient wound-healing capacity. For over a century, scientists aimed to understand it in more detail. A new collaborative study at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) now shows that the process is quite straightforward, revolving around pressure and forces.

Researchers have discovered how sloshing movements can be actively suppressed during the highly dynamic transportation of liquids . In highly automated industrial processes, machines, materials and goods are often moved very quickly. It is important that these movements are carried out precisely and safely.

An international research team is attracting the attention of experts in the field with computational results on the behavior of ring polymers under shear forces: Reyhaneh Farimani, University of Vienna, and her colleagues showed that for the simplest case of connected ring pairs, the type of linkage - chemically bonded vs.

The Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV), first described in 1944, is also spreading rapidly in Europe due to global warming and is included in the WHO list of infectious agents with epidemic or pandemic potential as a top priority. There are currently no therapeutic or preventative measures available against the disease, which is mainly transmitted by ticks and is fatal in 40 per cent of cases.

In a recently published research paper, led by Marko Roblek from MedUni Vienna's Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, the function of a specific protein (SLC MFSD1) as a dipeptide transporter has been described for the first time. Dysregulation of MFSD1 is associated with liver disease, lymphocyte formation disorders and tumor metastasis, making these proteins highly relevant clinically.

When temperatures rise, appetite decreases: this can be observed after a winter sauna visit as well as on a midsummer day outdoors. There is scientific evidence that feeding is reduced when we are acutely exposed to heat. However, the exact reasons for this were previously unknown. An international research team led by MedUni Vienna has now described for the first time the neuronal signalling pathway that reduces feeding upon heat exposure.

More stable quantum experiments are made possible at TU Wien with new tricks - by ingeniously splitting Bose-Einstein condensates. Quantum experiments always have to deal with the same problem, regardless of whether they involve quantum computers, quantum teleportation or new types of quantum sensors: quantum effects break down very easily.

A research team led by Loïc Dupré (Department of Dermatology, MedUni Vienna) has conducted experiments to identify a coordinated molecular axis that governs the functionality of T cells. The study reveals how the availability of cellular energy controls the remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton, a central cellular activity that determines the ability of T cells to migrate and establish dynamic contacts.

A breakthrough in catalysis research leads to a new wall paint that cleans itself when exposed to sunlight and chemically breaks down air pollutants. Typically, beautiful white wall paint does not stay beautiful and white forever. Often, various substances from the air accumulate on its surface. This can be a desired effect because it makes the air cleaner for a while - but over time, the colour changes and needs to be renewed.

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that is sometimes insufficiently controlled by immunosuppressive therapies with a subsequent need for surgical removal of affected bowel segments. By analysing draining mesenteric lymph nodes of affected small intestinal segments of patients who had required surgery, a research team led by Lukas Unger from MedUni Vienna identified immune responses that improve our understanding of the disease.

Since 1999, the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer has consisted of external radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy and brachytherapy. As the prognosis for patients is still poor in many cases despite these measures, intensive research is being conducted into new options. In a large-scale clinical trial, an international team involving MedUni Vienna has shown that the immunotherapeutic agent pembrolizumab in combination with chemoradiotherapy leads to a statistically significant improvement compared to chemoradiotherapy alone.

Using only a single electron microscope image, researchers at TU Graz can determine the type and exact position of so-called guest atoms in high-tech materials. They also come closer to solving the mystery of the blue colour of aquamarine. In addition to their main components, the properties of crystalline and nanoporous materials often depend crucially on guest atoms or ions that are embedded in the tiny pores of their lattice structure.

In a joint project between MedUni Vienna and TU Wien, the world's first 3D-printed "brain phantom" has been developed, which is modelled on the structure of brain fibres and can be imaged using a special variant of magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). As a scientific team led by MedUni Vienna and TU Wien has now shown in a study, these brain models can be used to advance research into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.

New fossil ray species discovered in Bavarica, Germany: Aellopobatis bavarica from the Late Jurassic In a new study recently published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology , an international team of scientists led by palaeobiologist Julia Türtscher from the University of Vienna has explored the puzzling world of rays that lived 150 million years ago and discovered a previously hidden diversity - including a new ray species.

Cardiac amyloidosis is a serious disease in which abnormal proteins (amyloids) accumulate in the heart muscle and impair heart function. As the disease leads to serious complications such as heart insufficiency and, in many cases, death if left untreated, early diagnosis is essential in order to start treatment in good time.

Many studies on the climate crisis focus on researching temperature extremes on a global scale. Scientists at the University of Vienna have now uncovered an error in an established calculation method, leading to a systematic underestimation in the frequency of heat days. The error is based in the previously unnoticed impact of the seasonal cycle on the extreme threshold due to the incorrect application of so called "moving time windows".

The development of hair was of central importance for the evolution of mammals and thus also of humans. However, the evolutionary origin of the genetic programme of hair was previously unknown. An international research team led by Leopold Eckhart from MedUni Vienna has now been able to show that important hair components and their genetic control have already evolved in amphibians.