news 2025

A new study involving the Medical University of Vienna shows how the multi-resistant fungus Candida auris utilises carbon dioxide (CO2) to survive on the skin and become resistant to antifungal therapies. The research team identified several new targets that could be used in the future to curb the spread and infections caused by Candida auris.

In cooperation with MedUni Vienna, researchers at TU Vienna have investigated how 3D bioprinting can be used specifically to produce complex skin models as part of a recent review. The study shows that, by using suitable biomaterials and precise printing technologies, it is possible to create multi-layered skin structures into which immune cells can also be integrated - a decisive step in advancing research into chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis.

Researchers at TU Wien and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have demonstrated an unexpected effect: in a quantum system that is highly disordered, coherent microwave radiation can suddenly emerge. Two candles emit twice as much light as one. And ten candles have ten times the intensity.

Allergic sensitization follows distinct regional patterns, and molecular IgE profiling can reveal these profiles in detail. An international research team has now demonstrated both phenomena in a population-based study of 1,000 adults from five cities in Türkiye that represent distinct climate zones.

A research team led by Erwin F. Wagner from the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a previously unknown molecular mechanism that contributes to the development of psoriasis - and at the same time represents a potential biomarker for a new treatment concept. The study published in Cell Death & Differentiation shows that a specific fatty acid-binding protein (FABP5) drives ferroptosis, a certain form of cell death, and amplifies inflammatory processes in the skin.

An international research team led by Christoph Spötl from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, has compiled an extraordinary climate reconstruction based on data from a cave in Nevada, USA. The study provides unique insights into the climate history of one of the driest regions in North America - and shows how closely temperature, water availability, and vegetation are linked in arid regions.

Alternatives to animal testing: At TU Wien, researchers are developing three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques that can be used to create living biological tissue - for example, to study skin diseases. Roughly one quarter of Europe's population suffers from chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, or acne.

Researchers at TU Wien have discovered an unexpected connection between two very different areas of artificial intelligence: Large Language Models (LLMs) can help solve logical problems-without actually "understanding" them. Anyone who has spent hours struggling with a Sudoku puzzle knows the feeling: you're stuck until suddenly a small hint sets the entire solution in motion.

An international research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has shown that continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in women with gestational diabetes can reduce the risk of a newborn with above-average birth weight. The study, published in the leading journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, is the first multicenter randomized controlled trial to demonstrate the advantages of the digital method over conventional self-monitoring of blood glucose using finger pricks and opens up new perspectives for the targeted care of women with gestational diabetes.

Instead of jumping, water molecules walk: Graz University of Technology and the University of Surrey show how water moves in surprisingly different ways on ultra-thin materials. In a study published in Nature Communications , researchers from Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) and the University of Surrey tested two ultra-thin, sheet-like materials with a honeycomb structure - graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN).

A research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has gained new insights into how ticks influence the human immune system in order to introduce pathogens. The study shows that the saliva of Ixodes ricinus - the most common tick species in Central Europe - plays a central role in altering the immune response of skin cells, thereby facilitating the transmission of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi.

Early disease detection in the colony: Ants signal incurable sickness to save others Ant colonies operate as tightly coordinated "superorganisms" with individual ants working together, much like the cells of a body, to ensure colony health. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have now discovered that terminally ill ant brood, like infected cells in a body, release an odor signaling their impending death and the risk they pose.

Physicists overcome a fundamental limitation of acoustic levitation with charge Physicists from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have developed a method to acoustically levitate objects while keeping them physically separated using charge. Their results, published in PNAS , could find applications in materials science, robotics, and microengineering .

Tropical cyclones can unleash extensive devastation, as recent storms that swept over Jamaica and the Philippines made unmistakably clear. Accurate weather forecasts that buy more time to prepare are crucial for saving lives and are rooted in a deeper understanding of climate systems. Driving this forward, researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and others have successfully identified a previously unknown cyclic climate pattern by historical reanalysis of datasets and satellite observations.

Using lasers as tweezers to understand cloud electrification might sound like science fiction, but at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), it is a reality. By trapping and charging micron-sized particles with lasers, researchers can now observe their charging and discharging dynamics over time.

A new AI model developed by TU Graz combines data from laboratory tests with the laws of physics to calculate how well different types of paper protect food from flavour loss and contaminants.

The latest research has achieved a breakthrough in the controlled polymerization of thiol-ene systems.

Cu-64 is a copper isotope needed for medical applications - but it is very difficult to produce. At TU Wien, researchers have now developed an alternative production method. The copper isotope Cu-64 plays an important role in medicine: it is used in imaging processes and also shows potential for cancer therapy.

A team at TU Wien combines quantum physics and general relativity theory - and discovers striking deviations from previous results. It is something like the "Holy Grail" of physics: unifying particle physics and gravitation. The world of tiny particles is described extremely well by quantum theory, while the world of gravitation is captured by Einstein's general theory of relativity.