Medicine and Life Sciences - Life Sciences

ISTA Professor Andela Šaric & colleagues receive FWF grant for pioneering scientific work - The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is part of a new research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) with 5.1 million Euro as part of the excellent=austria initiative.

An international research team, with significant involvement from the Medical University of Vienna, has developed a new AI-based analysis method that can accurately classify brain tumours using genetic material from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and monitor the progression of the disease. In future, the method could enable earlier diagnosis before surgery, reduce invasive procedures and improve the monitoring of treatment success. The results have recently been published in the leading journal Nature Cancer.

A research team from the Medical University of Vienna and the CeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine has investigated how so-called AI agents could change the future of biomedical research in a recently published study. The results point to enormous potential for acceleration, but this can only be exploited if it is accompanied by reforms in the exchange and review of scientific findings, investment in shared research infrastructure and targeted support for the introduction of new tools. The study was published in Scientific Reports.

In a recently published review, a research team led by MedUni Vienna has highlighted a promising new approach to drug discovery. The focus is on the targeted modulation of certain intracellular signalling proteins as a strategy for controlling disease-relevant signalling pathways and reducing side effects. The findings were published in the journal Trends in Pharmacological Sciences and expand the range of tools available for developing personalised therapies, for example for the treatment of neurological diseases.

The human genome is a long sequence of DNA scattered with innumerable genetic variants that distinguish us. Extracting information from large biobank datasets about complex traits, influenced by thousands or millions of variants, remains a challenge. Using human height as a model, researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have developed an enhanced algorithm, now published in Cell Genomics , with potential applications in personalized medicine

People with type 2 diabetes have a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Women are relatively more affected than men, although the disease occurs with similar frequency in both sexes. The biological factors contributing to these differences are not yet fully understood. A study recently published in Diabetes Care, led by Johns Hopkins University with significant participation from the Medical University of Vienna, has now investigated the link between sex hormones and long-term cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes.