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The black box of the human brain is beginning to open. Although animal models are crucial for our understanding of the mammalian brain, the less frequently collected human data reveal important peculiarities. In a recent paper published in the journal Cell, a team led by the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Medical University of Vienna has shed light on the human hippocampal region CA3, which is central to memory storage.

The black box of the human brain is beginning to open. Although animal models are crucial for our understanding of the mammalian brain, the less frequently collected human data reveal important peculiarities. In a recent paper published in the journal Cell, a team led by the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Medical University of Vienna has shed light on the human hippocampal region CA3, which is central to memory storage.

ISTA biologists team up with neurosurgeons to unravel the human brain's specificities The black box of the human brain is starting to crack open. Although animal models are instrumental in shaping our understanding of the mammalian brain, scarce human data is uncovering important specificities. In a paper published in Cell , a team led by the Jonas group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and neurosurgeons from the Medical University of Vienna shed light on the human hippocampal CA3 region, central for memory storage.

As much as targeted therapy using so-called EGFR inhibitors has proven its worth for various types of tumours, possible side effects can be very stressful for patients. Scarring alopecia - permanent hair loss that can only be delayed but not reversed - is particularly cause for concern. Researchers at MedUni Vienna have now identified JAK inhibitors as active substances that can reactivate hair growth.

Advanced liver disease is the second most common cause of lost working years, as it disproportionately affects young patients. Possible complications of these diseases can often be traced back to high blood pressure in the blood circulation of the liver - portal hypertension. Under the leadership of Mattias Mandorfer from the Clinical Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, the NICER model has now been developed, which can calculate the percentage probability of the presence of portal hypertension without an invasive procedure.

When women are pregnant and nurse their babies, their bodies change and various organs, such as the breasts or the immune system, are adapted to ensure the health of both mother and child. This happens throughout evolution in all mammals. An international research team led by Josef Penninger and Masahiro Onji, Medical University of Vienna, now reports the surprising finding that the intestine also changes completely in pregnant and nursing females, resulting in a doubling of the intestinal surface area and a striking structural reorganisation.

A screening study carried out at MedUni Vienna has shown that the rare but dangerous infection with the hepatitis D virus remained often undetected. Seamless testing at University Hospital Vienna for the presence of a hepatitis D infection increases the diagnosis rate of this now treatable disease. The results of It is estimated that more than 40,000 people in Austria are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus.

ISTA scientists use harmless viruses to investigate the nervous system in frogs Amphibians hold a significant place in evolution, representing the transition from aquatic to terrestrial lifestyles. They are crucial for understanding the brain and spinal cord of tetrapods-animals with four limbs, including humans.

Secondary lymphoid organs are specialised structures in the body in which immune cells multiply and develop to respond to new pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. An international team led by Kaan Boztug (St. Anna Children's Cancer Research, MedUni Vienna, CeMM) has now been able to identify a completely new form of a rare disease that provides a better understanding of the importance of these structures for the human immune system.

A recent study by the Medical University of Vienna shows that adolescents with a history of non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour (NSSI) show increased attention to images of self-harm on social media. This attention bias - the increased and faster fixation on such content - increases the urge to self-harm.

Researchers at the University of Vienna develop gut-stable oxytocin analogues for targeted pain treatment of chronic abdominal pain A research team at the University of Vienna, led by medicinal chemist Markus Muttenthaler, has developed a new class of oral peptide therapeutic leads for treating chronic abdominal pain.

Disruption of the microbial community favours pathogens in the gut In a groundbreaking new study, conducted within the framework of the FWF-funded Cluster of Excellence "Microbiomes drive Planetary Health", scientists from the University of Vienna, in collaboration with the University of Southampton, Aalborg University and Boston University, have revealed that the widely prescribed Parkinson's disease drug entacapone significantly disrupts the human gut microbiome by inducing iron deficiency.

In a study recently published in "Nature Communications", researchers from MedUni Vienna and the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris show how dimerization of the RNA editing enzyme ADAR selectively alters its specificity at certain sequences. The knowledge gained opens up new possibilities to modulate the functions of ADAR1 via its dimerization for therapeutic purposes in autoimmune diseases or cancer.

A large number of effective drugs are currently available for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, but until now there has been a lack of suitable strategies for choosing the best possible therapy for individual patients. In a comprehensive scientific review led by rheumatologist Daniel Aletaha, Head of the Department of Medicine III at MedUni Vienna, a model has now been developed that focuses on the individual needs of patients and their health situation.

A study at MedUni Vienna's Department of Dermatology provides insights into the diversity of cancer-associated fibroblasts in white and black skin cancer and describes their different immunomodulatory roles in the tumor environment. The results are relevant for the development of novel skin cancer therapies, particularly in the field of immunotherapy.

Glycans are complex carbohydrates that coat all cells. They are crucial for cell communication and the coordination of vital organ processes. However, their diversity and differences between organs have so far been little researched. A research team from BOKU, MedUni Vienna and IMBA has now presented a scalable method that provides new insights into glycobiology.

Predicting the optimal therapy for individual cancer patients is one of the most important goals of modern medicine. A MedUni Vienna research team led by Michael Bergmann (Department of General Surgery, MedUni Vienna/AKH Wien) and Matthias Farlik (Department of Dermatology, MedUni Vienna/AKH Wien) has now developed a model system for culturing individual colorectal cancer patient samples that include cancer cells as well as structural and immune cells.

Electrical stimulation of the spinal cord using adhesive electrodes on the skin is becoming increasingly important in the neurorehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury. The method can be used both to increase the mobility and to treat spasticity, which affects around 80 per cent of patients.

An artificial intelligence (AI)-based system called "FastGlioma" makes it possible to analyze the tissue removed from a brain tumor during a difficult operation. The US-Austrian team presents its latest development in the journal "Nature". In just a few seconds, it allows precise estimates to be made as to whether the tissue that has just been removed is tumor cells from a glioma or already healthy tissue.

Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna and the Medical University of Innsbruck discovered that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks three important host proteins that dampen the activity of the complement system, a key component of early antiviral immunity. This significantly impairs viral clearance which may affect the course of both acute COVID-19 infections and post-COVID-19 sequelae.