news

An innovative study by the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences (KL Krems) and the Medical University of Vienna (MedUni Vienna) provides new insights into the genetic mechanisms of birch pollen allergy. The research team observed significantly more active genes for immunological signalling pathways in the nasal mucosa of allergy sufferers after exposure to birch pollen than in unaffected individuals.

Diabetic neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes, manifests itself in the loss of sensation in the feet leading to chronic pain and ulcers, in severe cases even to amputations. While previous interventions have aimed to alleviate the symptoms, the non-invasive neuroprosthesis developed by an international research team led by Stanisa Raspopovic from MedUni Vienna addresses the cause.

Researchers from the University of Innsbruck have developed a new method for covalently labeling RNA in the cell. In the journal Nature Chemical Biology, they show how it can be used to map RNA movements in the cell. The specific labeling of RNA in living cells poses many challenges. In the journal Nature Chemical Biology, researchers from the University of Innsbruck describe a structure-guided approach to the formation of covalent (i.e.

Diffuse hemispheric glioma (DHG) is a brain tumor in children, adolescents and young adults with an average survival prognosis of less than two years and limited treatment options. A research team from MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna has identified increased stress through targeted DNA breaks with simultaneous inhibition of DNA repair in the tumor cell as a promising therapeutic approach.

The Ignaz Semmelweis Institute will start work at the beginning of 2025.

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.

Helping out your neighbor or minding your own business? A challenging choice with different benefits for each decision. Game theory provides guidance in making such choices - from a theoretical perspective. Novel findings by Jakub Svoboda and Krishnendu Chatterjee at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) reveal new network structures that enhance cooperation throughout a system.

Non-native animals are a threat to biodiversity, yet many are themselves threatened with extinction in their areas of origin Non-native species introduced by humans are among the main causes of global species decline - they were partly responsible for 60 percent of the species that have become extinct worldwide in recent decades.

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.

New ISTA research shows how tissue development is temporally organized When a vertebrate embryo develops, a group of cells self-organizes into the neural tube, eventually becoming the brain and the spinal cord. This involves specific signals, but how these signals are interpreted by developing cells remains unclear.

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.

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.

The return of cells to a stem cell-like state as the key to regeneration Many living organisms are able to regenerate damaged or lost tissue, but why some are particularly good at this and others are not is not fully understood. Molecular biologists Alexander Stockinger, Leonie Adelmann and Florian Raible from the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna have now made an important contribution to clarifying this question in a new study.

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.

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.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Despite medical advances in recent years, this type of tumour is still responsible for one in eight male cancer deaths in Austria alone. An international research team led by MedUni Vienna has now investigated a new strategy for the development of treatment options that not only slow tumour growth, but also stimulate the immune system to combat tumour cells.