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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.

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.

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.

Researchers at TU Graz and the University of Graz can use the technology to construct artificial biocatalysts. These new enzymes are significantly faster, more stable and more versatile than previous artificial biocatalysts. Enzymes with specific functions are becoming increasingly important in industry, medicine and environmental protection.

A long-term study by the Center for Virology at the Medical University of Vienna shows a significant increase in cases of West Nile virus in Austria. In 2024, 37 confirmed cases were recorded, more than ever before since the virus was first detected in 2009. For the first time, northern Burgenland was particularly affected, with the virus spreading much more widely than in previous years.

Inspired by biological systems, materials scientists have long sought to harness self-assembly to build nanomaterials. The challenge: the process seemed random and notoriously difficult to predict. Now, researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and Brandeis University have uncovered geometric rules that act as a master control panel for self-assembling particles.

Life begins with a single fertilized cell that gradually transforms into a multicellular organism. This process requires precise coordination; otherwise, the embryo could develop serious complications.

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.

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.

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.

Despite enormous progress in the past two decades, the intentional control of bionic prostheses remains a challenge and the subject of intensive research. Now, scientists at the Medical University of Vienna and Imperial College London have developed a new method for precisely detecting the nerve signals remaining after an arm amputation and utilising them to control an artificial arm.

Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have deciphered the cellular and molecular mechanisms of a very rare and particularly aggressive type of cancer in children: embryonic tumour with multilayered rosettes (ETMR). The study results, published in the journal Nature Cancer, open up new perspectives for targeted treatment strategies.

Pre-eclampsia is one of the most serious complications in pregnancy, affecting millions of women and newborns worldwide and potentially life-threatening. Despite intensive research, it has remained unclear what processes in the placenta lead to the disease. Now, a research team led by the Medical University of Vienna has discovered a previously unknown mechanism that plays a decisive role in the development of pre-eclampsia.

When immune cells strike, precision is everything. New research reveals how natural killer and T cells orchestrate the release of toxic granules - microscopic packages that destroy virus-infected or cancerous cells. The study led by researchers from CeMM, St. Anna CCRI, MedUni Vienna, Med Uni Graz, the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, published in Science Immunology, uncovers an unexpected link between lipid metabolism and the immune system's ability to deliver its lethal cargo, offering new insights into diseases caused by genetic defects.

A research team from the Medical University of Vienna and the Medical University of Graz has discovered a previously unknown genetic cause of hereditary optic atrophy, a degenerative disease of the optic nerve associated with gradual loss of vision. The results, currently published in the journal Genetics in Medicine, open up new possibilities for the genetic diagnosis of this disease and provide important approaches for future research into the underlying disease mechanisms.

Researchers at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, together with British colleagues, have disproved an old theorem of biochemistry. Their discovery in the field of photosynthesis could mean a long-term breakthrough towards higher agricultural yields. A large part of life on our planet is made possible by photosynthesis.

A research team working at MedUni Vienna has demonstrated that a specific component of the immune system (PTX-3) remains at significantly higher levels in the blood of patients who have suffered from severe COVID-19, even months after the acute infection has subsided. This study identified PTX-3 as a potential biomarker for existing tissue damage, long-term immune activation and also for complications following COVID-19.

From cell damage to empty batteries, ISTA chemists put singlet oxygen on a leash Researchers from the Freunberger group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have unveiled pivotal insights into the redox chemistry of oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS). While some ROS play essential roles in cell signaling, the particularly harmful singlet oxygen damages cells and degrades batteries.

ISTA scientists collect snapdragon flowers in the Pyrenees to trace their ancestry Every season, scientists from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) go on field trips to the Pyrenees. Their mission: gather snapdragon flowers to understand their genetic makeup. In a recently published study in Molecular Ecology, theyshow how nature uses color genes to keep two varieties of snapdragons distinct, even when they share the same habitat.

A research team led by Harald Sitte from the Medical University of Vienna has shown that cholesterol in the membrane of brain cells fine-tunes the chemical transporters for serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline, thereby influencing the recycling of neurotransmitters and the response to medication. These findings, recently published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, provide new new approaches for research into mental illnesses such as depression, addiction and ADHD.