Institute of Molecular Biotechnology

📢 Deadline Extension for Abstract Submissions The deadline to submit your abstract to apply for a talk at the 2025 SY-Stem Symposium has been extended. 🗓 New Abstract Submission Deadline: January 22, 2025 🌐 For more details and to submit your abstract, visit: www.sy-stem.org Please note that the 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 remains 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟱, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. We look forward to receiving your submissions and seeing you in Vienna at SY-Stem 2025! #SYStem2025

New paper alert! Scientists at the Proteomics Tech Hub of IMBA, the IMP and the GMI at the Vienna BioCenter recently developed a new single-cell proteomics workflow that enables an unprecedented level of protein quantification at the single-cell level. Read more here: bit.ly/40vcR2J The scientists, led by Julia Bubis and Manuel Matzinger at the Proteomics Tech Hub, collaborated with Thermo Fisher Scientific to develop a new workflow that takes advantage of the Astral mass spectrometer to deeply study the protein content of one cell at a time, allowing the researchers to find rare or unique cell types hidden within a larger group. The new workflow is particularly useful to study small systems with an inherent cellular heterogeneity. In collaboration with Nicolas Rivron’s group at IMBA, the researchers analyzed blastoids -a model of the early-stage embryo with just 100 cells and three cell lineages-, and were able to study the biology of each lineage in detail.

The deadline to submit an abstract for a talk in the 2025 SY-Stem symposium ends today! SY-Stem - a symposium focusing on the next generation of stem cell researchers - is organized by IMBA and the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP). Register here: https://bit.ly/SYstem2025

Yesterday, IMBA and the Vienna BioCenter, in collaboration with the Vienna Ball of Sciences, organized the third edition of the Vienna BioCenter Ball Gown Swap. Prospective ball goers borrowed or bought dazzling dresses and suits shared by other campus members, all while having a sparkling drink! The event was followed by a fantastic Viennese Waltz crash course hosted by professional dance teacher Makiko. We wish everyone a dazzling ball season!

The Vienna BioCenter Summer School 2025 call is now open for applications from talented undergrads. It is the perfect preparation for students who are interested in graduate study in the life sciences arena. 9-week research project, accommodation and stipend for successful candidates. Sofia Grade from IMBA is offering a position in this call, check our website for details: https://lnkd.in/gNBeF_p Vienna BioCenter PhD Program Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) Institute of Molecular Biotechnology Max Perutz Labs Vienna Gregor Mendel Institute CeMM #AcademicChatter

2024 was a year of changes and new directions at IMBA. In April, Elly Tanaka became our scientific director, succeeding Jürgen Knoblich, whose 6 years of leadership greatly shaped IMBA's success. In November, Barbara Kraus joined as managing director. We are excited to build on this momentum and continue pushing the boundaries of science in 2025!

Season’s greetings from IMBA!

The Vienna BioCenter Summer School 2025 call is now open for applications from talented undergrads. It is the perfect preparation for students who are interested in graduate study in the life sciences arena. 9-week research project, accommodation and stipend for successful candidates. Anton Goloborodko from IMBA is offering a position in this call, check our website for details: https://lnkd.in/gNBeF_p Vienna BioCenter PhD Program Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) Institute of Molecular Biotechnology Max Perutz Labs Vienna Gregor Mendel Institute CeMM #AcademicChatter

2024 was a year full of discoveries at IMBA! Our scientists published 55 manuscripts, more than one per week! Today, we look at some of this year’s research highlights. The Burga lab discovered a selfish genetic element that is silenced only when inherited paternally, a potential evolutionary origin for genomic imprinting.  https://lnkd.in/dSggZXTG The Tanaka group described chromatin “zip codes” that guide the axolotl’s cells to precisely regenerate the structure and functionality of their limbs. https://bit.ly/4gvwRrc The Brennecke lab identified the single amino acid responsible for the interaction between Rhino and Kipferl, two key proteins for piRNA expression and transposon silencing. The Rivron lab discovered a “pause button” that halts the development of blastoids, – early-stage embryo models – for up to 8 days. https://bit.ly/4gCMz4K The Penninger group showed that that the intestine reorganizes during pregnancy and breastfeeding to ensure proper feeding and nourishment of the ~~b~~baby. https://bit.ly/4gAasZI The Knoblich lab used brain organoids to replicate long-range brain connections and showed how ARID1B mutations disrupt the formation of the corpus callosum. https://bit.ly/3WrXt5u Read more about the science breakthroughs happening at IMBA here: https://bit.ly/4fezpZE

Sara Wighard, postdoc in the lab of Alejandro Burga at IMBA, received an EMBO Postdoctoral fellowship for her research on how selfish genetic elements contribute to biological innovation. Congratulations, Sara! Read more: https://bit.ly/3ZFnezf Sara Wighard joined the Burga lab this year after doing her PhD in Evolutionary Biology at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, where she studied the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in nematodes. For her postdoctoral research, Wighard will use nematode models to study how selfish elements influence the host genome. “_Using genetic and phylogenetic approaches, I will investigate how newly introduced selfish elements affect genome architecture and gene regulation, and how the genome defense machinery responds_,” Wighard explained. Ultimately, Wighard’s project aims to deepen our understanding of the conflict between selfish elements and their hosts, shedding light on the role that selfish elements play in driving evolutionary innovation. “I’m grateful for the support by EMBO, which will support me in developing an independent research line to pursue the questions that I’m interested in,” Wighard says. “Being a part of the EMBO postdoctoral network will also allow me to network with other fellows and establish my research.”