Press Archive

20/10/16

Taking out the cellular “trash” – at the right place and the right time

New insight about how cells dispose of their waste is now given by the group of Claudine Kraft at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna. They show the necessity of a regulation in space and time of a key protein involved in cellular waste disposal. Dysfunctions in the waste disposal system of a cell are linked to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. The study is published in the renowned journal Molecular Cell.

23/08/16

Microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier to hold lecture in Vienna

On Monday, September 5th at 5pm, Emmanuelle Charpentier will deliver a lecture upon invitation by the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna. Professor Charpentier will speak about one of the most revolutionary tools in the field of genome editing: The CRISPR/Cas9 system, in which discovery the French researcher has played an essential role. This new tool enables to undertake very precise modifications in DNA. Charpentier holds the keynote lecture as part of the opening of the Vienna Doctoral School “Molecules of Life”.

07/04/16

Ensuring the integrity of our genetic material during reproduction

The genetic information we receive from our parents in the form of chromosomes are mosaics assembled from the two copies of chromosomes each parent has. This reshuffling of chromosome pieces happens via a cut and paste mechanism. How such cuts – or breaks – in our genetic material are repaired is the research interest of Verena Jantsch and her group at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna. Their findings give important insights into the processes that ensure the integrity of our genetic material, preventing genetic disease and cancer development.

14/03/16

Prototype awards for RNA and Parkinson's research at MFPL

In the recent call for prototype funding (PRIZE) of the Ministry of Science, Research and Economics two projects from MFPL researchers were successful. The funding allows the groups of Renée Schroeder and Robert Konrat to produce functional prototypes in order to help bringing novel therapeutics to market.

09/03/16

“Daedalus dilemma” of the immune system

Our immune system constantly fights off bacteria and viruses and while doing so needs to find a critical balance between over- and under-reaction, similar to Daedalus and Icarus in Greek mythology who must neither fly too high nor too low to escape their captivity. How this balancing act is regulated at the molecular levels was so far poorly understood. First insights are now provided by Pavel Kovarik and his team from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna. The group reports that in the defense against group A Streptococci – bacteria that cause tonsillitis but also serious and sometimes fatal invasive infections – a perfectly synchronized interplay of two immune substances is key.

09/12/15

Signal transduction in cells: Researchers describe new model for regulation

In their recent study, Thomas Leonard and his group at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna have shown that the cellular activity of the enzyme ROCK is controlled by a ‘molecular ruler’. ROCK is a protein kinase. These enzymes transmit signals and regulate complex processes in cells. Their findings, representing a completely new model in kinase regulation, have recently been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications.

06/10/15

When 8-year olds look like 80: Viennese researchers describe mechanism behind premature aging disease

Progeria, a premature aging disease, is the research focus of Roland Foisner’s team at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna. Children suffering from progeria die at an average age of 14 to 15 years, often from heart attacks and strokes. So far, there is no cure for the disease, and though researchers identified the abnormal protein behind the disease – progerin – the exact way in which it causes the accelerated aging remains elusive. In their latest publication in Genes & Development, Roland Foisner and his group describe a yet unknown mechanism behind progeria that may provide new approaches for therapy.

27/08/15

Rules of communication in the nucleus: genes and nuclear pores need 'interpreters'

Nuclear pores in the nuclear membrane do not only control the transport of molecules into and out of the nucleus but also play an important role in gene expression. Researchers at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna have deciphered a mechanism by which nuclear pores use "interpreters" to directly influence gene expression. The findings recently published in Cell were a collaborative effort with scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) and at the Pennsylvania State University (USA).

11/06/15

'Decoding' gene regulation

Researchers at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna as well as at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna have discovered an entirely new aspect of gene regulation they call exitron splicing. Their findings, recently published in the renowned scientific journal Genome Research, will help to explore the adaptive evolution of gene regulation. Furthermore, the discovery sets a basis for the development of cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

02/06/15

For a good gut feeling: Viennese scientists explore molecular signals in inflammatory bowel disease

Stress, an unhealthy diet and also the prolonged use of painkillers do not only upset the stomach, but are also associated with chronic colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. A team led by Thomas Decker from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna has now investigated one of the signaling pathways related to colitis in more detail. Their results underline the prospects of treatments currently under development and also indicate possible new therapeutic approaches. The study was recently published in the scientific journal Molecular and Cellular Biology.

13/05/15

Studying dynamics of ion channels

Scientists from the Vaziri lab at the Vienna Biocenter (Austria), together with colleagues at the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics at the University of Chicago, have developed a method using infrared spectroscopy and atomistic modeling that should allow a better understanding of the mechanism behind the extreme ion selectivity and transport properties of ion channels. Their findings have recently been published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry B.

04/05/15

Nuclear membrane (re)construction: how to make a proper hole in the wall

In their latest study, Alwin Köhler and his team from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna give new insights into how nuclear pores are formed in the envelope of cell nuclei. Nuclear pores are molecular gates that allow controlled exchange of cargo between the nucleus and the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. This exchange is vital and errors are associated with cancer, aging and autoimmune diseases. The findings are published in the scientific journal Developmental Cell.

Downloads