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News and Media

Current news and developments from the IMP. For frequent updates, also consider following us on mastodon or twitter. 

 05 Apr 2023

From a loose string to a compact globule: scientists reshape our understanding of messenger RNA

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is the universal blueprint for protein production. Biology textbooks often depict mRNAs as an extended, string-like molecule that…
04 Apr 2023

Proteome Pioneer Award for Karl Mechtler

Karl Mechtler, Head of the Proteomics Tech Hub at IMP, IMBA, and GMI, is the first Austrian scientist to receive the prestigious Juan Pablo Albar…
04 Apr 2023

Custom protein assemblages help different promoters initiate gene transcription

Leonid Serebreni, an alumnus of the lab of Alexander Stark, completed his PhD in 2022. During his doctoral studies in the Vienna BioCenter PhD…
30 Mar 2023

ERC Advanced Grant for Elly Tanaka to study innervation of regrowing limbs

Axolotls are famed for their ability to regenerate lost body parts. They can regrow entire limbs with full functionality, which requires the correct…
20 Mar 2023

Decoding the grammar of gene regulation

Animal genomes harbour thousands of genes. Within the genome, DNA sequences called ‘enhancers’ activate gene expression in a tissue-specific manner.…
10 Mar 2023

Traffic jam: gene transcription hampers cohesin’s travel along chromosomes

Cohesin is an assemblage of proteins that folds our chromosomes by extruding the DNA molecule into loops. This process can be slowed down or impeded…
24 Feb 2023

Egon Macher Award for Lukas Leiendecker

Lukas Leiendecker’s doctoral research on certain types of skin cancer caused by a papilloma virus continues to attract honours, now rising to a true…
09 Feb 2023

"Guardian of the Cell": structure and key function of giant protein explained

The enormous protein BIRC6 plays an important role in preventing programmed cell death – earning BIRC6 the nickname "Guardian of the Cell". Scientists…
08 Feb 2023

Finding out how embryos gain independence

After fertilisation, the nuclear genome of the embryo is mostly inactive, and maternal RNA and proteins in the egg perform cellular functions. During…
02 Feb 2023

A tale of DNA loops: how distant DNA segments come together to make different types of antibodies

To fight off the vast array of pathogens we encounter every day, our immune system has come up with genetic mechanisms to diversify pathogen-detecting…