📹 Behind the scenes at our FÄKT shoot! Sasha Mendjan recently stepped in front of the camera to share his research for an upcoming FÄKT episode. Funded by the Austrian Future Fund and run by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), FÄKT brings cutting-edge research to young audiences. Stay tuned!

Thank you for attending the 20th Microsymposium on RNA Biology at the Vienna BioCenter! Three days of talks on small RNAs, from gene silencing to the role these molecules play in development, physiology, and disease.

IMBA is among Austria's leading contributors to exceptional life science research. In QED Science's new analysis of 57,455 bioRxiv preprints, Austria emerged as the strongest overperformer relative to its size. Of the 31 Austrian preprints in "The 1%", 8 include IMBA: https://imba.science/4eHpBsW

🎉 Congratulations to IMBA Senior Group Leader Jürgen Knoblich on receiving an ERC Advanced Grant! His project CASCO will use brain organoids to study how neuronal diversity shapes functional brain networks: https://imba.science/43RW8Yh

The labs of Julius Brennecke and Clemens Plaschka reveal a molecular decision point that determines whether RNA molecules are exported for use or targeted for destruction. Now published in Nature: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Congratulations to Max Spicer on the completion of his PhD! The title of Spicer’s talk was “Electrostatic control of apoptotic chromatin compaction”.

We remember Gregory Hannon as an active member of IMBA’s Scientific Advisory Board. An obituary has now been published, co-authored by IMBA Senior Group Leader Julius Brennecke.

Molecular Cell @cp-molcell.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Online Now: Gregory J. Hannon (1964–2026) Online now:

Until 30 June 2026, the exhibition Discovering Women Researchers will be on display in the foyer in front of the IMBA/GMI lecture hall. The exhibition highlights the stories, achievements, and lasting impact of women researchers at the Austrian Academy of Sciences:

Stem-cell embryo organoids are helping scientists model early pregnancy in the lab, opening new paths to treat infertility, miscarriage, and pre-eclampsia. The IMBA lab of Nicolas Rivron was featured by New Scientist. www.newscientist.com/article/2527...

Embryos made without sperm or eggs reveal why many pregnancies fail

Embryo organoids made from stem cells are enabling scientists to recreate early pregnancy in the lab, unlocking treatments for infertility, miscarriage and pre-eclampsia

newscientist.com

Join us on June 18 at ISTA for a day dedicated to developmental and stem cell biology, with talks, poster sessions, flash talks, and opportunities to connect across the Vienna life science community. More. 👇

IMBA Scientific Director Elly Tanaka has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, joining the world's oldest scientific academy. Founded in 1660, the Royal Society has counted Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein among its fellows. More: 👇

How do breast tumors evade the immune system? An international team led by Josef Penninger’s lab at IMBA has identified a mechanism that allows breast cancers to escape immune attack, shedding light on why some patients do not respond to immunotherapy. Paper below. 👇

We are hiring! Join the BioOptics team as a Microscopy Specialist with a focus on multiphoton intravital microscopy. Link below.👇

IMBA Group Leader Joanna Jachowicz has received an FWF Principal Investigator Project grant to study how LINE-1 RNA molecules — once considered “junk DNA” — help regulate gene activity during early mammalian development. ➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/49b992j

We are hiring! Join the Grade lab as a postdoctoral researcher to explore a development-inspired approach to cortical repair. Link below.👇

IMBA has secured MSCA “Choose Europe for Science” funding to launch the “da Vinci” Postdoctoral Fellowship Network. Six postdoctoral fellows will be trained at the intersection of AI and experimental biology, strengthening Europe’s future in data-driven discovery: https://bit.ly/4eJLU2O

📣 Registration is open for the 20th Microsymposium on RNA Biology! Join in at the Vienna BioCenter for three days of cutting-edge science, discussion & networking. 📅 17-19 June 2026 🧬 Poster abstract deadline: 19 May Info & registration: www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/seminar...

We were proud to see IMBA represented by Elly Tanaka and postdoc Tal Scully at today’s FWF press conference, highlighting how the Wittgenstein Award supports bold, curiosity-driven research. Elly also presented IMBA’s “neugierige Köpfe” initiative, which inspires students through hands-on science.

Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds FWF@fwf-at.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Anhaltender Run auf #Forschungsförderung: #FWF Präsident Gattringer präsentierte die aktuelle Förderbilanz mit #BMFWF Ministerin Holzleitner: ⤴️ 340 Mio. € Förderung 2025 💡 749 neue Forschungsprojekte 🧑‍🔬 5.300 geförderte Forschende, starker Nachwuchs-Zuwachs ⛔ 60 Mio. € Approved-but-not-funded-Lücke

A fantastic opportunity to recognise outstanding PhD students and recent grads in molecular life sciences. Know someone exceptional? Nominate by 30 June 👇 www.imp.ac.at/birnstiel-aw...

IMP@impvienna.bsky.social · 3mo ago

📣 Open call: the International Birnstiel Award for Doctoral Research in Molecular Life Sciences is now accepting nominations! Do you know an exceptional PhD student whose work deserves recognition? Nominate them by 30 June 👉 www.imp.ac.at/birnstiel-aw...

Transposable elements—or “jumping genes”—are emerging as key regulators of development. In a new review in Advances in Genetics, researchers from the Jachowicz lab at IMBA show how these mobile DNA sequences act as a dynamic layer of gene regulation: www.sciencedirect.com/science/chap...

IMBA Senior Scientist Sasha Mendjan won the 2nd place of the Houska Prize 2026 (Uni category), Austria’s leading private research prize, presented annually by the B&C Private Foundation: https://imba.science/4mGENtO

We are #hiring! Join the de Groot lab as a PhD student in Computational Biology & Theoretical Modeling. Deadline: April 15. How to apply. 👇

Congratulations to Lucrezia Galli on the completion of her PhD! Galli, a researcher in the Tanaka lab, presented her dissertation titled “Re-establishment of the forelimb sensory innervation upon axolotl limb regeneration” during her PhD defense.

Congratulations to Oisorjo Chakraborty on the completion of his PhD! Chakraborty, a researcher in the Grade lab, presented his dissertation titled “Olfactory neurogenesis after visual impairment: a role in cross-modal enhancement” during his PhD defense.

Congratulations to Manuel Matzinger from the Proteomics Technology Hub of IMP, IMBA and GMI for securing funding from the FWF!

IMP@impvienna.bsky.social · 5mo ago

An FWF grant will support a new method to study gene activity and proteins at single-cell resolution. The funding is awarded to a collaborative project led by Manuel Matzinger (Proteomics Technology Hub of IMP, IMBA, GMI) & Viktoria Dorfer (Research Center Hagenberg).

New pre-print from the Grade (IMBA) and Arévalo labs! After traumatic brain injury, astrocytes help clear debris from damaged tissue. Female astrocytes remove myelin debris more efficiently than male astrocytes, helping preserve neuronal activity and memory: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

From IMBA postdoc to group leader at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB)! Read the interview to learn how Ulrich Hohmann, former IMBA postdoc in the labs of Clemens Plaschka at the IMP and Julius Brennecke at IMBA, is handling this career step: www.imp.ac.at/news/article...

IMP@impvienna.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Securing two group leader positions at the same institute is no small feat.  From IMP postdocs to group leaders: Laura Lorenzo-Orts and Ulrich Hohmann started their labs at IMB Mainz this year:

At SY-Stem today, Lorenz Studer, Sloan Kettering Institute, delivered the closing keynote presentation on “Developing human PSC-based cell therapies for CNS and PNS disorders.”

Coffee breaks are an important part of conferences. At SY-Stem today, attendees had time for conversations, to ask questions sparked by presentations, and to connect with researchers they might not otherwise approach.

Today at SY-Stem: Marianne Bronner, California Institute of Technology, presented on “Gene regulatory subcircuits controlling neural crest stem cell fate along the body axis.”