Our Knoblich lab has just published a preprint about how brain cells wire themselves into networks, and how this wiring can go awry, using lab-grown brain organoids. Check it out:

@knoblich-lab.bsky.social · 5d ago

New preprint! 🧠🧬 Can cerebral organoids reveal intrinsic rules of circuit assembly? We think yes! COSCO maps >10,000 networks and reveals cell-type intrinsic wiring, reproducible network formation, recurrent motifs, molecular signatures of wiring and aberrant connectivity in TSC. bit.ly/47CryUl

We are hiring! Join the Comparative Medicine Core Facility at IMBA and the IMP as an animal caretaker 👇.

Can “jumping genes” spread like viruses? New research from the Brennecke lab at IMBA shows that, in fruit flies, certain transposable elements can break out of their own cell and slip into developing eggs—securing their passage to the next generation. Published in Cell: https://imba.science/4jdMuYQ

IMBA has a new faculty member! Peter Kharchenko joins in October 2026, and he’s recruiting. His lab will use computational biology, single-cell genomics and epigenetics to investigate cellular states in health and disease: https://imba.science/4hcY1Vw

We often picture replicated chromosomes as perfectly symmetrical Xs. But scientists in the Goloborodko and Gerlich labs at IMBA have discovered that their two copies are consistently offset. The finding could reshape how we understand DNA repair and genome stability: https://bit.ly/4iLa7Yv

IMBA introduces a new logo. The letterforms draw inspiration from the structure and boundaries of the cell, the basic unit of life that IMBA’s scientists study every day.

We are hiring! Join IMBA, IMP, and GMI as Head of Molecular Robotics Genomics Tech Platform and Scientific Core Facilities.

We are hiring! Join IMBA, IMP, and GMI as Head of Molecular Robotics Genomics Tech Platform and Scientific Core Facilities.

IMBA's “newest” group leader has had research published from his previous institution (University of Basel). Take a look.

Biozentrum, University of Basel@biozentrum.unibas.ch · 2mo ago

How do you visualize highly complex data without losing important information? Prof. Erik van Nimwegen’s team developed a new tool, Bonsai, that provides a faithful picture of the structure in the data. @erikvannimwegen.bsky.social @unibas.ch @dhdegroot.bsky.social @imbavienna.bsky.social

We are hiring! Join the IT department of IMBA, IMP, and GMI as an IT Application Specialist to develop, integrate, and operate the applications that keep our organizations running.

We are hiring! Join the de Groot Lab as a Master's Student / Research Intern in Computational Biology and Theoretical Modeling to develop a Bayesian method for comparing single-cell datasets by explicitly modeling measurement noise to bring out true biological variability.

We are hiring! Join the de Groot Lab as a Master's Student / Research Intern in Computational Biology and Theoretical Modeling to develop a Bayesian method for comparing single-cell datasets by explicitly modeling measurement noise to bring out true biological variability.

📹 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 · 4mo 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 · 5mo 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