Institute of Molecular Biotechnology

🚨 New paper alert!

Scientists in 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗲’s lab at IMBA and Clemens Plaschka’s lab at 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 (𝗜𝗠𝗣) together with collaborators at Aarhus University, have discovered a previously unknown layer of gene regulation.

Published today in _Nature_, the study reveals how cells decide whether newly produced RNA molecules are exported from the nucleus and used to make proteins—or destroyed before they can be used.

The researchers discovered a molecular decision point that connects RNA export and RNA decay, two processes previously thought to operate independently. Their findings provide a new framework for understanding how cells distinguish functional genetic messages from molecular noise and maintain the accuracy of gene expression.

📖 Read the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10650-0

➡️ Full story: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research-highlights/news/separating-signal-from-noise-how-cells-decide-the-fate-of-rna

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

Women lead research groups at IMBA today. A new exhibition in our foyer shows the long road to recognition behind that. IMBA is part of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, which elected its first female member, the physicist Lise Meitner, in 1948, and its first full female member, the physicist Berta Karlik, in 1973.

The exhibition "Discovering Women Researchers" traces that history: the first women admitted, those whose work went uncredited, and those conducting research at the Academy today.

On view in the foyer by the IMBA/GMI lecture hall until 30 June. Please come by for a visit!

➡️ Read more: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research-highlights/news/oeaw-exhibition-invites-to-discovering-women-researchers

Deadline extension! Register for the DevSTEM 2026 symposium by May 30. It’s free.

Join us on June 18 at https://www.linkedin.com/school/istaustria 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.

We are also pleased to share that IMBA group leader Kristina Stapornwongkul will be one of this year’s keynote speakers, alongside Martin Leeb from Max Perutz Labs. Her lab investigates how cellular metabolism contributes to patterning, morphogenesis, and cell fate decisions during embryonic development.

Register for DevSTEM by May 30: https://devstem.pages.ist.ac.at


Participating institutes and universities:
www,ekoandia.net.pl.linkedin.com/company/maxperutzlabsvienna
https://www.linkedin.com/school/univienna/
https://www.linkedin.com/school/medizinische-universitat-wien/
https://www.linkedin.com/school/istaustria
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vienna-biocenter
https://www.linkedin.com/company/imba-vienna
https://www.linkedin.com/company/impvienna

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, Dorothy Hodgkin, Albert Einstein, Lise Meitner, and Stephen Hawking among its fellows.

Elly is a pioneer in regeneration biology whose groundbreaking work has transformed our understanding of how complex tissues and organs regenerate. Her research on animals such as the axolotl salamander has revealed fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms that enable the regrowth of limbs, spinal cord tissue, and parts of the brain, providing insights with far-reaching implications for regenerative medicine.

As Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, noted, "This incoming cohort highlights the truly international character of contemporary science and underscores the vital role that plays in achieving breakthroughs that benefit us all.”

Full story: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research-highlights/news/elly-tanaka-elected-fellow-of-the-royal-society

An international research team led by the IMBA lab of ://www.linkedin.com/in/josef-penninger-60734b8/ has uncovered a mechanism that allows breast tumors to escape immune attack, helping to explain resistance to immunotherapy in breast cancer. The study was now published in the journal Nature Communications.

More: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research-highlights/news/breast-cancer-new-insights-could-improve-immunotherapy-response
Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-73401-9


://www.linkedin.com/school/medizinische-universitat-wien/?originalSubdomain=at

IMBA Group Leader Joanna Jachowicz was awarded a Principal Investigator Project grant from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

Together with her team, she will study how RNA molecules produced by LINE-1 elements — repetitive DNA sequences once considered “junk DNA” — help shape genome organization and control gene activity during the earliest stages of mammalian development.

➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/49b992j

IMBA will train postdoctoral fellows at the interface of artificial intelligence and experimental biology.

Through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) “Choose Europe for Science” initiative, IMBA has secured funding to launch the “da Vinci” Postdoctoral Fellowship Network. The program will support six postdoctoral fellows working at the intersection of AI and experimental biology, strengthening Europe’s capacity for data-driven discovery.

➡️ Read more: https://bit.ly/4eJLU2O

📣 RNA biology enthusiasts — registration is now open for the 20th Microsymposium on RNA Biology!

Join researchers from around the world at the Vienna BioCenter for three days of exciting science, networking, and discussion on the latest discoveries in RNA biology.

The Microsymposium brings together young scientists, junior and senior group leaders, and company representatives to share cutting-edge research and foster new connections across the field.

📅 17-19 June 2026
📍 Vienna BioCenter

🧬 Interested in presenting your work?
Abstracts for poster presentations can be submitted until 19 May.

➡️ Register and find more information here:
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/seminars-events/microsymposium