New paper alert! Scientists in Julius Brennecke’s lab at IMBA and Clemens Plaschka’s lab at @impvienna.bsky.social solved a decade-old puzzle, uncovering how the information molecule mRNA travels from the cell’s nucleus to its periphery. More: https://imba.science/3Xl2hJ3

In our latest interview, Kristina Stapornwongkul, the newest group leader at IMBA, shares her journey to joining the institute, why she chose IMBA as the next step in her career, and her vision for her lab exploring how metabolism shapes embryonic development: https://imba.science/49fCrxl

IMBA has secured funding from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) to establish a new position that will support data management for cryo-Electron Tomography, one of the newest and most data-intensive research areas on campus. More: https://imba.science/4ngJN7b

🎉 Congratulations to Nina Corsini and Oliver Eichmüller, researchers in Jürgen Knoblich’s lab at IMBA, who were recognized with the German Tuberous Sclerosis Foundation’s Award for their research on tuberous sclerosis using cerebral organoids. More: https://imba.science/3Jej5hy

🔬 👩🏻🔬 🧪 What’s it like doing a PhD between two labs? In our latest Behind the Science, Júlia Portell i de Montserrat, shared PhD student in the Brennecke lab at IMBA and the Plaschka lab at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, tells us more about her unusual but rewarding journey:

Before Jürgen Knoblich became known for his groundbreaking brain organoid research, he studied asymmetric cell division in Drosophila at the @impvienna.bsky.social. 📖 Read the full milestone essay: https://www.imp.ac.at/achievements/research-milestones/knoblich-asymmetric-cell-division

Congratulations to Heidar Heidari Khoei, postdoc in Nicolas Rivron’s lab, who recently received the 2025 Royan International Research Award for his work on stem-cell based models of the human embryo. More: https://imba.science/4q5qjoQ

Congratulations to Sakurako Nagumo Wong, former PhD student in Jürgen Knoblich’s lab, who was awarded the 2025 Rabitsch Award for her remarkable contributions to the study of human cortical development and neurodevelopmental disorders. Read more: https://imba.science/4gPHh6l

🎉 Congratulations to Max Kellner, former PhD student in the Penninger Lab, who was presented with the ÖGBMT Life Sciences PhD Award Austria. The award recognizes Kellner’s PhD research on how dangerous viruses emerge from natural reservoirs like bats. More: https://imba.science/3KiRYSN

Oguzhan Kaya, postdoc in the Knoblich lab, has a research a project that was recently funded with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship. Find out more: https://youtu.be/_WEhll-cirI

No research, no answers. IMBA Scientific Director Elly Tanaka is among five renowned ÖAW scientists acting as ambassadors of the “No research, no answers” campaign in Austria - aimed to highlight the crucial role of science in advancing society. More about the campaign: http://imba.science/3KgScd7

Sara Wighard, postdoc in Alejandro Burga’s lab, has a project that was recently funded with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship. Find out more: https://youtu.be/jzfyZMdqduY

🎉 Congratulations to Christos Kyprianou, Postdoc in Nicolas Rivron's lab at IMBA, who received a Seal of Excellence Postdoctoral Fellowship to study the causes of implantation failure in human embryonic development. More: http://imba.science/3VUjpop

We are #hiring! Join the Mechanical Engineering Center as a Technician and contribute to prototype construction in research.

📰 New paper alert! In a collaborative project with the lab of Clemens Plaschka at the IMP, the lab of Julius Brennecke has revealed how PIWI proteins kickstart transposon silencing in reproductive cells. The findings are published in Molecular Cell: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Scientific curiosity at IMBA inspired this year's art series, created from research images. Today's kaleidoscope is based on research from the Tanaka Lab investigating how axolotls can regenerate their tails, rebuilding not only muscle, bone and skin but also complex neuronal networks.

Scientific curiosity at IMBA inspired this year's art series, created from research images. Today's kaleidoscope is based on an artistic rendering of the spiral staircase model of the mitotic chromosome, produced by the Goloborodko lab using new tools for analyzing 3D chromosome structure.

Scientific curiosity at IMBA inspired this year's art series, created from research images. Today's kaleidoscope is based on research from the Burga Lab, which used roundworms to uncover a process for silencing selfish genes that could represent the first step in the evolution of genomic imprinting.

Congratulations to IMBA Senior Group Leader Sasha Mendjan on receiving an ERC Advanced Grant for his research on heart development. The funded project will support research of the Mendjan lab’s cardioid (heart organoid) models to study processes that are key to forming a functional heart.

Scientific curiosity at IMBA inspired this year's art series, created from research images. Today's kaleidoscope is based on 2024 research from the Rivron Lab, where scientists studying human blastoids discovered a potential molecular "pause button" in the earliest stages of human development.

Today, we’re celebrating World RNA Day by highlighting three IMBA research groups focusing on RNA research.

Congratulations to Mustafa Alaabo, PhD student in Daniel Gerlich’s lab, who was awarded a competitive fellowship by the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds for his research on DNA repair by homologous recombination.

IMBA scientists use organoids - three-dimensional tissue culture models of organs - to study development and disease. Recently, they discovered a “pause button” in human development, described how the intestine changes during pregnancy, and developed a new model of the brain’s information highways.

Genome dynamics and RNA biology are key research areas at IMBA. Our researchers recently discovered a potential evolutionary origin of genomic imprinting, uncovered how chromatin guides precise limb regeneration in the axolotl, and described how a single amino acid shapes genome defense.

👩🏻🎓 At the recent ÖAW Kinderuni Day at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, IMBA researchers Laura Kracht, Christian Krauditsch, and Marlene Müller guided young learners through an exploration of cells—the fundamental building blocks of the human body. Thank you to everyone who took part!

An institute like IMBA runs on the work of many people in different roles and from diverse backgrounds, supported by a range of funding sources. This glimpse into life at IMBA offers a look at the structure and people behind the science.

In 2024, Elly Tanaka and Barbra Kraus stepped into their roles as Scientific and Business Directors, respectively, taking on the responsibility of shaping IMBA’s future. In this interview, Tanaka and Kraus reflect on their vision, their priorities, and the path ahead.

New organoid models allow scientists to study human development and disease, but most comply with tight and important ethical standards. In this glimpse into life at IMBA, Jürgen Knoblich, Arabella Meixner, and Nicolas Rivron reflect on how ethics and compliance shape research beyond the lab.

PhD education is a formative chapter in a researcher's career. In this interview, former IMBA PhD students Alison Deyett and Viktoria Holzmann look back on their time at the institute and share how the experience shaped both their science and their next steps.

In our latest “Behind the Science”, IMBA Group Leader Julius Brennecke and new IMBA-IMP joint Group Leader Sven Klumpe explore how a chance seminar sparked a collaboration that led to a breakthrough in transposon biology - published in Cell last March. 👉 Full article: https://imba.science/4lPndT1

After six years at IMBA developing brain organoid models in the Knoblich Lab, Chong Li took on a new role as group leader at the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing. In this look into life at IMBA, Li reflects on his postdoc experience and how it shaped his path forward.

Hyosang Kim, postdoc in Jürgen Knoblich’s Lab (@knoblich-lab.bsky.social), was awarded an EMBO Fellowship for his research on the origins of autism spectrum disorder. Read more: https://imba.science/40b6gtH

We are #hiring! Join the Ethics & Biosafety Group as a Senior Research Ethics Officer and provide support related to IMBA’s and IMP’s human and animal research ethics and biosafety compliance applications. Apply below.

Congratulations to Christian Lehmann on the completion of his PhD! Lehmann presented his dissertation titled “Characterization of late-arising EGFR progenitors in human cerebral organoids using neurospheres and their role in H3G34R pediatric gliomagenesis” during his PhD defense.

We're #hiring! Join a research team at a top research institute in Austria by applying to the Excellent Brains open call for PhD students. There are 20 fully-funded fellowships available. Start your application below. ⬇️

We're #hiring! Join a research team at a top research institute in Austria by applying to the Excellent Brains open call for postdoctoral researchers. There are 20 fully-funded positions available. Start your application below. ⬇️

Thinking about where to take your research next? IMBA at Vienna BioCenter is now accepting applications to join our postdoc program. #lifesciences #research #austria #abroad

Today, the @fwf-at.bsky.social honors Elly Tanaka, IMBA's Scientific Director, with the Wittgenstein Award – the premier research award of Austria - for her groundbreaking discoveries in the field of regenerative biology. Congratulations, Elly! More on the award: imba.science/43Y93sC

We are #hiring! Join the Proteomics Tech-Hub as a Master’s Student and contribute to a project developing a low input & high throughput interactomics pipeline. Apply below!

Congratulations to our Nicolas Rivron, who is the 2025 laureate of the Institute de France’s Grand Prix Scientifique Charles Defforey! The award recognizes his work on stem cell-based models of mouse and human embryo development. Read more: http://imba.science/4kN5Zph

We are #hiring! Join the Bioinformatics Services team as a Staff Bioinformatician and contribute to our mission of advancing bioinformatics-driven research, built on cutting-edge computational infrastructure. Apply below!

🚨📢 New paper alert! A study led by Kirsten Senti and Julius Brennecke offers new insights into how ancient endogenous retroviruses diversified to exploit different cell “niches” in the fruit fly ovary, and how the host’s defenses adapted in return. https://imba.science/Brennecke_EMBOJ

Presenting the IMBA Research Report for 2024! Last year, IMBA welcomed new directors to the institute and published research findings in the areas of genome organization, RNA biology, organoids, and developmental biology. Download your copy. 👇

IMBA's Scientific Director Elly Tanaka recently published an OpEd in @derstandard.at, highlighting the high level of scientific research in Europe and Austria's efforts in building well-supported centers of academic excellence. Read the full-length English version here: imba.science/Tanaka_OpEd

Why we love it at the Vienna BioCenter–hear it directly from our fellows! The VIP³ call is open–16 fully-funded, three-year postdoctoral fellowships in an interdisciplinary environment. Apply now: training.vbc.ac.at/post-docs/vi... #VBCPostDoc @viennabiocenter.bsky.social @impvienna.bsky.social

Heidar Heidari Khoei, postdoc in Nicolas Rivron’s Lab (‪@nicolasrivron.bsky.social‬), was awarded an ESPRIT Fellowship by the Austrian Science Fund FWF (@fwf-at.bsky.social‬) for his research on human embryonic development. Read more: https://imba.science/khoei_ESPRIT

Congratulations to Sakurako Nagumo Wong on the completion of her PhD! Sakurako, a researcher in the Knoblich Lab, presented her dissertation titled “Cerebral organoids model postnatal interneuron migration in the human cortex” during her PhD defense.

Congratulations to Polina Tikanova on the completion of her PhD! Polina, a researcher in the Burga Lab, presented her work on “Molecular mechanisms of intra- and interspecific genomic conflict” at her PhD defense.

🦇 Fledertiere können verschiedene hochgefährliche Viren in sich tragen, ohne sichtbar zu erkranken. @mjkellner.bsky.social & @penningerlab.bsky.social haben nun die zellulären antiviralen Abwehrmechanismen in den Schleimhäuten der Tiere untersucht. www.helmholtz-hzi.de/media-center...

Check out this fantastic work by @mjkellner.bsky.social and the @penningerlab.bsky.social, published yesterday in Nature Immunology! The team developed bat-derived respiratory and intestinal organoids to understand how bats defend themselves against dangerous viruses that can affect humans.