🎉 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.

Check out our new video, in which Leo Otsuki and Elly Tanaka share their latest discovery: a molecular positional code in the axolotl that tells cells whether they are on the “pinky side” or the “thumb side” of an arm. This positional identity is key for healthy limb regeneration.

Check out Leo Otsuki's (@leootsuki.bsky.social) detailed explainer on the nitty and gritty of the Tanaka team's discovery, now out on Nature. imba.science/Hand2_Nature

New paper alert! Researchers at the Tanaka Lab found a signal that tells cells which part of the arm to regenerate after injury - and used it to reprogram the identity of cells as they develop, opening new possibilities for regenerative medicine. More: imba.science/Hand2_positi...

IMBA researchers Catarina Martins-Costa, Nina Corsini, and Jürgen Knoblich just received the 2024 Austrian State Prize for the Promotion of Alternative Methods to Animal Experiments. The team developed lab-grown organoid models of the human corpus callosum. More: https://imba.science/4dpm9Cg

We are hiring! Join the BioOptics team as a Data Scientist in Image Analysis and contribute to the team’s mission of providing microscopy applications, flow cytometry, and image analysis services. Link below. #europe #research #lifesciences

IMBA is recruiting a Junior Group Leader! Are you interested in starting your own lab, pursuing curiosity-driven basic research in the life sciences? Apply by May 18: imba.science/beagroupleader #hiring #biology #research #groupleader #europe

Congratulations to Glenn Li (MIT/Whitehead Institute/HHMI) on receiving the best talk award and to Julia Portell Montserrat (IMBA/IMP) on receiving the best presentation award at the Microsymposium PhD Workshop!

Having worked directly with many PIs at @imbavienna.bsky.social over the last 15 years, we couldn't recommend them more highly as an ideal environment to set up your lab.