Giulio Superti-Furga, scientific director at the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and Professor of Medical Systems Biology at the Medical University of Vienna is to receive the Advanced Investigator Grant of the European Research Council ERC in the amount of approximately 2.5 million euro. The term for the prestigious grant is 5 years.

"ERC Grants are the most important promotions for life sciences in Europe. Unfortunately, the situation is becoming increasingly competitive due to budget cuts," says Giulio Superti-Furga who has built up and is leading CeMM at the campus of the Medical University of Vienna and the Vienna General Hospital: "I am all the more delighted to receive this extraordinary distinction as it also confirms the relevance and quality of CeMM research." The goal of CeMM is to prepare the precise medicine of the future by decoding molecular causes for important diseases such as cancer, inflammation and immune disorders. Giulio Superti-Furga already received an ERC Advanced Grant in 2009 for the exploration of basic immune system mechanisms. In 2011, he also received the first ERC Proof of Concept Grant in Austria.

The molecular system biologist has been granted the present ERC funding for research into existing components in cell membranes that transport dissolved substances into cells. Previous studies have shown that these "cell gates", so-called SoLute Carrier Proteins (SLCs) perform an important task in regulating the cellular metabolism and are responsible for accepting medications. The goal of the research project with the title "Game of Gates" is to decode the previously unknown rules according to which cells open or close their gates, either permitting or preventing the entry of substances. Giulio Superti-Furga: "Thus far, SLCs were treated more or less as second-rate by the scientific community. However, we expect that insights from our study will significantly contribute to a new, fundamental understanding of cellular physiology and thus prepare the way for the development of new, targeted therapies for various illnesses." 

The ERC Advanced Investigator Grant is being awarded to Giulio Superti-Furga after two ERC Starting Grants had been given to Andreas Bergthaler and Christoph Bock in the autumn of 2015. Moreover, CeMM Principal Investigator Kaan Boztug won the bid – also in the autumn of 2015 – for founding the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases. The "Vienna Research Groups for Young Investigators" grant of the Vienna Science and Technology Fund WWTF had also been awarded to the CeMM PI Jörg Menche. All of these promotions once again emphasize the excellent work being performed at the CeMM.