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CALR-Mutation assay for MPN diagnosis now launched by QIAGEN

QIAGEN announced the European launch of a unique calreticulin (CALR) mutation assay to aid in establishing the diagnosis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN)

The importance of CALR mutations in MPN was first described in December 2013 by the group of CeMM Principal Investigator Robert Kralovics. In April 2014 QIAGEN obtained the exclusive worldwide license rights to intellectual property and know-how from CeMM covering specific mutant alleles of the CALR gene. 

QIAGEN’s new ipsogen CALR RGQ PCR Kit (ipsogen CALR assay) has been developed for the detection of CALR mutations in genomic DNA from patients which are suspected of MPN. It enables…

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New application of existing drug offers personalized therapy for lung cancer

A subset of lung tumours is exquisitely sensitive to a class of recently approved anti-cancer drugs. Researchers at the CeMM and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Oxford published this finding in the journal Nature Communications. It opens the way for new clinical trials in a type of cancer considered to be “undruggable” and may lead to a therapy for up to 10% of lung cancer patients.

About 10% of lung tumours carry mutations in a gene called ATM. However, there are no drugs available in the clinic to treat ATM mutant lung cancer. With cutting edge high-throughput drug screens, the team of Sebastian Nijman, CeMM Adjunct PI and…

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Breakthrough in diabetes research: Pancreatic cells produce insulin instead of glucagon upon artemisinin treatment

FDA-approved artemisinins, since decades used to treat malaria, transform glucagon-producing alpha cells in the pancreas into insulin producing cells – thereby acquiring features of beta cells, the cell type damaged in type 1 diabetes. Those groundbreaking results, published in Cell, provides the basis for a promising new approach towards a cure for type 1 diabetes.

For years, researchers around the globe tried various approaches with stem- or adult cells in order to replace destroyed beta-cells in the bodies of diabetes patients with newly-produced insulin-secreting cells. Now a research team coordinated by Stefan Kubicek, Group Leader at…

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George Zarkalis, Gottfried Haber, Harald Mahrer, Sylvia Knapp and Giulio Superti-Furga

BMWFW future strategy presented at CeMM

The Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (BMWFW) presented the future strategy for the Austrian Life Science and Pharmaceutical Sector at CeMM

It was an honor for CeMM to host State Secretary Dr. Harald Mahrer with his delegation for a press conference to present a strategy document on the Austrian Life Science and Pharmaceutical Sector. 

CeMM is enthusiastic about the fact that life sciences have become a strategic focus point for the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy, and appreciates the commitment to bring Austria among the Top 3 performers in Europe according to a number of parameters. The overall…

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Beyond the DNA: Comprehensive map of the human epigenome completed

The sequencing of the human genome was a milestone for biology and medicine – but not all is written in our genes. Scientists are now presenting a second chapter of the book of life: Over the last five years, a worldwide consortium of scientists has established epigenetic maps of 2,100 cell types. Within this coordinated effort, CeMM contributed detailed DNA methylation maps of the developing blood, opening up new perspectives for the understanding and treatment of leukemia and immune diseases.

The identity of each cell type is largely defined by an instructive layer of molecular annotations on top of the genome – the epigenome – which acts…

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The Stars over Babylon - S.M.A.R.T. Lecture by Mathieu Ossendrijver

This year´s S.M.A.R.T. Lecture was a truly exceptional experience for the audience: Mathieu Ossendrijver, professor for the history of ancient science at the Humboldt University in Berlin, presented his findings on astronomic calculations of ancient Babylonians in our fully booked lecture hall.

From five cuneiform tablets, dating from 350 to 50 BCE, Ossendrijver decrypted a sophisticated calculation method to determine and predict Jupiter’s position. According to his findings, more than two thousand years ago the Babylonian astronomers were able to compute a body´s displacement as an area in time-velocity space – a mathematical operation…

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Missing link between hemolysis and infection found

Worldwide, millions of people suffer from hemolysis, the breakdown of red blood cells, such as those afflicted with sickle-cell disease, malaria or sepsis. These patients face an unprecedented risk of death from bacterial infections and the mechanism for this has remained unclear until now. In the latest edition of Nature Immunology, Sylvia Knapp’s Group at the CeMM and the Medical University of Vienna discovered how hemolysis causes infections and found a new means to prevent it, paving the way to new treatment possibilities

For decades, iron has been considered the prime suspect responsible for the high rate of bacterial infections in…

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Newly discovered, rare immunodeficiency yields unexpected insights into the immune system

A hitherto unknown gene mutation revealed the role of a key molecule for immune cell development and a potential personalized therapy for this rare disease. The study, led by Kaan Boztug and published in Nature Immunology, clearly highlights the importance and opportunities of research in the field of rare diseases.

A twelve-year old patient was the starting point of the study: Since his birth, the child suffered from severe, life-threatening infections. Three of his six siblings died within the first two years of life, presumably due to similar complications. Although the origin of their condition was unknown, the researchers assumed a…

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Georg Winter, CeMM's new Principal Investigator, wins ASCINA award

Endowed by the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy and awarded by the Network of "Austrian Scientists and Scholars in North America" (ASCINA), the prize rewards outstanding scientific achievements of Austrians performed in the United States.

During the 13th Austrian Research and Innovation Talk (ARIT), on October 22nd, 2016, in Toronto, Georg Winter, as well as two other Austrian scientists who worked in the USA, received the ASCINA award from Mag. MA Barbara Weitgruber, Director General for Scientific Research and International Relations, Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy. The prize, endowed with €…

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Myelopro Diagnostics and Research GmbH obtains an exclusive worldwide license from CeMM to develop therapeutics, targeting mutated calreticulin protein in malignant diseases

CALR mutations have been discovered by the research team of Robert Kralovics at CeMM as highly disease-specific markers to a blood cancer called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Recently, the relevance of CALR mutations have been recognized by the WHO, including them as one of the major diagnostic criteria. 

As a unique, disease-specific peptide, mutated CALR is also an attractive target to develop therapies. “This licensing agreement enables Myelopro to continue research on the therapeutic exploitation of mutated CALR in a disease area with an unmet medical need. We are making excellent progress and are very excited to partner with CeMM,…

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