On Wednesday, five young scientists were honored in Innsbruck for their outstanding international work: The Life Sciences Research Awards Austria 2025, presented by the Austrian Society for Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology (ÖGMBT), were awarded to Victoria Deneke (IMP Vienna), Rémi Hocq (TU Vienna) and Eugenia Pankevich (CeMM). The Life Sciences PhD Awards Austria 2025 were awarded to Yannick Weyer (Medical University of Innsbruck) and Max Josef Kellner (IMBA).
The Life Science Research Award 2025 in the category of basic research went to Victoria Deneke from the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) at the Vienna Biocenter.
Comprehensive model for vertebrate fertilization
Deneke and her team have addressed a fundamental question in reproductive biology: How do sperm and egg cells interact at the molecular level to enable fertilization? In her study, which the jury described as “groundbreaking,” Deneke used an artificial intelligence (AI) system to predict protein binding. These predictions were subsequently confirmed experimentally, impressively demonstrating the potential of AI in basic research.
Title of the paper: A conserved fertilization complex bridges sperm and egg in vertebrates
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.035
Bacteria convert carbon monoxide into acetic acid
Rémi Hocq received the award for application-oriented research. He conducts research at the Institute of Process Engineering, Environmental Technology and Technical Biosciences at the Vienna University of Technology. His work, published in the renowned journal Nature, describes the development of a bacterial strain that can biologically utilize an important industrial gas mixture. With these new findings, microorganisms can now be developed that convert carbon monoxide into acetic acid and other valuable products.
Title: A megatransposon drives the adaptation of Thermoanaerobacter kivui to carbon monoxide
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59103-8
Technology platform optimizes CAR- T cells for cancer therapy
T-cell-based therapies have revolutionized immunotherapy. CAR T cells are the first widely used therapy involving genetically modified cells. Over the past ten years, they have achieved remarkable success in the treatment of certain hematological cancers. However, relapses are common, and these cells are largely ineffective against solid tumors.
Eugenia Pankevich and her team from the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna have developed a new technology platform that optimizes these CAR T cells. One of these optimized cells is highly effective in preclinical models for both leukemia and solid tumors. According to the jury, this has the potential to significantly improve treatment outcomes.
Title: Systematic discovery of CRISPR-boosted CAR T cell immunotherapies
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE266618
Young Researcher Awards: What we can learn from bats about pandemic preparedness
In the Applied Research category, the Life Sciences PhD Award Austria 2025 goes to Max Josef Kellner from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) in Vienna. He has developed a portable open-source test that can detect viruses in less than an hour, even in areas with an unreliable power supply. “It's science that fits in a backpack and protects the health of the most vulnerable communities,” said the jury.
But Kellner also wondered why bats carry deadly pathogens and yet remain completely healthy. Using tiny, living “mini-organs” grown from bat tissue, he found clues to the bats' secret defense mechanisms — natural alarm systems that react faster and stronger than those of humans. “These discoveries point to new ways of treating viral infections in humans and turn nature's resilience into medicine. Max Kellner's work is a rare combination of ingenuity and empathy,” the jury said enthusiastically.
Title: Preparing for Future Pandemics: Rapid Virus Identification in Resource-Limited Settings and Modeling Zoonotic Virus Infections in Natural Reservoir Species
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-025-02155-1
Yannick Weyer from the Institute of Cell Biology at the University of Innsbruck received the PhD Award in the basic research category for his work on the Golgi apparatus. Weyer demonstrated that this apparatus not only sorts proteins within a cell, but also plays an important role in the quality control of membrane proteins. Parts of the work have already been published in recognized journals.
Title: Functional characterization of a novel post-ER associated degradation system
https://ulb-dok.uibk.ac.at/urn/urn:nbn:at:at-ubi:1-146411
This year, the three Life Sciences Research Awards were once again sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy, and Tourism (BMWET). Federal Minister Dr. Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer commented: “For Austria to return to the top, we must focus on our strengths: diligence, inventiveness, and internationality. Research and development play a key role in this – they create high-quality jobs and make our economy more resilient. High-tech products from Austria are virtually irreplaceable on the global markets and thus ensure long-term value creation in our country. With the Life Sciences Research Awards, we support young scientists who lay this foundation and provide sustainable impetus for economic recovery. They impressively demonstrate Austria's innovative strength.”
The ÖGMBT Annual Conference is Austria's most important life sciences event
The ÖGMBT represents 1,300 individuals working in the life sciences, as well as 90 companies and institutions. ÖGMBT President Priv. Doz. Dr. Michael Sauer said at the annual meeting in Innsbruck: “Once again, the Life Sciences Research Awards Austria demonstrate the high international standard of researchers in Austria. On behalf of the ÖGMBT, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to our long-standing supporters BMWET, as well as to Boehringer Ingelheim RCV and Polymun Scientific, who make these awards possible.”
Contact:
Austrian Association of Molecular Life Sciences and Biotechnology
DI (FH) Alexandra Khassidov
Vienna BioCenter
Paulusgasse 12, B108
1030 Wien
office(at)oegmbt.at
+43 676 3611978