Three ERC Consolidator Grant were recently awarded to Vienna BioCenter group leaders, representing Faculty of Life Sciences ( University of Vienna), the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) and the Max Perutz Labs. Additionally, an ERC Synergy Grant has been awarded to a research team including a Senior Scientist from the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna.
With this, more than 100 ERC Grants have been awarded to scientists working at Vienna BioCenter since 2007, proving the constant high quality of research enabled on our Campus.
ERC Consolidator Grant awarded to Christa Bücker – Max Perutz Labs
Christa Buecker, Group leader at Max Perutz Labs Vienna, has been awarded the ERC Consolidator Grant for her project ‘GENE-TUNE’, securing nearly €2 million in funding over the next five years. With this support, the Buecker lab will take a bottom-up approach to unravel the complexities of gene regulatory landscapes, focusing on a wide range of regulatory elements.
Gene regulation is essential for controlling when, where, and how much a gene is expressed, ensuring proper cellular function and adaptability to its changing environment. This process relies on a complex interplay of regulatory elements – the gene regulatory landscape. Crucially, regulatory sequences often operate from regions far away from the genes they control. However, the exact details of how regulatory elements work within the three-dimensional genome is currently not well understood.
The project focuses on understanding how gene expression is regulated from a distance. “We hypothesize that certain transcription factors or binding sites enable enhancers to activate genes over long distances, while others lack this capability,” Christa explains. “To identify what makes regulatory elements effective, we’ll test a diverse library of enhancers, analyze their behavior, and investigate how combining multiple elements can overcome spatial limitations.”
ERC Consolidator Grant for Alejandro Burga - IMBA
From antiparasitic toxins in butterflies to antifreeze proteins in fish, horizontal gene transfer (HGT)—the non-sexual exchange of genes between species—has been observed in all major eukaryotic lineages. However, one of its most fascinating aspects, the transfer mechanism, remains a mystery despite decades of research. How can DNA leave the donor species, come in close contact with the germline of a second species, and integrate in the genome of its new host? Alejandro Burga at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences has now been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant to study exactly how genes jump the species barrier, and how these leaps kickstart the evolution of novel traits. This is the second prestigious ERC grant for Alejandro Burga, who is currently funded by an ERC Starting Grant.
In Alejandro Burga’s first ERC-funded project, the Burga Lab discovered that Mavericks, ancient eukaryotic transposable elements related to giant viruses and adenoviruses, have mediated the widespread transfer of genes between nematode species. Having identified the first HGT vector in animals, the team will now, in the project called “TOP-GUN”, dissect the molecular basis of HGT and investigate HGT’s impact on evolution.
"When we hear the word 'virus,' it's almost impossible not to associate it with disease. Yet, viruses are so much more than that. They are powerful agents of change, as ancient as life itself, and we are only beginning to uncover the profound impact they have had on the evolution of life on Earth”, says Alejandro Burga.
ERC Consolidator Grant goes to Katerina Douka – Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna
Katerina Douka, Associate Professor in Archaeological Science at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Vienna has been awarded the ERC Consolidator Grant for the project RIFT-to-RIM.
The project's principal objective is the discovery and analysis of new early modern human fossils from under-researched parts of the world, to learn more about the human groups that inhabited Africa and migrated across Eurasia to the supercontinent Sahul. This remarkable human migration, from the East African Rift to the Pacific Rim, enabled the genetic admixture of Homo sapiens with other hominin species. State-of-the-art paleoproteomic and paleogenetic methods will be used to screen thousands of archaeological bones, and hundreds of sediment samples for molecular clues. The material will be collected from 21 archaeological sites in six countries, dating to between 200,000 and 10,000 years ago.
Human evolution is a complex narrative, and RIFT-to-RIM will generate a wealth of new data to help decode the intricate mosaic that defines modern humans today.
ERC Synergy Grant awarded to Katharina Kitzinger – CeMESS, University of Vienna
A new research project led by a team of four scientists, including Katharina Kitzinger, Senior Scientist at CeMESS and researchers from Denmark, Sweden, and the US recently received a ERC Synergy Grant. The project called “RECLESS” (Recycling versus loss in the marine nitrogen cycle: controls, feedbacks, and the impact of expanding low oxygen regions) will investigate how the activity of tiny microbes in oxygen-depleted waters of the ocean impacts the global climate. Of the total funding, 2.5 million euros will support research at the University of Vienna. The ERC Synergy Grants foster collaboration between outstanding researchers, enabling them to combine their expertise, knowledge and resources to push the boundaries of scientific discovery.
About European Research Council (ERC)
The European Research Council (ERC), set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. Every year, it selects and funds the very best, creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based in Europe. The ERC offers four core grant schemes: Starting, Consolidator, Advanced and Synergy Grants. With its additional Proof of Concept grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialization. The overall ERC budget from 2021 to 2027 is more than 16 billion Euro.
Photo credit: Max Kropitz, Anna Stöcher, derknopfdrücker, , Ludwig Schedl