Research Institute of Molecular Pathology
Encyclopedia
The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) is a basic biomedical research center sponsored largely by the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, and located in the Campus Vienna Biocenter (VBC).
The IMP's primary goal is to conduct innovative basic research in the molecular life sciences. Over the years, the IMP has rapidly established a strong international reputation, reflected in the numerous national and international awards bestowed upon its scientists, and the many key research papers published in top-ranking scientific journals each year. The IMP attracts researchers from all over the world, almost all of whom move on after several years to leading scientific positions elsewhere in Austria or abroad. This constant turnover gives the IMP a young, dynamic and international spirit, and the flexibility to continually hire promising new scientific talents and expand its research activities into exciting new directions.
, Structural biology
, Bioinformatics
, Molecular Biology
, Cell Biology
, Oncology
and Developmental Biology
. There are not assigned departments and the subject studies at the IMP may vary as new groups join the institute.
Currently, the IMP is organized into 14 independent research groups, headed by 5 senior scientists, 7 junior group leaders, and 2 IMP fellows. The actual groups located at the moment focus into:
Bioinformatics department for sequence analysis, scientific data mining
, hardware and software infrastructure and self developed software. At the BioOptics facility analytical flow cytometry, cell sorting and microscopy are offered. And the microscopy service is complemented with the Electron Microscopy facility with two transmission electron microscopes of 100 kV and 300 kV.
The Genomics department include DNA microarray
services and next-generation sequencing devices. There is a protein chemistry department for mass spectrometry
experiments. The Max Perutz Library provides information service for all literature needs. The animal facility supervises care of mice and Xenopus laevis and hosts a mouse service facility for generation of new transgenic lines and ES cell microinjections into blastocysts .
Other facilities include the service department, the workshop, an art department and a Kindergarten at service for the staff of the IMP.
. The objective of the program is to train outstanding scientists in answering important biological questions and work towards scientific independence. The PhD students from different backgrounds and nationalities are offered training in an enrichment scientific environment to ensure the completion of a successful PhD.
The selection procedure takes place twice a year when selected candidates are invited to the institute in Vienna
. Group leaders and candidates get to know each other in personal interviews held during four days and the successful candidates are offered a PhD position in the research area of choice.
The primary roles of the SAB are to form a judgment of the scientific work of the researchers independent of its publication records and as a counterbalance to the director and ensure a fair play for all.
, and the American partner Genentech
, the number one biotechnology firm at the time. From the collaboration of both firms rose the idea of founding an independent basic research institute in Europe which resulted in the establishment of the actual Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in 1988 in Vienna
(Austria
) under the direction of Max Birnstiel. The institute location was created on the 3rd district of Vienna on the former radio factory “Hornyphon” which was rebuilt into laboratories and the institute could opened doors in 1988.
The success of the IMP was promptly reflected in the expansion of biotechnology facilities near the institute. Three institutes of the Faculties of Science and Medicine of the University of Vienna moved into the building next door, and have been restructured as the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) under the directorship of Graham Warren.
In 1993 Genenetech bowed out its commitment with the IMP and Boehringer Ingelheim become the only sponsor of the institute with some additional support from the Austrian Government.
The campus has also been enriched by two new institutes of the Austrian Academy of Sciences: the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology
, directed by Josef Penninger, and the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), directed by Magnus Nordborg. The IMP and IMBA together form the IMP-IMBA Research Center.
Kim Nasmyth
succeeded Max Birnstiel as director in 1997 after Brinstiel retired in 1996. Since 2006 the IMP is directed by Barry Dickson.
(FWF), Austrian Industrial Research Promotion Fund (FFG), the Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF), Zentrum für Innovation und Technologie (ZIT), the City of Vienna, the Austrian federal government, the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), and the European Union (EU).
Additionally, the IMP has rapidly established a strong international reputation, reflected in the numerous national and international awards bestowed upon its scientists, and the many key research papers published in top-ranking scientific journals each year. The IMP attracts researchers from all over the world and more than 30 nationalities are represented in the institute. Threre is a constant turnover that gives the IMP a young, dynamic and international spirit, and the flexibility to continually hire promising new scientific talents and expand its research activities into exciting new directions.
The IMP's primary goal is to conduct innovative basic research in the molecular life sciences. Over the years, the IMP has rapidly established a strong international reputation, reflected in the numerous national and international awards bestowed upon its scientists, and the many key research papers published in top-ranking scientific journals each year. The IMP attracts researchers from all over the world, almost all of whom move on after several years to leading scientific positions elsewhere in Austria or abroad. This constant turnover gives the IMP a young, dynamic and international spirit, and the flexibility to continually hire promising new scientific talents and expand its research activities into exciting new directions.
Main Research Areas
Researchers at the IMP are committed to basic science, striving to unlock life’s fundamental mysteries at the molecular and cellular levels. The IMP's research spans a broad range of topics, including NeuroscienceNeuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
, Structural biology
Structural biology
Structural biology is a branch of molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the molecular structure of biological macromolecules, especially proteins and nucleic acids, how they acquire the structures they have, and how alterations in their structures affect their function...
, Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
, Molecular Biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
, Cell Biology
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
, Oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
and Developmental Biology
Developmental Biology
Developmental Biology is a peer-reviewedscientific journal. It was established in 1959 and is the official journal of the Society for Developmental Biology. It publishes research on the mechanisms of development, differentiation, and growth in animals and plants at the molecular, cellular, and...
. There are not assigned departments and the subject studies at the IMP may vary as new groups join the institute.
Currently, the IMP is organized into 14 independent research groups, headed by 5 senior scientists, 7 junior group leaders, and 2 IMP fellows. The actual groups located at the moment focus into:
- Neural circuits in Drosophila (Barry Dickson)
- Synaptic and Circuit Mechanisms of Memory Formation (Simon Rumpel)
- Tumor Progression: Abnormal Developmental Plasticity / Reprogramming? (Hartmut Beug)
- Stem Cell Commitment in Hematopoiesis (Meinrad Busslinger)
- Formation and Patterning of the Vertebrate Skeleton (Christine Hartmann)
- Cell polarity in development Carrie Cowan)
- Mammalian X-chromosome inactivation (Anton Wutz)
- The Molecular Basis of Migration (David Keays)
- Design and Function of Molecular Machines (Thomas Marlovits)
- Molecular Mechanisms of Protein Quality Control and Stress Response (Tim Clausen)
- Transfer of Signals and Substrates Across the Cell Membrane (Peggy Stolt-Bergner)
- Systems biology of regulatory motifs and networks – towards understanding gene expression from the DNA sequence (Alexander Stark)
- Molecular Mechanisms of Kinetochore Function (Stefan Westermann)
- Mitosis (Jan-Michael Peters)
Core Facilities
The IMP offers outstanding state-of-the-art core facilities to assist the labour of the scientists. Services offered at the institute comprise theBioinformatics department for sequence analysis, scientific data mining
Data mining
Data mining , a relatively young and interdisciplinary field of computer science is the process of discovering new patterns from large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and database systems...
, hardware and software infrastructure and self developed software. At the BioOptics facility analytical flow cytometry, cell sorting and microscopy are offered. And the microscopy service is complemented with the Electron Microscopy facility with two transmission electron microscopes of 100 kV and 300 kV.
The Genomics department include DNA microarray
DNA microarray
A DNA microarray is a collection of microscopic DNA spots attached to a solid surface. Scientists use DNA microarrays to measure the expression levels of large numbers of genes simultaneously or to genotype multiple regions of a genome...
services and next-generation sequencing devices. There is a protein chemistry department for mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
experiments. The Max Perutz Library provides information service for all literature needs. The animal facility supervises care of mice and Xenopus laevis and hosts a mouse service facility for generation of new transgenic lines and ES cell microinjections into blastocysts .
Other facilities include the service department, the workshop, an art department and a Kindergarten at service for the staff of the IMP.
International PhD Program
An international PhD program is held in the IMP in collaboration with the institutes at the Campus Vienna Biocenter and the University of ViennaUniversity of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
. The objective of the program is to train outstanding scientists in answering important biological questions and work towards scientific independence. The PhD students from different backgrounds and nationalities are offered training in an enrichment scientific environment to ensure the completion of a successful PhD.
The selection procedure takes place twice a year when selected candidates are invited to the institute in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Group leaders and candidates get to know each other in personal interviews held during four days and the successful candidates are offered a PhD position in the research area of choice.
Scientific Advisory Board
The IMP counts with a strong and renowned Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) consisting of internationally recognized scientific leaders. Each year the SAB attends the IMP recess and evaluates the work performed at the institute.The primary roles of the SAB are to form a judgment of the scientific work of the researchers independent of its publication records and as a counterbalance to the director and ensure a fair play for all.
History
The foundation of the institute was promoted by the private company Boehringer Ingelheim, a more chemist directed concern at the time, which wanted to branch into biotechnologyBiotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, and the American partner Genentech
Genentech
Genentech Inc., or Genetic Engineering Technology, Inc., is a biotechnology corporation, founded in 1976 by venture capitalist Robert A. Swanson and biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer. Trailing the founding of Cetus by five years, it was an important step in the evolution of the biotechnology industry...
, the number one biotechnology firm at the time. From the collaboration of both firms rose the idea of founding an independent basic research institute in Europe which resulted in the establishment of the actual Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in 1988 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) under the direction of Max Birnstiel. The institute location was created on the 3rd district of Vienna on the former radio factory “Hornyphon” which was rebuilt into laboratories and the institute could opened doors in 1988.
The success of the IMP was promptly reflected in the expansion of biotechnology facilities near the institute. Three institutes of the Faculties of Science and Medicine of the University of Vienna moved into the building next door, and have been restructured as the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) under the directorship of Graham Warren.
In 1993 Genenetech bowed out its commitment with the IMP and Boehringer Ingelheim become the only sponsor of the institute with some additional support from the Austrian Government.
The campus has also been enriched by two new institutes of the Austrian Academy of Sciences: the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology
The Institute of Molecular Biotechnology is an independent research organisation founded as a joint initiative of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the company Boehringer Ingelheim an international pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Germany...
, directed by Josef Penninger, and the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), directed by Magnus Nordborg. The IMP and IMBA together form the IMP-IMBA Research Center.
Kim Nasmyth
Kim Nasmyth
Professor Kim Nasmyth FRS is the Whitley Professor of Biochemistry . Nasmyth was formerly the Director of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, Austria and the Head of the Department of Biochemistry of the University of Oxford...
succeeded Max Birnstiel as director in 1997 after Brinstiel retired in 1996. Since 2006 the IMP is directed by Barry Dickson.
Funding
The operating budget of the IMP is provided largely by Boehringer Ingelheim. Additional support comes from grants awarded to individual scientists and projects by national and international funding agencies such as the Austrian Science FundAustrian Science Fund
The Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung is the most important Austrian funding organization for basic research. The FWF supports research in science, engineering, and the humanities through a large variety of grant programmes, prizes and by funding infrastructure...
(FWF), Austrian Industrial Research Promotion Fund (FFG), the Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF), Zentrum für Innovation und Technologie (ZIT), the City of Vienna, the Austrian federal government, the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), and the European Union (EU).
People
From the initial planned staff of less than 100 employees, and due to its rapid success, the IMP has grown to its current size of over 210 employees working at the institute.Additionally, the IMP has rapidly established a strong international reputation, reflected in the numerous national and international awards bestowed upon its scientists, and the many key research papers published in top-ranking scientific journals each year. The IMP attracts researchers from all over the world and more than 30 nationalities are represented in the institute. Threre is a constant turnover that gives the IMP a young, dynamic and international spirit, and the flexibility to continually hire promising new scientific talents and expand its research activities into exciting new directions.