Coordination in the "doc.funds" doctoral program: "SHIELD: Securing Host Immunity – Elimination versus Destruction"
Coordination: Maria Sibilia, Medical University of Vienna
Participating Partners: Medical University of Vienna, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Funding Volume: 2.2 million euros
The immune system protects our body against external (pathogens) and internal (cancer) threats. Eliminating these threats or misguided attacks on the body's own structures inevitably lead to tissue damage. Securing tissue integrity is therefore of utmost importance to prevent autoimmune diseases, infections, and cancer. SHIELD is a unique doctoral program explicitly focusing on these fundamental aspects of (host) immunity. It requires integrating basic research, data science, and clinical science to enable students at this interface to explore fundamental biomedical questions about the protective shield of our immune system. SHIELD will train researchers for future precision medicine approaches, and insights from this research program are crucial for improved therapies.
To comprehensively address today's medically relevant questions, interdisciplinary collaboration across various scientific disciplines is required. Eleven PhD projects will focus on the protective shield of our immune system, addressing three different yet closely interconnected research themes: 1. Elimination of pathogens and tumors; 2. cellular and molecular immunity; 3. tissue destruction triggered by autoimmune processes. This will lead to the exploration of better precision medicine approaches to significantly improve future therapies.
The faculty consists of a balanced combination of experienced researchers, mid-career researchers, and early-career researchers. The broad spectrum of complementary expertise shared by the groups and close collaboration among individual PhD projects benefit the students, ensuring high-quality research and education simultaneously. SHIELD is embedded in the successful PhD program 'Inflammation and Immunity' (IAI) at the Medical University of Vienna. Since its establishment in 2007, IAI has pioneered the connection between cancer research and immunology, introduced competitive PhD recruitment, and served as a model for many PhD programs in Austria.
SHIELD expands the IAI's PhD program to an unexplored, complex, interdisciplinary research topic on host immunity and tissue destruction in the context of significant and contemporary translational research approaches, including modern data science. Moreover, the program will pave the way for a unique MD/PhD career model in Austria, enabling the implementation of basic research and data science methods into clinical routine. The goal is to educate translational scientists to enable and promote precision medicine approaches necessary to address the challenging medical problems of our time and the near future.
Participating Researchers:
Center for Cancer Research: Maria Sibilia, Thomas Bauer, Thomas Vogl, Juliane Winkler, Iros Barozzi
Institute of Immunology: Wilfried Ellmeier, Shinya Sakaguchi
University Clinic for Internal Medicine I: Sylvia Knapp
University Clinic for Dermatology: Georg Stary
University Clinic for Internal Medicine III, Clinical Department for Rheumatology: Michael Bonelli
Vetmeduni: Birgit Strobl
Collaborating Partners in the "doc.funds" Doctoral Program "Genome Instability" Coordination: University of Vienna
Participating Partners: University of Vienna, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology/Austrian Academy of Sciences, Medical University of Vienna
Funding Volume: 2.1 million euros
Collaborating Partners in the "doc.funds.connect" Doctoral Program "EVision: Extracellular Vesicles in Inflammation"
Coordination: University for Continuing Education Krems
Participating Partners: University for Continuing Education Krems, IMC Krems, Medical University of Vienna
Funding Volume: 1.1 million euros
Extended Special Research Areas under Coordination or Involvement of the Medical University of Vienna:
As Coordinator: Special Research Area "RNAdeco: Chemical Decoration of RNA"
Coordination: Michael F. Jantsch, Medical University of Vienna
Research Network: Max Perutz Labs/University of Vienna, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Medical University of Innsbruck, University of Vienna, University of Innsbruck.
Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are essential for translating genetic information into proteins. In addition, RNAs regulate crucial cellular functions controlling genetic variability, stress signals, or immune responses. RNAs consist of the four bases A, C, G, and U and are chemically diverse. Chemical modifications are crucial for the error-free cellular functions of RNAs. Specific patterns of chemical modifications, for example, allow distinguishing viral from endogenous RNAs, initiating a targeted immune response, a discovery that contributed to the development of successful RNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and the associated Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2023. The SFB RNA-DECO brings together eleven research groups led by the Medical University of Vienna with participation from the Medical University of Innsbruck, University of Vienna, University of Innsbruck, and IST. Together, the research groups will investigate the occurrence and impact of chemical RNA modifications on normal cellular function and the development of diseases. www-rna-deco.org
As Partner: Special Research Area 'Stem Cell Modulation in Neuronal Development and Regeneration' Coordination: Jürgen A. Knoblich, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA), Austrian Academy of Sciences Research Network: Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Max Perutz Labs/University of Vienna, University of Innsbruck, Medical University of Vienna
As Partner: Special Research Area "Targeted Protein Degradation – From Small Molecules to Complex Organelles"
Coordination: Sascha Martens, University of Vienna
Research Network: Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA)/Austrian Academy of Sciences, Research Center for Molecular Medicine/Austrian Academy of Sciences, Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology/Austrian Academy of Sciences, Medical University of Vienna, Max Delbrück Center (Berlin)
FWF Funding Program "doc.funds"
The program enables the scientific and artistic-scientific training of doctoral candidates within existing structured doctoral programs at Austrian research institutions. The goal is to sustainably strengthen training structures and provide highly qualified young researchers with excellent conditions. The next call for proposals will start on December 13, 2023, and will be open until March 5, 2024.
FWF Funding Program "doc.funds.connect"
The cooperative doctorate between universities and universities of applied sciences aims to leverage further synergies in the domestic research landscape. The program not only intensifies collaboration between Austrian research institutions but also enhances the research competence of universities of applied sciences at a high international level, offering researchers more flexibility and opportunities. The next call for proposals will be launched jointly with the new doc.funds call.
About the Special Research Areas
With Special Research Area funding, 5 to 15 scientists can form an internationally visible research network to deepen research questions mostly at one location. The program particularly addresses multi- or interdisciplinary research topics. Research institutions have the opportunity to create excellent conditions for promising researchers with SFB funding, shaping their own research profile. The program is funded by the Future Fund Austria.