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18 December 2001
Internationally leading genetics researcher is the new director of
IMBA - Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Research Cooperation of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, IMP and Boehringer Ingelheim
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The Austrian Academy of Sciences managed to engage Dr Josef Martin Penninger as the head of IMBA - Institute of Molecular Biotechnology.
Austrian-born Josef Penninger has been highly successful in the field of molecular genetics research and its medical application carried out in Canada in the last ten years.
Questions of cancer research like the prevention of tumour through an appropriate programming of the immune system or problems of the regulation of bone formation and bone atrophy in order to steer and to avoid osteoporosis in time range among the topics of Penninger's research.
Apart from this, he has substantially contributed to the research of the origins of auto-immune diseases, to the treatment of infectious diseases and the understanding of the mechanisms of the conditioned cell death.
Josef Penninger was born on September 5, 1964, in Gurten (Upper Austria).
After elementary school in Gurten he went to the gymnasium in Ried (Upper Austria).
From 1982 to 1988 Penninger studied medicine at the University of Innsbruck and also frequented lectures in art history and Spanish.
The pathologist and aging researcher Georg Wick supervised his doctoral thesis on an immunological topic ("Phenotypical and functional analysis of intrathymic nurse (TCN)-Lymphocytes"). In 1990 he earned his doctoral degree.
From 1990 to 1994 Penninger worked at the Ontario Cancer Institute. From 1994 onwards he was "Principal Investigator" at the U.S. biotechnology company Amgen and as such he worked at the Department of Immunology and Medical Biophysics of the University of Toronto.
Josef Penninger has been awarded numerous prizes and distinctions. In Canada he was elected "Young leader in medicine in Canada" by "Globe and Mail" in 2000, he was included in the "Top 10" of the most modern scientists of the year and in 2001 in the "Top 40 under 40" of Canada.
The magazine "Esquire" listed him among the "ten most interesting people of the year 2000".
Josef Penninger's scientific achievements can be traced in 147 papers, a large number of which being published in leading journals like Nature, Science or Cell.
Facts & Figures
Research Cooperation of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, IMP and Boehringer Ingelheim
In the autumn of 1999 the Austrian Academy of Sciences has signed a cooperation contract with Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies and thus established the cooperation between academic research and the economy.
IMBA is a 100-percent affiliate of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The main focus of the research at IMBA will be on topics highly relevant to the human existence like cancer and heart diseases.
IMBA will closely cooperate with the adjoining Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP).
For the first time the Austrian Academy of Sciences thus systematically approaches the transfer and availability of results of research for economic use.
Establishing a biomedical top research institution also reinforces the international attractiveness of the location of Vienna for research in molecular biology.
Building: Planning by Boris Podrecca
IMBA is located at the Vienna Bio Center (institutes of the University of Vienna, IMP, Start-up Companies) in Dr. Bohr-Gasse in the third district of Vienna.
The construction will start in the summer of 2002, the building will be ready for use at the beginning of 2004.
The new building will be constructed on an 2800 m2 estate, total costs amount to ATS 330 million.
Apart from IMBA, the new building also houses another research institution of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
The Viennese architect Boris Podrecca is the general planner of the building project, which was elected as the winner in the course of an EU competition.
Financed by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and by the City of Vienna
The construction of the new building and the facility management of IMBA are made possible by grants from the City of Vienna and the Austrian central government.
The City of Vienna has financed the purchase of the site, the construction costs are covered by the City of Vienna (ATS 190 million) and the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
The Austrian central government will bear the annual costs amounting to ATS 100 million.
Pictures of the press meeting
Links:
IMBA - Institute of Molecular Biotechnology
Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP)
Vienna Biocenter
Boehringer Ingelheim Group of Companies
Information:
Dr. Marianne Baumgart, Public Relations, Austrian Academy of Sciences
Phone: (+43 1) 51581/219, fax: (+43 1) 51581/275, email: Marianne.Baumgart@oeaw.ac.at
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Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften
A-1010 Wien
Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2
Tel.: (+43 1) 51581-0
webmaster@oeaw.ac.at
last update: 2001/08/27
©
by ÖAW
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