The Carl and Gerty Cori Institute of Molecular and Computational Metabolism of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) in Graz is a newly established research institute dedicated to understanding, modeling, and engineering human metabolism.

Named after Carl and Gerty Cori, whose discoveries revealed fundamental principles of metabolic regulation, the institute is founded on the idea that metabolism represents a central organizing logic of life—governing how matter and energy are transformed and allocated within biological systems.

The core concept of the Cori Institute in Graz

Recent advances in high-throughput biology (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics), quantitative imaging, and precise genome engineering, combined with breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, data science, and mathematical modeling, now enable an unprecedented, multi-scale understanding of biological systems.

At the same time, emerging capabilities in chemical biology, protein engineering, and cellular design are beginning to make metabolism increasingly amenable to rational intervention.

The Cori Institute builds on this momentum to establish a new paradigm for biomedical research:
an integrated, interdisciplinary approach that brings together experimental and computational science to decode, model, and ultimately shape metabolic processes.

While the primary focus lies on human biology and disease, CORI also acknowledges that metabolism operates within a broader physiological and environmental context, which can influence health and disease in important ways.

A New Model of Research

To achieve this, The Cori brings together scientists from mathematics, computer science, biology, chemistry, medicine, and engineering in tightly integrated teams.

These teams will:

• generate high-dimensional experimental and clinical datasets
• develop predictive, quantitative models of metabolic systems
• translate these models into mechanistic understanding and actionable hypotheses
• and enable the development of new therapeutic strategies

The institute combines deep computational expertise with cutting-edge experimental capabilities, creating a research environment in which data, models, and biological systems continuously inform and refine one another.

Examples of the breadth of research interests of The Cori:

• comprehensive, quantitative model of human metabolism (flagship)
• AI-driven metabolic modelling of subsystems
• model mitochondrial energy homeostasis as a system of coupled nonlinear ODEs
• metabolism and bioenergetics as driver of neurodegeneration, cognitive declined and aging
• mitochondrial life cycle and dynamics
• metabolic engineering of new pathways for disease modulation
• discovery of bioactive small molecules as key mediators of metabolic and ecological interactions
• dynamic metabolic flux and real-time sensing
• membrane transport; chemical exchange and inter-organ metabolic communication
• Immunometabolism and host–pathogen interactions
• design of small molecule metabolism modulators
• exposome-dependent hormone mimetics and endocrine disruptors
• citizen-powered, real-time mapping of how the exposome shapes human metabolism and disease risk
• metabolic control of cell identity
• microbiome–metabolome interface
• spatial and single-cell metabolism
• nutrition and foodomics
• metabolism and fertility
• immune metabolism
• paleometabolism

Towards Transformative Impact

By advancing a rigorous and quantitative understanding of metabolism,
The Cori aims to:

• uncover fundamental principles of human biology
• enable new approaches to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disease
• and contribute to innovation in medicine and biotechnology

In doing so, the Cori Institute seeks to establish a leading European center of excellence, an interdisciplinary environment where scientific rigor, creativity, and collaboration converge to shape the future of biomedical research.