From left to right: Sebastian Hečko, Trinh Phan-Canh, Julia Bubis, Spencer Balay, Utku Horzum

Novel Approach to Combat Bone Marrow Cancer, Cell Analysis with Record Precision, and Tissue-Sparing Drug Delivery in Tumours – Life Sciences Research Awards Austria 2026 Announced

Vienna, 16 September 2026 – On Tuesday, five outstanding early-career scientists were honoured in Vienna for their internationally acclaimed research. The Life Sciences Research Awards Austria 2026, presented by the Austrian Association of Molecular Life Sciences and Biotechnology (ÖGMBT), were awarded to Utku Horzum (Medical University of Innsbruck), Julia Bubis (IMP Vienna), and Sebastian Hečko (TU Wien). The Life Sciences PhD Awards Austria 2026 were conferred upon Spencer D. Balay (IMP Vienna, currently LMU Munich) and Trinh Phan-Canh (Max Perutz Labs, Medical University of Vienna).

Novel Approach to Tackling Multiple Myeloma

The Life Science Research Award 2026 in the category Basic Science was awarded to Utku Horzum from the Institute of Pathophysiology at the Medical University of Innsbruck. Horzum and his team investigated fundamental biological mechanisms of multiple myeloma, a malignant cancer of the bone marrow characterised by the secretion of massive quantities of immunoglobulins (antibodies). The study, published in the prestigious journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, identifies novel mechanisms linking the biological basis of proteins and cellular metabolism within these cancer cells. Building on these findings, the authors developed a targeted approach that triggers cancer cell death. This is a promising step towards the development of new drugs to treat this currently incurable disease.

Publication title: Targeting Endoplasmic Reticulum Export Disrupts Metabolic Resilience in Multiple Myeloma

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-026-02833-y

Unprecedented Precision: Quantifying 5,300 Proteins in a Single Lung Cancer Cell

Julia Bubis from the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) at the Vienna BioCenter received the award for Applied Research.

Individual cells can differ substantially in their protein composition, even within an apparently uniform cell population. Such differences play a crucial role in disease progression and therapeutic response, yet conventional analytical methods frequently fail to detect them. Published in the leading journal Nature Methods, the study outlines the development of an optimised mass spectrometry workflow achieving unprecedented accuracy and precision. From an ultra-low sample amount of just 250 picograms — roughly equivalent to the protein content of a single cell — the team succeeded in precisely quantifying up to 5,300 proteins per individual lung cancer cell. Furthermore, the researchers successfully applied this methodology to characterise key cell types during the earliest stages of embryonic development. This opens up entirely new opportunities in cancer research, developmental biology, and regenerative medicine.

Publication title: Challenging the Astral Mass Analyzer to Quantify up to 5,300 Proteins per Single Cell at Unseen Accuracy to Uncover Cellular Heterogeneity

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-024-02559-1

Targeted Drug Delivery Against Tumours: At the Right Place, at the Right Time

In the category Excellence and Societal Impact, Sebastian Hečko from the Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry at TU Wien was honoured. His research, published in Nature Communications, addresses a central objective of oncology: releasing active substances strictly at the tumour site and precisely at the desired time, thereby sparing healthy tissue.

Hečko developed a delivery platform that transports therapeutics precisely to the targeted location and couples this with 'click-to-release' chemistry. Electrophoretic micropumps deliver a small chemical trigger that acts as molecular scissors, cleaving and activating the actual anticancer agent locally. This mechanism enables precise external control while substantially minimising the hazardous side effects of cancer therapies.

Publication title: Iontronic Click-to-Release Enables Electrically Controlled Delivery of Drugs and Biomolecules Beyond Charge and Size Limitations

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70985-0

Early-Career Awards: Pigeons' Magnetic Sense and Novel Perspectives Against Hospital Superbugs

The Life Sciences PhD Award Austria 2026 in the category Basic Science was awarded to Spencer D. Balay for doctoral research conducted at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) at the Vienna BioCenter. He explored one of the fundamental questions in sensory biology: how do animals perceive the Earth's magnetic field? Balay developed a technically sophisticated approach to map whole-brain activity in pigeons, identifying for the first time specialised inner-ear hair cells and neural circuits that facilitate light-independent electromagnetic induction.

Doctoral dissertation title: The Neuronal and Sensory Basis of Magnetoreception in the Pigeon (Columba livia)

In the category Applied Research, Trinh Phan-Canh from the Max Perutz Labs at the Medical University of Vienna was honoured. His doctoral thesis provides crucial insights into combating the multidrug-resistant hospital pathogen Candida auris. This yeast survives tenaciously on human skin and is frequently resistant to standard antifungal agents. Phan-Canh discovered a central enzymatic signalling pathway through which the fungus utilises carbon dioxide for energy metabolism. The targeted inhibition of this mechanism opens up promising prospects for novel therapeutics and the prevention of life-threatening outbreaks in hospitals.

Doctoral dissertation title: Antifungal Multidrug Resistance and Virulence of Candida auris

Once again, the three Life Sciences Research Awards were sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism (BMWET). Federal Minister Dr Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer remarked: "We have a clear ambition for our business and innovation hub: we want to return to the ranks of the top 10 industrial nations. We can only achieve this by playing to our strengths: diligence, inventive spirit, and internationality. Life sciences play a pivotal role within our industrial strategy, as it is precisely through high-tech products in these key technologies that Austria can excel in global competition and secure sustainable value creation and employment in our country. Through the Life Sciences Research Awards, we support talented early-career scientists who lay the groundwork for this progress and provide sustained momentum for economic growth. They impressively demonstrate the innovative power emerging from Austria."

ÖGMBT Annual Meeting is Austria's Most Significant Life Sciences Event

The ÖGMBT represents approximately 1,300 professionals and students in the life sciences as well as 90 member companies and institutions. ÖGMBT President Priv.-Doz. Dr Michael Sauer stated: "This year's Life Sciences Awards Austria once again highlight the impressive international standing of early-career researchers in Austria. On behalf of the ÖGMBT, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our long-standing supporter BMWET, as well as to Boehringer Ingelheim RCV and Polymun Scientific, whose generous support makes these awards possible."

Photo: ÖGMBT (free of charge for editorial and media reporting)

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