EMBL Rome

EMBL welcomes its new Director General, Tony Hyman, who will take up the mandate of leading EMBL’s six sites as the organisation enters its next phase. Hyman, a group leader and visiting senior scientist at EMBL Heidelberg from 1993 to 1999, succeeds Interim Director Ewan Birney, who assumed leadership following the death of Interim Director General Peer Bork in January. Together, Bork and Birney had led the institution since former Director General Edith Heard moved to the Francis Crick Institute in London as its new Director and Chief Executive. “This is a moment when biology is changing rapidly,” said Hyman. “Advances in imaging, large-scale data generation, and artificial intelligence are reshaping how we study living systems. EMBL has played an important role in previous periods of change, and I look forward to working with colleagues across the organisation as it enters this next phase.” https://lnkd.in/dATD2DZR

🚀 Dall’AI alla mappa delle interazioni della vita Con l’espansione di AlphaFold - grazie alla collaborazione tra Google DeepMind, EMBL-EBI, NVIDIA e Seoul National University - non studiamo più solo le proteine, ma come interagiscono tra loro: un passo chiave verso l’“interattoma” umano. Milioni di nuovi complessi proteici, grazie a una collaborazione globale, aprono scenari concreti per: 🧬 comprendere le malattie 💊 sviluppare nuovi farmaci 🌍 accelerare la ricerca con l’open science ✒️ Ne scrivo QUI https://bit.ly/3N53xik #AI #Biotech #AlphaFold #Healthcare #Innovazione

We were delighted to host the 46th EMBL Alumni Association Board Meeting at EMBL Rome. This special occasion allowed us to welcome local alumni, scientific collaborators, and institutional representatives for a reception and guided tour of our campus. It was a valuable opportunity to showcase EMBL Rome’s research, present new projects and strategic priorities, and highlight the strength of our joint initiatives with our campus partner Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Our guests gained insight into the science driving EMBL Rome and the broader vision shaping our campus for the years ahead: a vision built on collaboration, innovation, and impact. We extend our sincere thanks to Comune di Monterotondo, Regione Lazio, and the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research for their continued support and shared commitment to advancing research and scientific excellence. Riccardo Varone, Anna Moles, Cornelius Gross, Plamena Markova

Last week, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers took part in a series of hands-on workshops exploring basic and advanced microscopy techniques through the DIY approach, including  FLIM and spectroscopy. Participants gained practical experience by building modular microscopy setups, embracing a modular DIY approach that highlights how advanced imaging tools can provide open and customisable solutions. A big thank you to the organisers and collaborators who made this possible: Alvaro Crevenna (EMBL Rome), Roberto Massari (CNR-IBBC), Alessandro Rossetta (FLIM LABS), Benedict Diederich (openUC2), and Gabriel Moya (FluoBrick Solutions GmbH). It was a great opportunity to learn, build, and rethink how advanced microscopy can be made more accessible to the research community.

Over the past two weeks, EMBL and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche have reached two significant milestones that underscore the enduring strength and strategic direction of their partnership: 🤝 The renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between EMBL and CNR, signed by CNR President Andrea Lenzi and EMBL’s interim Director General Ewan Birney, reaffirming the shared commitment to a long-term, science-driven collaboration. 🏫 The visit of CNR President Andrea Lenzi to the CNR-EMBL premises, hosted by Anna Moles, Director of CNR-IBBC, and Cornelius Gross, Head of EMBL Rome. The event offered the opportunity to explore the campus infrastructure, meet with scientists, and see firsthand the ongoing refurbishment of EMBL spaces. These milestones provided a valuable occasion to align on the campus development strategy and further strengthen dialogue, with the aim of enhancing mutual support for the continued growth of the campus and its community. “EMBL highly values its partnership with CNR, viewing it as a strategic, long-term, and science-driven alliance. Together, we are committed to strengthening collaboration, advancing shared initiatives, and building a vibrant, strategically focused campus ecosystem,” said Cornelius Gross.

🎉 Congratulations to Jamie Hackett on the EPIC-THERAPY project being awarded an European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept grant! This exciting project aims to establish a novel epigenome editing platform capable of finely regulating the expression of specific genes in vivo, with the goal of reversing diseases caused by insufficient gene activity.

Recruitment for the EMBL International PhD Programme is officially open! 🔊 At EMBL, we inspire and train talented young scientists to become skilled and creative future leaders in academia, industry and other sectors. This is your opportunity to join us and start your career in the life sciences! 🔎 Read more about the programme here: https://lnkd.in/d69MChKk

AI is reshaping life sciences, and Italy can be a hub for it. Yesterday on Rai - Radiotelevisione Italiana (#RaiNews24 – #Futuro24), I discussed #AI in #LifeSciences and the ongoing research projects at EMBL Rome. Link in the comments (interview in Italian). Thanks to Andrea Bettini, Rossana De Lorenzi, and Jamie Hackett’s group for hosting us in the lab. #EuropeanScience EMBL #Monterotondo