Issue #9 — Synergies

In this new-look issue we find out what happens when results are more than the sum of their parts. Synergies might sound like a buzzword, but in the scientific world it remains a necessary ingredient to interdisciplinary discoveries. 

See how particles can be trapped with lasers using techniques across scientific disciplines, discover a 'rulebook' to the synergy of self-assembly, and learn how one city came to shape the modern world.

Looking at immune cells and how they move. PhD student Patricia Reis-Rodrigues at the microscope in the lab. © ISTA

PhD student Andrea Stöllner takes a glimpse into the experimental chamber where two laser beams trap a single particle. © ISTA

Trapping Particles to Explain Lightning

Researchers can now trap tiny airborne particles using laser-based optical tweezers, a tool borrowed from physics and adapted for the study of clouds. By bringing together techniques from optics, atmospheric science, and aerosol research, they can watch how these particles behave under storm-like conditions. The approach opens a new window onto the microscopic processes that help set the stage for lightning.

Biology has long fascinated physicists with its ability to build complex molecular machines from self-assembling building blocks. © ISTA

Finding a Rulebook to Self-Assembly

Life assembles complex molecular machinery from simple, inert components. Inspired by this process, researchers have developed a theoretical framework that captures the geometric rules behind how tiny building blocks reliably come together. The work sheds light on how functional structures emerge in nature and could inform the design of new proteins and synthetic nanomachines.

Authors from the Danzl group. From left to right: Mojtaba R. Tavakoli, Julia Lyudchik, and Johann Danzl. © ISTA

Accessible Microscopy Method Reconstructs Mammalian Brain Tissue

Thanks to a method pioneered at ISTA, it is possible to map brain tissue in unprecedented detail using standard light microscopes. By expanding samples in a hydrogel, the LICONN technique pulls neuronal structures far enough apart to reveal every synaptic connection. The approach brings together physical expansion and accessible imaging to achieve what previously required specialized electron microscopes.

Dr. Richard Cockett considers Vienna as a historic incubator for both scientific inventiveness and the "Scientific World View". © ISTA

Richard Cockett: Vienna's Lab of Thoughts

Quantum physicist Veronika Sunko joins ISTA as a new assistant professor. © ISTA

The XISTA Fellowship Program has already seen remarkable success stories, including emerging startups. © Nadine Poncioni

US Philanthropist Funds Translational Fellowship

Wicklow Capital has committed a combined 1.05 million Euro to expand ISTA’s translational Fellowship Program, with 750,000 Euro supporting the program itself and 300,000 Euro earmarked for emerging start-ups via ISTA's tech transfer entity XISTA. The funding brings mentorship, resources, and early-stage investment in closer alignment, helping turn lab discoveries into real-world ventures.

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