CEMM - FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER MOLEKULARE MEDIZIN GMBH

Their core work

CeMM is a Vienna-based molecular medicine research institute operating under the Austrian Academy of Sciences. They specialize in understanding disease mechanisms at the molecular level — particularly in cancer, immune disorders, and metabolic diseases — using chemical biology, functional genomics (CRISPR screens), and multi-omics approaches. Their work spans from fundamental discovery of drug targets (especially solute carrier proteins and protein degradation pathways) through to translational applications like CAR T-cell therapy optimization and precision immunotherapy. They are a major contributor to Europe's chemical biology and functional genomics infrastructure, producing both foundational knowledge and actionable therapeutic strategies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015–2018), CeMM focused on foundational chemical biology — building tools for epigenomic profiling (EpigenomeProgramming), understanding solute carrier transporter biology (DrugsUP, GameofGates), and chemical proteomics for leukemia targets (SLIM, chemos). The recent period (2019–2023+) shows a decisive shift toward translational immunology: cancer immunotherapy via engineered CAR T-cells (TRAP-CART, EPI-CART), precision immunotherapy for sepsis (ImmunoSep), and antiviral immunometabolism (INITIATE, AmmoniaVir). Throughout, their chemical biology core remains constant, but the application layer has moved from pure discovery toward therapeutic engineering and patient-relevant outcomes.

CeMM is converging its chemical biology and epigenomics expertise onto immune cell engineering — future partners should expect a strong focus on next-generation CAR T-cell therapies informed by single-cell and epigenomic data.

How they like to work

CeMM is a dominant project leader: they coordinated 17 of their 23 H2020 projects (74%), including their largest grants. When they participate rather than lead, it tends to be in large multi-partner networks (LIBRA, DohART-NET, DDREAMM) where they contribute specialized chemical biology or omics capabilities. With 71 unique consortium partners across 20 countries, they operate as a well-connected hub rather than working with a fixed set of repeat collaborators — making them an accessible partner for new consortia.

CeMM has collaborated with 71 distinct partners across 20 countries, indicating a broad European network well beyond their Austrian base. Their coordination-heavy profile means many of these partners were recruited into CeMM-led projects, giving them strong ties across Western and Central European research institutions.

What sets them apart

CeMM occupies a rare niche at the intersection of chemical biology, functional genomics, and translational immunology — few European institutes combine deep expertise in targeted protein degradation with active CAR T-cell engineering programs. Their solute carrier transporter platform (ReSOLUTE, EUR 6.7M) is one of the largest systematic efforts to open up this underexplored drug target class in Europe. As a research institute structured as a private company under the Austrian Academy of Sciences, they combine academic research depth with operational agility uncommon for public research organizations.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ReSOLUTE
  Largest project (EUR 6.7M coordinated) — a flagship effort to systematically characterize solute carrier proteins as drug targets, producing a public knowledgebase and assay platform.
• EPI-CART
  Most recent major grant (EUR 2M, running to 2026) — represents CeMM's strategic convergence of epigenomics and cancer immunotherapy into next-generation CAR T-cell optimization.
• Glue2Degrade
  EUR 1.3M ERC-funded project on molecular glues and E3 ligase hijacking — positions CeMM at the frontier of targeted protein degradation, one of pharma's most active therapeutic modalities.