Cori Institute of Molecular and Computational Metabolism

The Carl and Gerty Cori Institute of Molecular and Computational Metabolism of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) in Graz was founded with the aim of gaining a better understanding of human metabolic processes.

Mission of the Cori Institute in Graz

The rapid development of enormously efficient analytical and visual methods for studying biological “systems” (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, high-resolution microscopy), the discovery of groundbreaking new genetic engineering processes (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9) as well as the enormous advances in the fields of data management, modeling and simulation allow a completely new approach to understanding biological processes and the development, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.

To take advantage of this opportunity, traditional models of academic research in individual research groups must be replaced by new, interdisciplinary teams that are able to collect experimental and clinical datasets, to interconnect them and to transform them into rational models. The new knowledge gained in this way enables a deeper understanding of dynamic biological, physiological and pathological processes and forms the basis for the development of new medicines and medical technologies. The Cori Institute of Molecular and Computational Metabolism of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) in Graz will follow these new paths of innovation.

Scientists from computer science, mathematics, biology, chemistry, medicine and engineering will dedicate themselves to biomedical research at the highest scientific level in a creative, interactive and high-risk manner, thus enabling the development of new drugs and medical technologies.

Gerty Theresa and Carl Ferdinand Cori

The name of the Cori Institute in Graz was chosen in honor of the married couple Gerty Theresa and Carl Ferdinand Cori, who are considered icons of metabolic research and were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1947. Gerty Theresa and Carl Ferdinand Cori were born in Prague in 1896. After studying medicine, they worked both clinically and scientifically in Vienna and Graz. The couple emigrated to the USA in 1922.