Our focus is on neurochemicals acting on the peripheral and central nervous system

We are enthusiastic about neurochemicals acting as agonists or antagonists on G-protein coupled receptors located in the peripheral and central nervous system. Our goal is to address the clinical needs to diagnose and treat the neurological pathologies at the origin of the disease; thus, avoiding a merely systematic treatment and rather stopping or delaying disease progression.

The chemical structure of small molecules is the key for successful drug design and development for both imaging probes and therapeutics. The combined, interdisciplinary knowledge of medicinal chemists, pharmacists and physicians allows drug adjustment and pave the way towards the application of our substances as tools for image-guided therapy.

The bottleneck of the drug development process is the preclinical screening of a compound library, as we still lack substantial methods for a fast and reliable biological assessment. We developed a complex dynamic 3D-cell culture method, which mimics the tissue situation and has the potential to fasten the screening process. Moreover, it conforms with the 3Rs (reduce, replace, refine) rule in animal ethics and will contribute to reduce the number of animals needed in drug testing.

Our main interests lie in

  • Inventive drug and tracer development of neurochemicals
  • Innovative drug screening methods
  • Interdisciplinary approaches close to medical application

EANM 2021 Plenary Lecture - Isotopes Past and Future

Missed the EANM 2021 plenary lecture on the availability of medicinal radioisotopes.

You can still watch it here.

CBmeds microONE promo video

For the SDG-3 presentation at the austrian parlament, our consortium of the FFG funded microONE project (CBmed, Univie, MUW, among others) produced a nice promo-video. Thank you to Thomas Wadsak for the nice production. (German only)

News and announcements

23.11.2023
 

Magdalena Wadsak, BSc., has been awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship for completion of her master's thesis, which is related to radiochemistry and the nuclear field. This fellowship is funded by the IAEA with the aim of increasing the representation of women in these fields. In addition to the fellowship, Magdalena has the opportunity to pursue an internship facilitated by the IAEA.

 

13.11.2023
 

Irem and Verena joined the 20th VBC PhD Symposium and presented their recent findings, fostered collaborations and met old friends. Congratulation to the succesfull poster presentations.

23.10.2023
 

Marlon published his first paper with the title "Design, synthesis and preclinical evaluation of muscarine receptor antagonists via a scaffold-hopping approach" in the prestigious peer-review journal - European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

23.10.2023
 

Verena Pichler was invited to present a keynote presentation at the GDR AIM meeting in Paris. This was an exceptional chance to meet and connect with the French Imaging Community.

02.10.2023
 

The city of Vienna annually awards up to 13 grants in the following categories: architecture, visual arts, literature, music (composition), adult education, and science. These grants are given as recognition for outstanding overall achievements in the mentioned fields. Our PI Verena Pichler was now honored with this grand of the city of Vienna.

01.10.2023
 

Gratitude flows from our hearts to our Erasmus student Šachlevičiūtė Urtė from Lithuania (KIT) for sharing an incredible journey with us. Your presence has enriched our group, and the memories we've created together will forever be cherished. As you embark on new adventures, we wish you every success and fulfillment in the future.