Happy New Year from the Institute of Biochemistry!

As the clock strikes midnight, we’re ready to start new reactions, test fresh ideas, and explore unknown pathways.

Here’s to a new year full of curiosity, collaboration, successful experiments (and a few learning moments), and exciting discoveries.

May 2025 be rich in data, low in contamination, and high in positive results!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Around the World at the Institute of Biochemistry

At our institute, Christmas isn’t just a holiday – it’s a global celebration! With colleagues joining us from all over the world, we asked three of them to share how Christmas is celebrated in their home countries. The result? A beautiful mix of traditions, flavors, and festive spirit.

Maira from Brazil
“In Brazil, we celebrate Christmas with family and plenty of food! Christmas Eve dinner on the 24th is the main celebration, featuring turkey or pork, salad, rice with raisins, potato salad, and lots of desserts. But some families keep it classic and fire up the barbecue with plenty of cold beer – perfect for beating the summer heat!”

Sajith from India
“ Christmas in India has a special magic. In Kerala, it arrives when the weather is pleasant, after the heat and rain have passed, so every gathering feels comfortable. Homes shine with Christmas stars and cribs, and the smell of plum cake fills the air. Carol groups visit houses, singing songs that bring a familiar warmth to the season. Friends and neighbors from all backgrounds share big meals, making Christmas a joyful celebration of light, color, and tradition that brings everyone closer.“

Lyle from the Philippines
“I can't think of any other nation that loves Christmas as much as the Philippines. We have the longest Christmas celebration—starting as soon as the ‘-ber’ months begin! Decorations go up in September and stay until February. December is our busiest month: Christmas caroling, year-end parties, endless shopping, and nine nights of Christmas Novena (‘Simbang gabi’). On Christmas Eve, families gather for Noche Buena, a feast with glazed ham, roasted pork, Filipino spaghetti, lumpia, and fruit salad. The night is loud, joyful, and filled with music, karaoke, and games. But at its heart, Christmas for Filipinos is about family—sharing food, laughter, and the feeling of finally being home.”

However we celebrate and wherever we come from, the spirit of Christmas brings us together. At the Institute of Biochemistry, we’re proud to share not only our science, but also our stories, cultures, and traditions.

Merry Christmas from our international family to yours!

Holiday Question of the Day at the Institute of Biochemistry!

In the spirit of Christmas and chemistry, we ran a highly sophisticated, perfectly calibrated, absolutely peer-review-worthy experiment in the lab today.

Using two festive pipette-tip boxes, we asked the most important scientific question of the season:
Are you Team “Last Christmas” or Team “All I Want for Christmas Is You”?

Our method?
Every researcher entering the lab had to “pipette their vote” by dropping a tip into one of two boxes.
No statistics software needed — just pure holiday chemistry.

--> Yellow tips = Last Christmas (for the 80s nostalgics)
--> Blue tips = All I Want for Christmas Is You (for the Mariah supremacy crowd)

The results are still coming in… but one thing is clear: Whether you prefer Wham! or Mariah, Christmas hits keep our lab spirits as high as our buffer pH!

Proteins play a crucial role in every process within our bodies — but what exactly are they?
In this short video, our colleague Gustav Oberdorfer breaks down the basics in a clear and engaging way.

Watch the video to learn more!

Spooky reactions in the lab!
This Halloween, our biochemists are brewing more than just coffee — mysterious reactions are bubbling in our flasks! Whether it’s fluorescent proteins glowing eerily under UV light or enzymes doing their magic, science is full of “tricks and treats”.

Happy Halloween from the Institute of Biochemistry, TU Graz!

 

A warm welcome to the new academic year 2025/26!

At the Institute of Biochemistry, everything is ready:

• Test tubes polished
• Chemicals prepared
• Lab coats freshly washed
• Lecture hall waiting for you

We are excited to start the winter semester together and wish all our students a successful and inspiring year ahead.
Welcome back – we look forward to seeing you!
 

Summer Glow-Up at the Institute of Biochemistry!

No summer break for science here! While experiments continue full steam ahead, our labs and offices are getting a fresh new look.
Painters are touching up the walls, and our fantastic cleaning team is making the floors shine like never before.

Science never stops—and neither does our commitment to keeping things spotless and efficient!
 

Research in Action – Even on a Sabbatical!
During his research semester our head of the Institute of Biochemistry, Peter Macheroux, continues to actively contribute to a promising collaboration with Prof. Hartig's group at the University of Konstanz.

Together, they are investigating a recently discovered nitroimidazole resistance gene, NimA, identified in the anaerobic gut bacterium Massilimicrobiota timonensis. The gene was successfully expressed recombinantly, and the resulting protein was isolated. Spectroscopic analysis reveals that this intriguing protein contains two cofactors: a flavin (yellow) and a heme (reddish-brown).

Current research aims to shed light on the specific functions of these cofactors and to unravel the mechanism of this unique flavohemeprotein. Exciting insights are on the horizon!

And today, we celebrate not only scientific progress, but also Peter’s birthday – Happy Birthday and all the best for the coming year!

And just like that, the 32nd NAWI Graz DocDay is a wrap!

A heartfelt thank you to all participants for contributing with inspiring talks, creative posters, and lively scientific discussions – all while braving the summer heat! 

Special thanks to our guest speakers Sander Grannemann and Allon Hochbaum for offering deep insights into their scientific work and careers.

Congratulations to our award winners:

• Adrian Tripp – Best Talk (Jury), sponsored by Bartelt
• Lucija Sovic – Best Talk (Audience), sponsored by Microsynth Austria
• Nikolina Todorovic, Nadine Egger & Johannes Breithofer – Best Posters (Jury), sponsored by ChemBioChem/Wiley

Huge thanks to the organizing team Kirill Kuhlmann, Maximilian Fuchs, and Oliver Eder, as well as to Kristina Schild and Christine Rother for their incredible support. We also gratefully acknowledge Tea Pavkov-Keller and Harald Pichler for their guidance and encouragement throughout.

Let’s keep the science going – see you all at the next DocDay! 

Still active after retirement – and now awarded twice!

Our former colleague Michael Murkovic, who retired in October 2024, continues to share his expertise through lectures and research. In May 2025, he was honored with the "Gold Medal of Honor of the Province of Styria" for his outstanding scientific contributions.
With a background in Technical Chemistry from TU Graz and a specialization in Food Chemistry, Michael has been a pioneer in the study of carcinogenic substances in food since the 1990s, developing innovative approaches to reduce human exposure. His work has led to more than 120 scientific publications and numerous international presentations.

Most recently, at the XXIII EuroFoodChem conference in Bratislava on June 11, 2025, he delivered the prestigious Czedik-Eysenberg Lecture presented to outstanding scientists in the field.

Congratulations, Michael – your impact continues to grow!

Foto: TU Graz/Land Steiermark, Robert Binder

Save the Date: 32nd NAWI Graz DocDay 2025 – June 30th at the University of Graz!

We are excited to invite all interested colleagues, students, and friends of science to this year’s 32nd NAWI Graz DocDay 2025, an annual symposium organized by PhD students of Graz University of Technology and the University of Graz. This includes the doc schools “Molecular Biology and Biochemistry” and “Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology”.

When? June 30, 2025
Where? University of Graz

This year, the event is co-organized by our PhD students Oliver Eder and Maximilian Fuchs from the Institute of Biochemistry.

A special highlight will be the keynote lecture by our guest researcher Prof. Allon Hochbaum (University of California):
“Natural and Synthetic Conductive Proteins: From Rock-Breathing Bacteria to Electrocatalytic Materials”

The symposium will showcase innovative research by PhD students, with talks, a poster session, and contributions from academia and industry.

Don’t miss this opportunity to exchange ideas, build connections, and engage with the community — during presentations, discussions, and the social get-together afterwards!

Everyone interested is warmly welcome to join us!

Congratulations to our former Master's student Sigrid Kaltenbrunner for receiving the TCVB Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award 2025 at this year’s Science Day of the Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Chemical and Process Engineering, and Biotechnology!

This prestigious award recognizes exceptional academic achievement, scientific independence, creativity, and dedication in producing an outstanding thesis.

We at the Institute of Biochemistry are proud of Sigrid's accomplishment and warmly congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition!

Hot off the press: our Annual Report!
Curious about what we've been up to at the Institute of Biochemistry? Our latest Annual Report gives you a peek behind the scenes — from exciting research projects to lab life and everything in between.

Get to know the focus areas of our research groups and see what made last year special for us.

Have a look: ANNUAL REPORT 2024

Science meets curiosity!

As part of the Children’s University, we welcomed the curious minds of Volksschule Rosenberg to our Institute of Biochemistry. Dressed in real lab coats, the young scientists jumped right into action:

• Build a battery using a lemon?
• Make their own sticky slime?
• Hear the bang of hydrogen explosions?
• Extract color from red cabbage?

Yes, they tried it all – and discovered just how exciting chemistry can be!

To top it off, we showed them that liquid nitrogen isn’t just for science... it also makes delicious ice cream!

We loved having you here and wish you all the best on your educational journey. Who knows – maybe one day we’ll see some of you back here as students!
 

We couldn't resist the trend – so we turned some of our team into action figures!

Warning: extreme levels of coolness, heroic poses, and questionable superpowers ahead.
Which one would you add to your collection?

Happy Easter from all of us at the Institute of Biochemistry!

Here at the Institute of Biochemistry, we research proteins which are essential building blocks of live. They are not just an important supplement in your diet if you want to gain muscles but they also are important for a myriad of other body functions. For example, they enable you to sense light which lets your brain see this text and process it.

But how do specific proteins exactly work? This question is often answered in yearlong academic studies and countless experiments. However, with AI on the horizon, there are now novel methods available to get these answers faster.

In a recent study in our institute, a machine learning tool was tuned to make proteins "talk" about which parts of them are important for the jobs they do. This tool was used to research a bacterial light sensor, a cousin to the light sensors which are used by plants. The insights of this study might one day help us to understand better how plants, an important pillar of our diet, react to sun light. Read here the pre-print.

We congratulate Oliver Eder and Massimo Gregorio Totaro of the Group of Andreas Winkler and the Group of Gustav Oberdorfer for the successful completion of this highly collaborative project and wish good luck for the (potentially) upcoming revision.

Since September 1, 2023, Christoph Schaffer has been part of our team at the Institute of Biochemistry, where he is training to become a laboratory technician. With his dedication, curiosity, and enthusiasm, he is already a valuable addition to our team.

We are especially proud that the latest issue of „ZAK“, the magazin of Arbeitskammer Steiermark, features several apprentices from TU Graz, including „our“ Christoph.

We are excited to support Christoph on his journey and look forward to seeing him grow in his role!

The first excursion of the year took the AG Protein Biochemistry on an unexpected yet legendary journey—straight into the world of Arnold Schwarzenegger.  We swapped our lab coats for leather jackets and made our way to Thal, Austria, the birthplace of the Terminator himself.

You might be wondering—what do biochemists have in common with a Hollywood action star, a bodybuilding legend, and a former governor? More than you’d think! As scientists fascinated by proteins, we couldn’t pass up the chance to learn about one of the most famous applications of muscle biochemistry: bodybuilding. Schwarzenegger’s dedication to sculpting his physique is a testament to the power of discipline, training, and (of course) proteins.

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum, housed in his childhood home, is a treasure trove of memorabilia. From his first dumbbells to his governor’s desk, the museum traces his incredible journey from a small Austrian village to global stardom. Standing in the very room where young Arnold dreamed of greatness was nothing short of inspiring.

Some of us tried to mimic his famous poses—some more successfully than others. Others were more captivated by the detailed exhibits on his movie career, political achievements, and, of course, his bodybuilding triumphs.

Hasta la Vista, Thal - Our visit to the Schwarzenegger Museum was the perfect way to kick off the new year. It reminded us that no matter our background—be it science or cinema—passion and perseverance can take us far. Who knows, maybe next time we’ll be back, a little stronger and a lot more inspired.

Until then, we’ll stick to flexing our brain muscles in the lab!