By Gwyneth Astles


BRINGING YOU THE LATEST NEWS & EVENTS FROM THE SCIENCE INDUSTRY


Breakthrough brain tumour research wins 2025 Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators


praised Dr Venkataramani’s research as a vital advance in the fast-emerging field of neuro-oncology.


His team’s discoveries have helped reveal how cancer cells in the brain form synapse-like connections with neurons, hijacking the nervous system’s own mechanisms to fuel tumour growth and invasion. The findings are laying the foundations for cancer neuroscience as a new frontier in therapy development.


L-R: Christine Munz, Sir Stephen Jackson, Fena Ochs, Juliette Fedry, Varun Venkataramani, Laura Machesky, Axel Jahns.


Dr Varun Venkataramani, a clinician-scientist at Heidelberg University Hospital, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators - and the €20,000 prize - for his pioneering work on how neuron– tumour interactions drive brain cancer progression.


Now in its 30th year, the award is presented by life sciences company Eppendorf SE, based in Hamburg, and recognises outstanding contributions in biomedical research by scientists under 35. The independent jury, chaired by Professor Laura Machesky (University of Cambridge),


“I am deeply honoured and grateful to receive the 2025 Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators,” said Dr Venkataramani. “This recognition reflects the dedication and innovative spirit of my entire research team, whose tireless efforts have made our discoveries possible. I extend my sincere thanks to my mentors, collaborators, and family for their unwavering support throughout this journey.”


The award ceremony took place on 3 July 2025 at EMBL’s Advanced Training Centre in Heidelberg, Germany.


The ceremony also celebrated the award’s 30-year legacy, with reflections from Professor Dr Stephen P. Jackson, the inaugural winner in 1995, who delivered an inspiring speech on the impact of early-career recognition. Dr Clemens Plaschka, last year’s winner from the IMP – Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, also spoke at the event, sharing insights from his research journey and the opportunities the award helped unlock.


Two other outstanding young researchers were honoured as finalists: Dr Fena Ochs, Group Leader at the Biotech Research & Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen,


Freezing motion at the quantum limit


An international team of researchers has cooled the spinning motion of a nanoparticle to its quantum ground state, achieving the coldest possible mechanical motion ever recorded. The advance sets a new standard in quantum optomechanics and lays the foundation for precision sensing technologies of the future.


Led by ETH Zurich and involving researchers from The University of Manchester, TU Wien, and ICFO Barcelona, the collaboration demonstrates how light, vacuum, and nanotechnology can be combined to exert quantum-level control over physical systems containing billions of atoms.


In the work [1], published in Nature Physics, a 100-nanometre glass disc was suspended using laser light in an ultra-high vacuum chamber. The researchers then used a carefully aligned optical cavity to extract energy from the disc’s rotational motion, cooling it to the lowest physically permitted level - its quantum ground state.


“This high-purity quantum state of motion gives us the best starting point to test whether objects 10,000 times heavier than current record-holders still exhibit wave-like quantum behaviour,” said Dr Jayadev Vijayan, Research Fellow at The University of Manchester’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.


Quantum systems must be cooled close to absolute zero to suppress classical motion and observe quantum effects. The technique demonstrated here overcomes that challenge for comparatively large systems, where quantum phenomena are typically washed out by thermal noise.


Professor Carlos Gonzalez-Ballestero of TU Wien explained: “By tuning the optical cavity, the laser preferentially extracts energy from the particle’s motion. Eventually, it spins so slowly that it reaches its quantum ground state.”


What makes this result especially significant is the record- breaking purity of the final quantum state - meaning that


the particle’s behaviour is dominated by quantum physics, not environmental noise. This level of control opens the door to practical applications, such as ultrasensitive accelerometers, navigation systems independent of GPS, and tools for geophysical exploration.


The development supports global efforts to harness quantum mechanical systems for real-world applications. Levitated nanoparticle-based sensors, built on principles demonstrated in this study, could provide a foundation for scalable, portable quantum technologies.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/KwMB


1. High-Purity Quantum Optomechanics at Room Temperature published in Nature Physics. DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-02976-9


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was commended for her pioneering studies on cohesin- mediated sister chromatid cohesion. Her work has clarified how human cohesin functions as a monomer to bind chromatids together and has pushed the boundaries of single-molecule analysis of 3D chromatin structure. The jury noted the significance of her findings for understanding chromosome segregation, genome organisation, and age- related infertility.


Dr Juliette Fedry, Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, was recognised for her innovative application of FIB-CryoET to visualise how cellular stress modulates protein translation. Her work offers unprecedented insight into translational control in healthy and diseased tissues, with the potential to illuminate new mechanisms in neurodegeneration, cancer, and metabolic disorders. The jury praised her ability to combine technical excellence with biological relevance.


The Eppendorf Award, established in 1995 and presented in partnership with Nature, continues to support and spotlight the next generation of biomedical leaders. The award winner is chosen by a panel of leading scientists including: Laura Machesky (Cambridge), Sadaf Farooqi (Cambridge), Madeline Lancaster (Cambridge), Ben Lehner (Barcelona), Stefan Raunser (Dortmund), and Michael Sixt (Austria).


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/kkKq 65284pr@reply-direct.com


Global science and smart labs on show as analytica USA debuts in Ohio


“The response has exceeded our expectations,” said Susanne Grödl, Exhibition Director for analytica shows worldwide at Messe München. “Exhibitors and speakers are clearly excited about analytica USA’s premiere.”


At the analytica conference, internationally renowned scientists from the USA and Europe will be presenting their innovations. Credit: Messe Muenchen GmbH


The international trade fair analytica USA will open its doors for the first time from 10–12 September 2025 in Hall B of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Ohio. With over 250 exhibitors from nearly 20 countries, the event is nearly sold out months in advance.


Held on the first two days, the analytica conference brings together leading scientists from the US and Europe. John McLean (Vanderbilt University) will open with a plenary talk on phenomics - an emerging field combining bioanalytics, bioinformatics and AI to explore the links between genes and traits, with applications in health prediction and synthetic biology.


Other highlights include microbiome expert Nikos Kyrpides (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) on data- driven metagenomics, and air pollution researcher Ralf Zimmermann (University of Rostock), who will present new insights into particulate matter’s impact on lung cells.


Sessions will also explore advanced liquid chromatography, RNA analysis, thrombocyte profiling, multi-omics, 3D cell cultures, and


microfluidics - tying closely to the innovations on show at stands from leading companies such as Bruker, Shimadzu, PerkinElmer, Thermo Fisher, Mettler Toledo, and Analytik Jena.


The special show Digital Transformation offers live demos of a fully automated smart lab. At daily sessions (11:00, 13:00, and 15:00), a robotic arm from Universal Robots performs autonomous titration using the SmartLab Solutions control system. Visitors will also see an integrated cold chain workflow combining technologies from 2mag, Amensio, Liebherr, Düperthal, and iHEX.


“This unique mix of trade fair, scientific exchange, and live demonstrations delivers something for every visitor,” said Grödl. “We’re confident analytica USA will be as well received as its global counterparts.”


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/nXRm 65324pr@reply-direct.com


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