Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH) and the University of Crete, together with collaborators from Greece, Europe, the USA, and India, have discovered a novel role of albumin, the most abundant protein in human blood, in protecting against a rare and often deadly fungal infection called mucormycosis. The study is published in Nature.

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have captured the first direct images of catastrophic asteroid collisions in another planetary system — a discovery that provides unique insight into how planets form and evolve. The new data comes from observations of the nearby star Fomalhaut, located 25 light-years from Earth. The study was recently published in the prestigious journal Science.

The Molecular Entomology group of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) of FORTH, led by John Vontas, Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens, has a longstanding expertise and reputation in the delineation of insecticide resistance mechanisms in malaria vectors and agricultural pests. The current study, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, was led by Dr. Sofia Balaska and Dr. Linda Grigoraki at IMBB-FORTH as main authors, and was carried out in close collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK, revealing a novel carboxylesterase-mediated mechanism of cross-resistance to insecticides in Anopheles gambiae.

Prof. Alexandros Stamatakis, head of the Biodiversity Computing Group (BCG) at the Institute of Computer Science (ICS) of FORTH, and Prof. Athanasios Nenes, Affiliated Scientist at the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (ICE-HT) of FORTH are included in the internationally recognized list of “Highly Cited Researchers” for 2025, compiled by Clarivate Analytics based on the “Web of Science” database.This list is published annually and highlights scientists whose publications consistently rank among the most frequently cited worldwide (top 1%), and represents an important honorary distinction. Of the world’s population of scientists, Highly Cited Researchers who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields of research are 1 in 1,000.

Recent publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters: New findings by an international team of astrophysicists, based on data collected by IXPE, have revealed the mechanism that creates the bright X-ray radiation, which is associated with the extremely powerful plasma jets that erupt from supermassive black holes.

Τhe International Neurosciences Conference of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), entitled "Cell biology of the nervous system”, is held at the Fodele Beach Hotel in Crete, 5-8 May 2025, with the active participation and co-organisation of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas.

Dr. Michail Kotsyfakis has been awarded a prestigious Research Grant from the 2025 Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) to investigate the eco-epidemiological dynamics of tick-borne pathogens, particularly the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV). The awarded project will receive $1.5 million in funding over three years.

RECLAIM’s participation in Greece’s leading environmental, Verde.Tec, which took place on 21-23 February 2025 at the MEC Exhibition Centre in Paiania, was a great success.

A research team from the Technical University of Crete, the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), and the Institute of Computer Science (ICS) of the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH) won the 1st place award in an international emotion recognition challenge using electroencephalography (EEG).

Researchers at ΙΜΒΒ-FORTH have developed a new type of artificial neural network (ANN) that incorporates features of biological dendrites. This innovative design allows for accurate and robust image recognition while using significantly fewer parameters, paving the way for more compact and energy-efficient AI systems.