Magnetic materials pushing the frontiers of medical diagnostics A state-of-the art approach to enhance the resolution of non-invasive medical diagnosis techniques is to utilize nano-size materials which are delivered at the regions of interest and allow improved tissue contrast. For such applications, magnetic iron oxides are emerging as promising probes in the diagnosis of various diseases and especially in the area of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

VEGF SIGNALING INTEGRATES THE UPR MACHINERY OF THE ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM IN PHYSIOLOGIC RESPONSES SUCH AS ANGIOGENESISResearchers at the Department of Biomedical Research IMBB Ioannina revealed that growth factor signaling in cells integrates the response mechanism to the presence of unfolded proteins (Unfolded Protein Response, UPR) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This study shows that ER plays an important role in normal cell functions, such as signaling by growth factors, and is not limited to the adaptation of the cell to stress.

IESL-FORTH researchers discover a novel inhomogeneous state of matterPhase separation in otherwise chemically homogenous, strongly correlated electron systems is a crucial parameter, leading to fascinating tunable functional properties, such as high-Tc superconductivity in cuprates and giant magnetoresistance in manganites.

A new research programme approved by the ERC: “Accreting binary populations in Nearby Galaxies: Observations and Simulations” (A-BINGOS)A new distinction for FORTH comes from the European Research Council (ERC) which approved the research program submitted by Dr. Andreas Zezas, researcher of the Astrophysics Group at the Institute of Electronic Structure and LASER (IESL) of FORTH. The approved program is entitled: "Accreting binary populations in Nearby Galaxies: Observations and Simulations" (A-BINGOS), and was submitted in the first ERC "Consolidator Grants" call. The goal of the ERC Consolidator Grants is to "enable already independent excellent researchers to consolidate their own research teams and to develop their most innovative ideas". In this call were approved 312 programs out of 3637 submitted proposals (a success rate of 8.5%). The program A-BINGOS is one of the only 2 programs awarded to Greek Institutions, and the first one to be awarded to a Greek Astrophysicist.