Clemens Plaschka, born 1989, receives the 20,000 euro award for his  research on the molecular machines that generate and export messenger  RNA. The award is given in recognition of his ground-breaking discoveries  revealing the mechanisms by which messenger RNA is produced and  matured. mRNA production involves multiple complex cellular machines that  process and guide the maturation and ultimate export of mRNA from the  nucleus to the cytoplasm. 

“Plaschka’s structural and mechanistic investigations have revealed  fundamental insights into how cells express genes and his work has  implications for human diseases involving mutations in core mRNA  processing machines”, the judges said. 

Clemens Plaschka: „I am absolutely delighted to receive the 2024 Eppendorf  Award for Young European Investigators. This award is a special recognition  for our highly motivated research team, whose efforts have made this  possible. I am also very thankful for the exceptional support by the IMP and  Boehringer Ingelheim, the ERC, our colleagues at the Vienna BioCenter and  beyond, as well as my family. The award recognizes our contributions to  reveal the structural mechanisms by which a human mRNA is made. Yet many  questions remain. In the coming years, we look forward to further  understanding the molecular processes that regulate how mRNA is made and  destroyed.“

In addition to the winner of the Eppendorf Award 2024, two finalists were  honored. 

Irma Querques, Assistant Professor and Group Leader at the Max Perutz  Laboratories at the University of Vienna is honored for her work on  engineering new strategies for transposon-mediated genetic manipulation  and on-revealing the structural basis for CRISPR-associated transposition.  "Querques' work not only uncovers new mechanistic insight into how these  mobile units enable site-specific insertion, but also provide new  programmable strategies for targeted genetic modifications," said the jury. 

Phong Nguyen, PostDoc at the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, is honored for  his research on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying heart  regeneration. He discovered a detailed sequence of molecular events that  controls the disassembly and re-assembly of structural elements in the heart  muscle, which allows the cells to proliferate and functionally re-integrate into  the injured heart. The jury noted that his discovery provides fundamental  insight into the biology of tissue regeneration and identified new targets for  future therapeutic approaches to heart injury. 

The Award Ceremony took place on June 27, 2024 at the Advanced Training  Center of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.