Wikipedia

Clemens Plaschka

Clemens Plaschka (born 1989) is an Austrian molecular biologist and Senior Group Leader at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) at the Vienna Biocenter. His research focuses on gene expression, particularly the biogenesis, processing, and nuclear export of messenger RNA (mRNA). His work integrates structural biology, biochemistry, genomics, and imaging approaches to study the molecular machines and mechanisms responsible for making RNA, including the spliceosome and assemblies involved in mRNA nuclear export.[1][2]

Clemens Plaschka
Born1989 (age 36–37)
Vienna, Austria
CitizenshipAustrian
EducationImperial College London; LMU Munich
Known forRNA maturation
AwardsEppendorf Award for Young European Investigators, EMBO Member
Scientific career
FieldsMolecular biology
InstitutionsResearch Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP)
Patrick Cramer
Websitehttps://www.imp.ac.at/groups/clemens-plaschka

Early life and education

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Plaschka was born and raised in Vienna, Austria.[2] He studied biochemistry at Imperial College London. He carried out doctoral research at LMU Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen in the laboratory of Patrick Cramer, where he investigated the mechanisms of gene activation and transcription.[1][2]

He later carried out postdoctoral research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge in the group of Kiyoshi Nagai. There he investigated the mechanisms of RNA splicing and contributed to structural studies of the spliceosome, the large ribonucleoprotein complex responsible for removing introns from precursor mRNA.[1][2]

Research and career

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In 2018, Plaschka established an independent research group at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna.[1][3] His laboratory studies the production, processing, quality control, and nuclear export of mRNA in eukaryotic cells, processes essential for gene expression.[4]

The Plaschka group uses methods including cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, endogenous purification, biochemical reconstitution, next-generation sequencing, mass spectrometry, and super-resolution microscopy to examine the macromolecular complexes involved in RNA maturation.[4] Plaschka and his collaborators have made important contributions to mechanistic studies of splicing and the packaging and export of mRNA from the nucleus. They have also contributed to research indicating that mRNAs adopt compact ultrastructures prior to nuclear export, contributing to models of mRNA maturation and quality control.[1][2]

In 2025, Plaschka was promoted to Senior Group Leader at the IMP.[1][2]

Awards and honours

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  • 2024: Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators[8]
  • 2022: EMBO Young Investigator Programme[5]
  • 2016: European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Long-Term Fellowship[5]
  • 2015: Kulturpreis Bayern[11]

Selected publications

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  • Plaschka, C.; Lin, P.-C.; Nagai, K. “Structure of a pre-catalytic spliceosome.” Nature 546, 617–621 (2017).[12]
  • Plaschka, C.; Lin, P.-C.; Charenton, C.; Nagai, K. “Prespliceosome structure provides insight into spliceosome assembly and regulation.” Nature 558, 419–422 (2018).[13]
  • Pacheco-Fiallos, B. et al. “mRNA recognition and packaging by the human transcription-export complex.” Nature 616, 828–835 (2023).[14]
  • Vorländer, M. K. et al. “Mechanism for the initiation of spliceosome disassembly.” Nature 632, 443–450 (2024).[15]
  • Hohmann, U. et al. “An ATP-gated molecular switch orchestrates human messenger RNA export.” Nature (2026).[16]
  • Bugai, A. et al. “Molecular basis of polyadenylated RNA fate determination in the nucleus.” Nature (2026).[17]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) (2025). "Clemens Plaschka elected EMBO member".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) (2025). "Clemens Plaschka promoted to Senior Group Leader".
  3. ↑ Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP). "Structural Biologist Clemens Plaschka to establish lab at the IMP".
  4. 1 2 Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP). "Plaschka Lab".
  5. 1 2 3 "European Molecular Biology Organization: members database". Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  6. ↑ "European Research Council, 2025 results across domains" (PDF). Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  7. ↑ "Austrian Academy of Sciences, members database". Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Eppendorf SE. "Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators 2024 goes to Clemens Plaschka".
  9. ↑ "European Research Council, 2015 results across domains" (PDF).
  10. ↑ "Max Planck Society: Otto-Hahn-Preisträger 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  11. ↑ "MPIbpc NEWS" (PDF). Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "Nature 546, 617–621 (2017)".
  13. ↑ "Nature 558, 419–422 (2018)".
  14. ↑ "Nature 616, 828–835 (2023)".
  15. ↑ "Nature 632, 443–450 (2024)".
  16. ↑ "Nature 649, 1042–1050 (2026)".
  17. ↑ Bugai, A.; et al. (2026). "Molecular basis of polyadenylated RNA fate determination in the nucleus". Nature.
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