In 1902, three notable Jewish biologists established the Biologische Versuchsanstalt (BVA) in Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Now, over a century later, an international team led by Professor Oded Rechavi of Tel Aviv University (TAU) has received a $1.2 million grant from the esteemed Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) to revisit and build upon the pioneering legacy of the BVA.

The HFSP is renowned for its rigorous selection process, with only 4% of submitted proposals approved annually. This project stands out not only for its scientific innovation but also for its historical depth.

We’re proposing an extraordinary study that bridges history and advanced biology, focusing on the BVA one of the most revolutionary research institutes of the early 20th century, explains Professor Rechavi, from TAU’s George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. At the heart of their research is a concept that was radical for its time: conducting long-term experiments in live animals.

The BVA founders championed a dual vision treating biology as both an empirical, quantitative science and emphasizing the study of animals in conditions that mimicked their natural habitats. They were also ahead of their time in utilizing innovative climate control systems to explore how environmental factors influence biological processes.

One of the BVA’s most controversial figures was Paul Kammerer, who argued that environmental conditions could shape inherited traits. Although his work later became entangled in allegations of fraud, other respected scientists at the BVA explored similar ideas about acquired trait inheritance without facing disproof. Unfortunately, the scandal, coupled with the rise of Nazi anti-Semitism, ultimately led to the institute’s downfall.

As genetics advanced, the notion of inheriting acquired traits fell out of scientific favor until recent breakthroughs in epigenetics reignited interest in the topic. Over the past 15 years, epigenetic research has challenged long-standing assumptions. Professor Rechavi himself identified a molecular mechanism in C. elegans nematodes through which acquired traits can be passed to future generations via small RNA molecules.

The next scientific frontier is to explore whether such mechanisms operate in other species a pursuit that gives new relevance to the BVA’s early research. Many of the BVA’s studies were dismissed for decades simply because the idea of non-genetic inheritance was unpopular, says Professor Rechavi. Now, with modern methods, we have the opportunity to revisit and potentially validate those findings.

One such experiment, originally led by BVA director Hans Przibram, examined whether raising rats in warmer climates across generations would result in changes to body and tail size. Rechavi’s team aims to replicate this study using today’s sophisticated environmental control technologies and genetic analysis tools allowing them to distinguish true epigenetic effects from genetic ones.

This work may prove that some early 20th-century theories, once considered heretical, were actually far ahead of their time,

Source: https://www.aftau.org/news_item/tau-researcher-to-revisit-120-year-old-science-to-redefine-the-future-of-epigenetics/