Success Stories

The second spin-off company of the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University, named EQUILIO – Czech Institute of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, has been established. The company was founded by Dr. Pavla Horká Linhartová and psychotherapist Martin Horký from the Department of Psychiatry at Brno University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, with the aim of educating professionals and expanding the use of this still underutilized method in the Czech Republic. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) combines elements of dialectics, cognitive behavioral therapy, and Zen Buddhism, and focuses on balance, mindfulness, acceptance, change, and working with maladaptive patterns of thinking. The press release announcing the establishment of the company is available here.

In April, the first spin-off company of the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University called MilkyWay be well was established. The company as such was founded in 2021 by the husband and wife team of Martin and Barbora Bořil. Martin's last work experience brought him to doc. PhDr. Miroslav Světlák, PhD., the head of the Institute of Medical Psychology and Psychosomatics at the MED MUNI. Their shared enthusiasm for improving mental health led to the creation of an innovative mobile app designed for cancer patients and their mental health. Thanks to their collaboration, the aforementioned spin-off company was created, which aims to improve mental health through eHealth tools implemented in the work environment to prevent mental illness.

The aim of the Proof of Concept project, whose main researcher is RNDr. Jan Balvan, Ph.D. from the Department of Pathophysiology of the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University and which was supported this year within the TA CR GAMA 2 programme, is the development of a robust method enabling automatic detection and resolution of cell death subtypes based on their phase dynamics captured by holographic microscopy. This method has a high potential for cytotoxicity and biocompatibility testing in the development of new drugs and materials. You can find the interview with Dr. Balvan here.

Within the framework of the TA ČR project GAMA 2 Proof of Concept by PharmDr. Zuzana Holubcová, Ph.D. (from the Institute of Histology and Emryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University) called MUNI-BLAST, an in-vitro system based on 3D structures resembling human embryos at the blastocyst stage (so-called blastoids) will be developed and tested, which has the potential to eliminate false-negative results and the need to use a large number of laboratory animals.

The technology of milk production in mammary gland organoids will be verified and upscaled within the Proof of Concept project by Mgr. Zuzana Koledová, Ph.D. from the Institute of Histology and Emryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University. The MUNI-MILK project was supported by the TA ČR GAMA 2 programme. The technology targets the new, emerging market of food created by biotechnology.