We bring you a selection of the most interesting things in science and research at our faculty in April 2025.
success stories
Neuroscientist Adam Williamson from our joint institute with St. Anne's University Hospital has become a Czech ERC Ambassador. The European Research Council (ERC) and the Association of ERC Grant Writers (AERG) have jointly launched the "ERC Ambassadors" initiative. The new network aims to help spread awareness of the ERC across Europe. Adam is a five-time ERC grant holder. His research focuses on the treatment of sleep apnoea and epilepsy. You can read more about the achievements of our students, academics and scientists here.
science into practice
The latest findings of science in clinical practice heal patients. Doctors from the Department of Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology at the Brno University Hospital were the first in the Czech Republic to use a robotic arm to insert a cochlear implant into a one-year-old girl and thus restore her hearing. At the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery of the Brno University Hospital, doctors saved the life of an eleven-year-old boy who suffered burns on more than half of his body.
article of the month
An international team of scientists has described the importance of the tyrosine kinase receptor FGFR2 in primary cilia. Scientists from the Michaela Bosáková Lab and the Pavel Krejčí research group from the Institute of Biology have made a significant contribution. In their study, they showed that two types of receptors (FGFR1 and FGFR2) are found in primary cilia, while others (FGFR3 and FGFR4) are not. The presence of the FGFR2 receptor in the cilia is important for it to function properly and trigger other genes important for body development. Some disorders of this receptor lead to inherited developmental diseases where FGFR2 is almost completely absent from the cilia. With the help of a certain drug (RLY-4008 inhibitor), this problem can be partially corrected. This finding opens the way to a better understanding and possible treatment of some genetic diseases. The results were published in the Journal of Cell Biology.
med muni in media
In April, the media footprint of our faculty was very diverse. The media paid attention to menopause, rheumatoid arthritis, plastic surgery, leukaemia treatment and health literacy. All media coverage can be found zde.
let´s introduce
Nicola Silva, head of the research group at the Institute of Biology. His team studies Meiotic DNA repair and Genome Stability, focusing on the programmed appearance of DNA double-strand breaks and their role in homologous recombination. These processes are crucial for proper chromosome partitioning and the formation of functional gametes. The model organism is the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which allows detailed study of meiotic processes due to its transparency and cell synchronisation. It uses genetic, biochemical and cytological methods to investigate both known and novel factors of DNA repair and genomic stability.
interesting events
What can we look forward to in April? For example, the Karen Adelman lecture at the Mendel Lectures, the 25th anniversary conference on functional neuroimaging, or another research breakfast. For an overview of all events, please see the Events Calender.
podcast stetoskop
Two episodes of the Stetocope podcast were released in April. The guest was the Dean Emeritus of our Faculty and former Head of the Internal Hematology and Oncology Clinic Jiří Mayer. The topic was not only medicine, but also memories of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
all news
Anything that makes a splash in our science and research. Read what interesting things happened and what our scientists did in August.
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Do you have a new publication, project or award? Do you know someone who has achieved some success? Email us at research@med.muni.cz
The vice-rector of Masaryk University for doctoral studies and head of the research group at the Institute of Medical Genetics and Genomics at the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty Hospital Brno, Šárka Pospíšilová, who also works at CEITEC MU, has been included in Forbes magazine's list of the most influential women in the Czech Republic 2025.
