We bring you a selection of the most interesting things in science and research at our faculty in the shortest month of 2025
success stories
Lucie Ráčková has been included in selecting promising and successful personalities of Forbes magazine 30 under 30. The young scientist from the First Department of Neurology, who also works at the Faculty of Science, has been included in this year's selection of young personalities 30 under 30, which is regularly published by Forbes magazine. During her research stay in Antarctica, she was involved in research on stress in polar explorers. She recently earned her PhD in environmental physiology and is involved in preparing analogue astronauts for being on mock space missions. She participated in one of these. You can read more about the achievements of our students, academics and scientists here.
science into practice
Up to 40,00 Czechs live with familial hypercholesterolaemia, which causes a dramatic increase in the level of harmful LDL cholesterol in the blood. It can shorten their lives by decades. Without treatment, patients are at risk of a heart attack in their third or fourth decade of life. However, many patients are unaware of their disease. The genetic basis and early diagnosis of the disease have long been the focus of Professor Tomas Freiberger, the principal investigator for MU at the National Institute for Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease Research CarDia. He is also involved in the European project FH-EARLY, which aims at early detection of this genetic disease.
article of the month
Lukáš Čajánek's team described a new mechanism of primary cilia growth. A team from Lukáš Čajánek's research group at the Institute of Histology and Embryology has described a new mechanism of primary cilia growth. This could contribute to a better understanding of the origin of some genetic diseases. The study by cell biologists shows how important precise control of cell signals is for their proper development and function. It is a contribution to a deeper understanding of how not only primary cilia work, but also to understanding diseases that are associated with their defects, such as polycystic kidney disease or spinocerebellar ataxia. The article was published in the prestigious international journal Cell Communication and Signaling.
med muni in media
Kateřina Snopková from the Department of Microbiology named a new species of bacteria that she imported from James Ross Island in 2015. The bacterium was named after where it was found, where the Czech Antarctic Research Programme has one of its bases. The new bacterial species has the genetic make-up to overcome the stress of harsh Antarctic conditions. Its success has been reported by CTK and many websites: Novinky.cz, ČT24, Vědavýzkum.cz, Deník N, Český rozhlas, Sciencemag.cz, Brňan, iBrno.cz, Náš region, Ekolist.cz, Enviweb.cz, Zprávy z Moravy, EpochTimes.cz, Právo.
let´s introduce
Karla Plevová, head of the research group at the Institute of Medical Genetics and Genomics. She also works at CEITEC MU and the Deparment for Internal Hematology and Oncology of the University Hospital Brno. She focuses on understanding the influence of hereditary and acquired genomic variants, especially in cancer cells. Her team's research is complemented by the evaluation of gene expression, epigenetic modifications and chromatin accessibility. She brings not only her research but also the fascinating world of science to high school students in our Junior Academy. She and her colleagues were awarded the MUNI Innovation Award and the Visionaries 2022 Award for the development of LYNX, a unique analytical tool capable of detecting diagnostic, prognostic and predictive markers in the most common lymphoid malignancies.
zajímavé akce
What can we look forward to in March? For example, a series of lectures and workshops as part of the Brain Week, a lecture by Melina Schuh from the Max Planck Institute as part of the Mendel Lectures, conferences and congresses and much more. An overview of all events can be found in the Calendar of Events.
podcast stetoskop
Two episodes of theStetoskop podcast were released in February. This time, Marek Svoboda, the director of the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute and a member of our academic community, accepted our invitation and the conversation was so pleasant and interesting that it simply did not fit into one episode.
další aktuality
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
A team of scientists led by the head of the research group at the Department of Biology, Nicola Silva, has made a significant achievement in research into the reduced or impaired function of the Synaptonemal complex, which may be one of the causes of sterility. The paper by an international team of authors was published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications in March 2025.
SPARK Europe Webinar Series | 2nd April 2025 |4-5 pm (CET) | Regulatory considerations of C&G Therapies | Suzanne Einmahl | hosted by SPARK Zürich
