We bring you a selection of the most interesting things in science and research at our faculty in the first summer month.
success stories
Šárka Pospíšilová, the head of the Department of Medical Genetics and Genomics, was again ranked by Forbes magazine among the most influential women in the Czech Republic. She is primarily involved in research into genetic and cancer diseases and the introduction of new diagnostic methods into medicine. She also serves as Vice-Rector of Masaryk University for Doctoral Studies and Head of the Research Group at CEITEC MU. She is the author of many publications in prestigious journals and the principal investigator of international and national grants. She is also a long-term supporter of women in science. More information about the success of our academics and researchers can be found here.
science into practice
Scientists in Nicola Silva's research group at the Department of Biology have discovered a protein that helps ensure the correct distribution of genetic information during the formation of gametes. The previously undescribed protein, called BRA-2, stimulates proper chromosome pairing and stabilisation. It is also the first that scientists have shown to be essential for the formation of the synaptonemal complex. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, could contribute to further research into autism or developmental learning disorders.
article of the month
The first month of summer was rich in publications. A team of authors published a paper in Inflammataion Research describing the effect of lipopolysaccharide on human lung cells. Changes in their tight junction and behaviour may play a role in lung damage during inflammation. The first-authored publication by Lukáš Čajánek and colleagues in Cell and Bioscience describes the origin, demise and functioning of cilia in relation to the cell cycle and signalling pathways, and their importance for tissue development or the development of cancer or ciliopathy. A team of scientists from several departments has published a paper in the journal Brain Communications. They investigated how various data from between epileptic seizures and the use of graph neural networks can be used to predict the success of surgery in patients with epilepsy.
med muni in media
An international meeting on innovative practices in maintaining mental health took place at Prague Castle. It focused, among other things, on how migration, current war conflicts, and other risk factors reinforce the development of mental disorders. Other main topics included the issue of increasing the psychological resilience of society in times of crisis and the possibilities offered by psychedelics in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Tomáš Kašpárek, Head of the Psychiatric Clinic, spoke about the above in the broadcast of CT 24. Media coverage of this anniversary and other achievements of our scientists can be found here.
let´s introduce
Petr Vaňhara, head of the research group Plasticity and Tissue Regeneration at the Institute of Histology and Embryology. His team studies the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in plasticity and regeneration of normal and diseased epithelial tissues. They are focusing on how canonical and non-canonical reticulum signalling pathways influence tissue responses to various forms of cellular stress and how these responses drive tissue regeneration and progenitor cell differentiation in different epithelial systems, specifically the lung slide. They use state-of-the-art microscopy techniques, including super-resolution and live cell imaging, along with a range of molecular, bioanalytical and histological methods to conduct their research. In addition, they develop cutting-edge bioanalytical approaches for cell profiling and phenotyping using whole-cell mass spectrometry and chemometrics. Together with colleagues from the Department of Surgery the Internal Haematology and Oncology Clinic of the University Hospital Brno, they are building a unique biobank focused on pancreatic cancer research.
interesting events
What can we look forward to in July? Come to the Mendel festival, which combines the seemingly incompatible - science, faith and fun. You can look forward to concerts, lectures and a tour of the Bohunice University Campus.For an overview of all events, please see the Events Calender.
podcast stetoskop
Our Stetocope podcast has taken a break in June. But while on holiday in the woods, in the mountains or by the sea, you can listen to some of the interesting episodes in the archives.
all news
Anything that makes a splash in our science and research. Read about what interesting things happened and what our scientists did.
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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
Four doctoral students from our faculty were successful in this year's Brno PhD Talent competition for promising young scientists. The competition, organized by the South Moravian Center for International Mobility, is intended for students in the fields of life sciences and technical sciences. The winners receive CZK 360,000 to develop their research.
A total of eight project proposals were submitted to this year's LF Accelerate Internal Grant Agency (InGA) call. The scheme is designed to support the application potential of research results and to further advance their use in clinical practice. The InGA Council selected the two best proposals from among the high-quality applications.
