He works in the Protein Engineering ICRC research team at the Loschmidt Laboratories, Faculty of Science, MU. In 2020, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to spend a semester at the University of Texas at Austin in the group of Prof. Kenneth A. Johnson. This year he successfully defended his PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics. For his thesis on “Rational protein design guided by kinetic studies” he received the MU Rector’s Award. He repeated his success from 2018, when he was awarded the same prize for outstanding results in his Master’s studies. In the interview, he describes his scientific beginnings and his successes in researching “glowing” enzymes or stroke drugs.
Photo: RNDr. Martin Toul, Ph.D.
What was your path to science?
I think that every young child has a kind of scientific or exploratory spirit in him, as he/she discovers the world around little by little. Not every such spirit, however, survives into adulthood. For me, this interest persisted, which is actually the reason why I took the path of science. Thanks to my older sister and her school notes, I was interested in chemistry from about the second grade of elementary school – I loved learning the names of chemical elements, filling in their names in crossword puzzles, and looked forward to taking this subject in school as well. Although I also enjoyed math and physics, chemistry always led the way. So, when choosing a college, my direction was quite clear. Interestingly, perhaps, I never had a very positive relationship with biology and only got more in depth with it by choosing the Biochemistry program, as I saw more potential in connecting chemical research with living nature. In the end, it turned out that while the areas of animal and plant biology discussed in elementary and high school were never really likely to excite me much, the microworld at the level of biomolecules, DNA and proteins, was where I came into my own. Thus, my current research combines biology with chemistry, as well as physics and mathematics, so I am doing exactly what fulfils me the most.
What exactly are you researching?
In our research group at Loschmidt Laboratories, we are generally involved in protein engineering. This means that we specifically modify a protein to exhibit improved properties or to get rid of unwanted side effects for more effective use in practice. In fact, proteins find a variety of applications, whether as drugs in clinical practice, components in diagnostic kits, or reagents for the production of important materials in biotechnology. Thanks to protein engineering, we can improve the efficiency of these molecules, their heat resistance, or even the selectivity of a given process, to make their use in practice and industry real. I am specifically focusing on, among others, two important groups of proteins. The first group is thrombolytics, used as drugs to dissolve blood clots in stroke or myocardial infarction. The second group are luciferases, bioluminescent “glowing” enzymes that are used in diagnostic kits but could also serve as an alternative source of glow in the future. However, all of these proteins suffer from certain weaknesses that need to be addressed for them to perform their role truly effectively for their intended purpose. And that is what protein engineering modifications are designed to do.
What was your PhD thesis about?
My PhD thesis focused on the use of advanced kinetic methods to reveal the major weaknesses of the proteins studied and their subsequent removal. The biggest stumbling block in protein engineering is that, in the case of imperfect proteins, we don’t initially know exactly what needs to be changed and improved about them to make them more effective for a given purpose. And it is detailed kinetic analysis that is one of the tools to uncover the precise mechanism of how proteins work at the molecular level, and also to identify which step of this mechanism is the so-called limiting step. This allows us to specifically target this major weakness and make targeted adjustments, greatly increasing the chances of successfully improving the protein rather than if we were to randomly adjust it “blindly”. By this strategy, we have been able to create, for example, a modified thrombolytic with the potential to exhibit a reduced risk of bleeding after administration, or an improved luciferase with a 100-fold increase in luminescence for long-term emission of bioluminescent light.
How would you explain the benefits of your research to a non-scientific audience?
In the thrombolytic protein project mentioned above, we want to improve the current stroke drug and develop something more effective that could save many patients around the world. Nearly 18 million people die from cardiovascular disease (largely myocardial infarction and stroke) every year, which is a terrifying number, so the motivation is huge. As for research into the luminous enzyme luciferase, there are several possibilities. In diagnostic practice, luciferases are widely used to detect various biomarkers (i.e. measurable indicators) of disease, so improving them will allow us to make this detection even more efficient and sensitive, or to extend it to capture other important substances. Outside of clinical practice, there is then huge potential to use luciferases as an alternative light source to conventional lamps. With a system based on biomolecules, such illumination could be fully renewable and sustainable.
Did your time at the ICRC contribute to your success?
Definitely. The connection of our research group to the ICRC was crucial. It has given us access to clinically oriented projects that are very attractive and bring a specific application potential to our lives. At the same time, thanks to the ICRC, we were able to create a large consortium STROKE Brno, which brings together experts from many fields. This takes our stroke research to a much higher level and allows us not to stop researching only at the level of a scientific paper, but to try to take a possible new drug to the next stages of testing. As part of the collaboration, it can be tested on real human blood clots and also in vivo in animal models to see if it is indeed an attractive candidate before possible clinical testing. As a result of the connection to the doctors at FNUSA, we are also assured that the research is moving in the right direction and that we are not trying to improve something in laboratory conditions that no doctor will use in practice anyway.
What are your future plans?
I have just finished my PhD, so I am looking forward to moving into new and interesting scientific areas to broaden my horizons and learn something new. I am now heading for a postdoctoral position abroad. I went through several interviews and finally decided on a position at the Belgian VIB institute, which will fulfil my future plans in the next few years. Subsequently, my current vision is that I would like to return to the Czech Republic and do my own research in academia here. However, I am open to different opportunities, so maybe it will turn out differently and I will end up in another country or a biotech company. Who knows?! In any case, I would like to stay in a scientific environment and continue to explore the unexplored.
Thank you for the interview and I wish you continued success in your research.
Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.
Media contact: Ing. Jiří Erlebach, Head of PR and Marketing Dpt, FNUSA Spokesperson, +420 543 182 006, jiri.erlebach@fnusa.cz.
BEATsep – prestigious European grant HORIZON EUROPE is coming to Brno
The Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation (CMI) research team of the International Clinical Research Centre (ICRC) has been awarded a prestigious international HORIZON EUROPE grant. The project will focus on research into sepsis and septic shock, which affect up to 50 million people worldwide each year and account for almost 20% of global deaths. In addition, most surviving patients develop further complications that affect their quality of life. The total budget of the BEATsep project is €6.9 million.
This success is underlined by the fact that CMI-ICRC initiated the project, subsequently assembled a consortium of partners, and will act as coordinator of the project. This is only the third project in the Research and Innovation category focusing on population health to be coordinated from the Czech Republic. “The project is the result of our efforts over several years within the consortium, giving the chance to better understand and fundamentally change the recovery of paediatric and adult patients who have suffered septic shock. We would not have been able to develop this project without the intensive administrative support available to us at the ICRC,” added Dr. Jan Frič, head of the CMI.
The BEATsep project will use an interdisciplinary approach that will bring together research and clinical teams working on specific aspects of the development, treatment and prevention of the long-term consequences of sepsis and its impact on patients’ quality of life. Comprehensive clinical and research data generated during the project will be integrated using artificial intelligence algorithms into an easy-to-use predictive tool capable of identifying patients at highest risk of complications. Furthermore, the consortium plans to design a tertiary prevention strategy to help prevent the development of such outcomes.
To this end, a consortium has been formed to address this issue over the next five years. The consortium brings together renowned experts in immuno-metabolism, immunophenotyping, diagnostic sign research and several clinical teams caring for adult and paediatric sepsis patients. “It has taken nearly two years of intensive preparation and networking to assemble the consortium, which is already working on several joint projects.” says Dr. Marcela Hortová-Kohoutková from the CMI research group, who was instrumental in the project’s preparation.
In total, the BEATsep project coordinated by ICRC-FNUSA will involve 10 partners from 6 European countries including 1) CIML – Centre d’immunologie de Marseille-Luminy – (Aix-Marseille Université/CNRS/Inserm); 2) The Institute of Innate Immunity, at the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn, Germany; 3) Faculty of Medicine at the Comenius University in Slovakia; 4) the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology, Vienna, Austria; 5) BioVariance GmbH, Germany; 6) Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia; 7) National Institute of Health, Prague, Czechia; 8) University of Galway and 9) APHM – Marseille Hospitals. BEATsep will bring together renowned experts in immunometabolism, epigenetics, immunophenotyping, diagnostic research and several clinical teams caring for paediatric and adult sepsis patients. “The BEATsep project is an example of an innovative and successful combination of translational and clinical research, the know-how of our own and international scientists, and collaboration between hospitals, universities and other scientific institutions of renown. I am proud that the coordinating team is from the ICRC, a joint department of St. Anne’s University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University in Brno,” said Prof. Irena Rektorova, M.D., Head of the ICRC.
For more information and updates @BEATsepsis (Twitter, X), www.beatsepsis.eu, LinkedIN
The International Clinical Research Centre (ICRC) is a joint facility of St. Anne’s University Hospital in Brno and the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University.
I came into my own in the microworld
He works in the Protein Engineering ICRC research team at the Loschmidt Laboratories, Faculty of Science, MU. In 2020, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to spend a semester at the University of Texas at Austin in the group of Prof. Kenneth A. Johnson. This year he successfully defended his PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics. For his thesis on “Rational protein design guided by kinetic studies” he received the MU Rector’s Award. He repeated his success from 2018, when he was awarded the same prize for outstanding results in his Master’s studies. In the interview, he describes his scientific beginnings and his successes in researching “glowing” enzymes or stroke drugs.
Photo: RNDr. Martin Toul, Ph.D.
What was your path to science?
I think that every young child has a kind of scientific or exploratory spirit in him, as he/she discovers the world around little by little. Not every such spirit, however, survives into adulthood. For me, this interest persisted, which is actually the reason why I took the path of science. Thanks to my older sister and her school notes, I was interested in chemistry from about the second grade of elementary school – I loved learning the names of chemical elements, filling in their names in crossword puzzles, and looked forward to taking this subject in school as well. Although I also enjoyed math and physics, chemistry always led the way. So, when choosing a college, my direction was quite clear. Interestingly, perhaps, I never had a very positive relationship with biology and only got more in depth with it by choosing the Biochemistry program, as I saw more potential in connecting chemical research with living nature. In the end, it turned out that while the areas of animal and plant biology discussed in elementary and high school were never really likely to excite me much, the microworld at the level of biomolecules, DNA and proteins, was where I came into my own. Thus, my current research combines biology with chemistry, as well as physics and mathematics, so I am doing exactly what fulfils me the most.
What exactly are you researching?
In our research group at Loschmidt Laboratories, we are generally involved in protein engineering. This means that we specifically modify a protein to exhibit improved properties or to get rid of unwanted side effects for more effective use in practice. In fact, proteins find a variety of applications, whether as drugs in clinical practice, components in diagnostic kits, or reagents for the production of important materials in biotechnology. Thanks to protein engineering, we can improve the efficiency of these molecules, their heat resistance, or even the selectivity of a given process, to make their use in practice and industry real. I am specifically focusing on, among others, two important groups of proteins. The first group is thrombolytics, used as drugs to dissolve blood clots in stroke or myocardial infarction. The second group are luciferases, bioluminescent “glowing” enzymes that are used in diagnostic kits but could also serve as an alternative source of glow in the future. However, all of these proteins suffer from certain weaknesses that need to be addressed for them to perform their role truly effectively for their intended purpose. And that is what protein engineering modifications are designed to do.
What was your PhD thesis about?
My PhD thesis focused on the use of advanced kinetic methods to reveal the major weaknesses of the proteins studied and their subsequent removal. The biggest stumbling block in protein engineering is that, in the case of imperfect proteins, we don’t initially know exactly what needs to be changed and improved about them to make them more effective for a given purpose. And it is detailed kinetic analysis that is one of the tools to uncover the precise mechanism of how proteins work at the molecular level, and also to identify which step of this mechanism is the so-called limiting step. This allows us to specifically target this major weakness and make targeted adjustments, greatly increasing the chances of successfully improving the protein rather than if we were to randomly adjust it “blindly”. By this strategy, we have been able to create, for example, a modified thrombolytic with the potential to exhibit a reduced risk of bleeding after administration, or an improved luciferase with a 100-fold increase in luminescence for long-term emission of bioluminescent light.
How would you explain the benefits of your research to a non-scientific audience?
In the thrombolytic protein project mentioned above, we want to improve the current stroke drug and develop something more effective that could save many patients around the world. Nearly 18 million people die from cardiovascular disease (largely myocardial infarction and stroke) every year, which is a terrifying number, so the motivation is huge. As for research into the luminous enzyme luciferase, there are several possibilities. In diagnostic practice, luciferases are widely used to detect various biomarkers (i.e. measurable indicators) of disease, so improving them will allow us to make this detection even more efficient and sensitive, or to extend it to capture other important substances. Outside of clinical practice, there is then huge potential to use luciferases as an alternative light source to conventional lamps. With a system based on biomolecules, such illumination could be fully renewable and sustainable.
Did your time at the ICRC contribute to your success?
Definitely. The connection of our research group to the ICRC was crucial. It has given us access to clinically oriented projects that are very attractive and bring a specific application potential to our lives. At the same time, thanks to the ICRC, we were able to create a large consortium STROKE Brno, which brings together experts from many fields. This takes our stroke research to a much higher level and allows us not to stop researching only at the level of a scientific paper, but to try to take a possible new drug to the next stages of testing. As part of the collaboration, it can be tested on real human blood clots and also in vivo in animal models to see if it is indeed an attractive candidate before possible clinical testing. As a result of the connection to the doctors at FNUSA, we are also assured that the research is moving in the right direction and that we are not trying to improve something in laboratory conditions that no doctor will use in practice anyway.
What are your future plans?
I have just finished my PhD, so I am looking forward to moving into new and interesting scientific areas to broaden my horizons and learn something new. I am now heading for a postdoctoral position abroad. I went through several interviews and finally decided on a position at the Belgian VIB institute, which will fulfil my future plans in the next few years. Subsequently, my current vision is that I would like to return to the Czech Republic and do my own research in academia here. However, I am open to different opportunities, so maybe it will turn out differently and I will end up in another country or a biotech company. Who knows?! In any case, I would like to stay in a scientific environment and continue to explore the unexplored.
Thank you for the interview and I wish you continued success in your research.
Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.
Media contact: Ing. Jiří Erlebach, Head of PR and Marketing Dpt, FNUSA Spokesperson, +420 543 182 006, jiri.erlebach@fnusa.cz.
Lisbon model institution for the ICRC found thanks to HR Award
With the mid-2023 deadline approaching, activities related to the implementation of the project “Implementation of the HR AWARD standard in the FNUSA-ICRC” (HR Award) are reaching their peak at the ICRC. One of the expected project outcomes was a trip abroad to a research centre aimed at deepening research cooperation and internationalization of the ICRC. For the purpose of this trip, we selected the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (IMM) in Portugal, a research institute affiliated to the University of Lisbon.
Photo: Joint meeting of representatives from the IMM and FNUSA+ICRC
Representatives of the FNUSA Legal and Projects Department, together with representatives of the HR Department, the PR Department and the Business and Academic Relations of the ICRC, undertook a three-day visit to the IMM to learn about the management processes of the institution, the organisation of research and the work of the administrative teams.
The IMM proved to be an excellent choice not only because of its similar internal structure but also because of the similar research areas that offer potential for future collaboration between our research teams. Specifically, the institution focuses on cancer research, neuroscience, immunology, and the study of infections and inflammation. Further potential is offered by the local bio-bank, which currently has around 300,000 samples and offers opportunities for use in, for example, clinical trials. Funding for the IMM is largely supported by national grants. In terms of visibility, there is a clear emphasis on both effective communication within and outside the institution and on promoting technology transfer. The IMM has, for example, already 7 spin-off companies.
Due to its links with the local university and teaching hospital, the IMM has comparable availability of capacity from both institutions as the ICRC. We will further develop our cooperation based, among other things, on the memorandum signed between IMM and ICRC last year. We foresee sharing contacts at the level of research teams and administration and the possibility of further exchange of experiences on the management of a scientific institution of comparable size. We have thus fulfilled the corresponding objective of the HR Award in full!
Photo: IMM facility tour
Photo: Building of the Lisbon University Hospital
Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.
Contact for media: Ing. Jiří Erlebach, Head of PR and Marketing, Spokesperson, FNUSA, +420 543 182 006, jiri.erlebach@fnusa.cz.
The ICRC is a joint workplace of St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno and the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University.
Brno scientists get closer to the future treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
A team of 23 scientists from Brno has come significantly closer to answering the question of how to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of dementia and leads to gradual dependence on the daily help of another person. Experts from the Faculties of Science and Medicine at Masaryk University, the International Clinical Research Center and the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute believe that the results of the research will help develop other highly effective therapeutic agents for this 21st century threat to civilisation.
Photo: Microscopic image of a brain organoid
“A key role in the development of Alzheimer’s dementia is played by apolipoprotein E (ApoE), which is also found in brain tissue. We have discovered the molecular basis of the undesirable accumulation of this apolipoprotein and at the same time shown a way to suppress this accumulation of ApoE with a potential drug that is already in advanced clinical testing with expected approval in 2025,” as a molecular biologist Martin Marek summarised the main significance of the research. Martin Marek works in the Loschmidt laboratories of the RECETOX Centre at the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University and at the International Clinical Research Centre (ICRC), which is a joint workplace of St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno and the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University.
ApoE plays an important role in the functioning of the brain and its anti-inflammatory effect is also known. However, three variants are widespread in the human population: ApoE2, ApoE3 and ApoE4. The presence of the ApoE4 variant has previously been shown to be a major risk factor for the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, inheritance of the ApoE4 variant significantly increases the risk of Alzheimer’s dementia. Patients with two copies of the ApoE4 gene have greater memory impairment, reduced ability to perform normal daily activities and more severe atrophy of brain tissue. Scientists from all over the world have been trying to unravel the mystery of ApoE4 for several decades, but it is only now that Brno scientists have taken a peek under the hood of this molecular mystery.
“The exciting thing about this research was that the toxic variant of ApoE4 differs from its non-toxic counterparts by only one mutation, which has huge implications for the behaviour of the protein and its relationship to the development of Alzheimer’s dementia,” explained Marek.
An important part of the study was to investigate how to prevent the unwanted deposition of ApoE4 in brain tissue and thus restore its important cellular functions. In layman’s terms – how to prevent or slow the development of the disease and preserve thinking and memory. In follow-up biochemical experiments, the researchers have shown that there is a substance called homotaurine, an amino acid derivative found in certain species of seaweed, which suppresses unwanted accumulation and restores the original functions in the ApoE4 protein, and could thus have a “therapeutic” effect in clinical practice.
For the experiments, the researchers used brain organoids, which are “mini-brains” grown in a test tube from the cells of Alzheimer’s patients. “We used brain organoids in this study to test the effect of homotaurine on the development of Alzheimer’s dementia. Our results confirm that the drug has a positive effect on organoids with the ApoE4 variant, and it appears to affect not only important signalling pathways but also cholesterol metabolism. In future studies, we want to focus on detailed mapping of the changes that homotaurine causes in the human brain,” outlined the future therapeutic effect of homotaurine and the future direction of research by cell biologist Dáša Bohačiaková from the Institute of Histology and Embryology at the MU Faculty of Medicine.
The Brno scientists managed to map the structural changes in the ApoE protein at the atomic level in detail by combining experimental and computational experiments. Due to these changes, the ApoE4 protein variant is not stable, has a high tendency to accumulate undesirably in brain tissue and thus loses its primary role in lipid and cholesterol transport.
“Dynamic changes in the structures of ApoE3 and ApoE4 proteins and their interactions with a potential drug (homotaurine) were studied using a unique hydrogen-deuterium exchange method coupled to mass spectrometry. The results revealed a structural rearrangement in ApoE4 causing aggregation, which was not observed in ApoE3. On the contrary, the interaction with the drug stabilized the structure of ApoE4 and thus suppressed its negative properties,” added biochemist Lenka Hernychová from the RECAMO centre of the Masaryk Cancer Institute.
The Brno scientists published the results of their research in the prestigious journal Molecular Neurodegeneration. The research was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science within the ENOCH and INBIO projects. The research was also financially supported by the European Union within the Horizon Europe programme through TEAMING and ADDIT-CE grants.
“The study was unique because it was able to complement classical molecular and cell biology methods with data obtained by mass spectrometry techniques. In this way, changes in protein and lipid levels can be monitored very sensitively and accurately and insights into the mechanism of action of potential drugs can be gained. At the same time, mass spectrometry can be used to characterise often heterogeneous cellular model systems,” said Zdeněk Spáčil, an analytical chemist from the RECETOX Centre at the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University.
Author: text and photo Masaryk University
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AI-powered data analysis means new opportunities for patients and clinical research
Hospital systems contain vast amounts of data that, in the current technical environment, are mainly used to record and store important information during medical care. This data is collected from a wide range of subsystems and contains dozens to hundreds of parameters that the treating physician works with. He often has to go through extensive medical records to find the context he is looking for. PatientFinder, which is currently being implemented by St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno (FNUSA), is a new technology platform designed to enable more efficient work with information from these systems.
The groundwork for the project to implement a software tool to analyze hospital data was laid in 2021, when FNUSA began selecting the most suitable implementer. Key aspects of the selection were data security, exclusive control over data flows, installation of the hardware and software environment within the hospital infrastructure, guarantee of use for research purposes and opening up new opportunities for patient participation in experimental treatment projects and clinical trials. During 2022, we have negotiated the technical and legal framework for cooperation with the supplier, and since March 2023, activities related directly to the deployment of the software, which bears the name PatientFinder, are underway. This will use AI (artificial intelligence) modules in two key functions. The first is pseudonymisation, anonymisation and data cleansing, and the second is the identification of parameters from medical records.
In the first phase, the data is cleansed of primary and secondary identifiers, and the AI recognizes and then deletes over 20 groups of attributes (phone numbers, names, family members, addresses, birth dates, etc.) in the text so that the data already cleansed can be processed in subsequent operations. This means that patients do not have to worry about leaking personal and sensitive information. In the second phase, the analysis and identification of parameters from the text is done, where the unstructured data is converted into a structured database. Thanks to AI, more than 300 parameters (e.g. blood pressure, medication or lab results) are identified in the medical records. The standardization of these records is done by using Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods, which can be very simply translated as automated recognition of information from text using AI. It is AI that helps analyse huge amounts of data in a short time, correcting typos, formats, incorrect or incomplete entries and units, or eliminating erroneous information, while looking for relationships between data. However, for AI to work properly, the system needs to be trained specifically for the Czech environment and the Czech language. This “training” will be covered by a team of doctors and researchers from the International Clinical Research Center (ICRC) in the coming months. The goal is to have the software “trained” by the end of summer 2023.
The expected launch of the system in autumn 2023 will benefit patients and the scientific community. Patients will have greater opportunities for involvement in clinical trials and experimental treatments. The physician will be able to more easily locate a group of patients who fit the criteria for a given type of clinical trial. In addition, patient outreach will be faster. Knowing the structure of the patient base, key attributes and factors, it will also be possible to obtain a type of study for Brno that will directly address the needs of patients. For research, this platform is a valuable tool that will enable more accurate results to be generated as it can process large volumes of data. Cohort studies so far work with hundreds of patients who are included on purpose. In the case of this tool, hundreds of thousands of records can be safely processed. Research and recommendations for clinical practice can thus be built on more representative data.
Within the Czech Republic, the implementation of PatientFinder is a pilot project, but it is a proven concept used by many hospitals abroad. In addition, FNUSA envisages a broader plan for the use of advanced AI features. Our hospital is involved in other international grants, and in cooperation with foreign institutes and universities we are developing special tools that will help the digitalization of healthcare itself in the future.
Author: Mgr. Michal Janota, Vice-head for Operations, ICRC, michal.janota@fnusa.cz.
Contact for media: Ing. Jiří Erlebach. Head of PR and Marketing, Spokesperson, FNUSA, +420 543 182 006. jiri.erlebach@fnusa.cz.
ICRC is a joint workplace of FNUSA and LF MU.
ICRC Head among the Czech scientific elite
Forbes Czech Republic magazine has ranked Prof. Irena Rektorová among the top Czech female scientists of 2023!
She is involved in the search for indicators for early diagnosis and innovative treatment options for Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. At the St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno she runs the Centre for Abnormal Movements and Parkinsonism. She conducts research in the field of neuroscience within her research group Applied Neuroscience at CEITEC MU. Since January 2022, she is also the head of the International Clinical Research Center of FNUSA and LF MU. In the European Academy of Neurology, she is the Chair of the Education Committee.
Congratulations to the professor!
Read the full interview with prof. Rektorová for Forbes: https://forbes.cz/lists/tcv-23/irena-rektorova/
Prof. MUDr. Irena Rektorová, Ph.D.
Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.
Contact for media: Ing. Jiří Erlebach. Head of PR and Marketing, Spokesperson, FNUSA, +420 543 182 006. jiri.erlebach@fnusa.cz.
ICRC and FaF MU: joining forces for better diagnosis and treatment
On Friday 9 June 2023, the Director of St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno (FNUSA), Ing. Vlastimil Vajdák, and the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Masaryk University (FaF MU), prof. PharmDr. Mgr. David Vetchý, Ph.D., signed an agreement on building and operating a joint research facility. It will be established through the cooperation of the FaF MU and the International Clinical Research Centre (ICRC). The best scientific capacities of both institutions will thus be able to newly use the common space for cutting-edge research.
Photo: signing the agreement; left to right: prof. PharmDr. Mgr. David Vetchý, Ph.D., prof. MUDr. Irena Rektorová, Ph.D. a Ing. Vlastimil Vajdák
“By signing the agreement with FNUSA, we are building on our previous successful cooperation with the ICRC. The Faculty of Pharmacy prides itself on the practical form of teaching already during studies, including the use of scientific research opportunities. Involving young employees in complex projects implemented at a joint workplace can increase their professional level and enable them to establish new contacts with experienced scientists,” explained prof. Vetchý.
The agreement envisages the establishment and operation of a joint research facility focused on preclinical and clinical research, i.e. research in laboratory conditions as well as in interaction with patients. The purpose is mainly the development and testing of new drugs and medical devices, i.e. a wide range of devices used in healthcare, e.g. from surgical sutures, to catheters and sophisticated diagnostic devices. It is to confirm their effectiveness and efficacy that clinical trials are used, which also confirms their safety.
As Director Vajdák added: “The added value of FNUSA is the functional background for clinical trials. We believe that the partnership with FaF MU will bring new solutions for better diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, the joint facility will offer the possibility of contracted research to third parties.”
For the ICRC head, prof. Irena Rektova, M.D., Ph.D., the contract is also a new opportunity for joint grant applications. “The linking of top scientists from both departments promises to increase the prestige of our institutions and the opportunity to reach out to other talents from the Czech Republic and abroad. The Faculty of Science is the third MU faculty with which we are deepening our cooperation and thus effectively linking the academic, research and application spheres,” concludes Prof. Rektorová.
Photo: deepening the collaboration between representatives of the FaF MU a FNUSA
Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.
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ICRC is a joint workplace of FNUSA and the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University.
The ICRC Academy has shaped my career
Ľudmila Kvašňovská is a 4th year student at the English Bilingual Grammar School in Čadca. In 2022, she went through the ICRC Academy weekend seminar, which started her journey into science. In this interview, she reveals how she made her way from her hometown of Staškov in northern Slovakia, through the ICRC Academy and an internship in one of our research teams, to the forefront of the Slovak Secondary School Vocational Activity (SOČ) competition.
Photo: Ľudmila Kvašňovská
How did you find out about the ICRC Academy?
A friend recommended the ICRC Academy seminar to me, which she herself had previously attended.
How do you rate your participation? What did it give you?
What I appreciated the most was the opportunity to intern at a top research center while still in high school. I gained a lot of experience from planning experiments to analyzing and interpreting results. Moreover, I worked in a great team and had an amazing mentor, Petra Lázničková, MSc., Ph.D. I would definitely recommend an internship at the ICRC to anyone with a passion for science and research.
What did you do in your research?
I was investigating potential biomarkers, i.e. measurable indicators, of chronic inflammation associated with aging. These included inflammatory cytokines, soluble CD163 protein and free mitochondrial DNA in human plasma. I was able to find that the soluble protein sCD163 could be used for early diagnosis of chronic inflammation in the elderly and thus prevent the development of various chronic diseases. This protein is present in blood plasma and is produced by immune cells when inflammation occurs in the body.
Photo: Ludmila at work in the lab
Why did you choose this particular area of research, what made you decide to do it?
I was already interested in the field of immunoregulation, which is the study of the properties and regulation of the immune system. I liked it so much that I was happy to accept the offer to join Dr. Frič’s Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation team at the ICRC.
Was the internship time consuming?
The internship lasted 4 months from August to December 2022. In total, I spent more than 70 hours in the labs.
What are your future plans? Are you considering a scientific career?
It was through the ICRC Academy that I realised where I want to take my career. I will be applying to study medicine next year and I would very much like to pursue a scientific career alongside my studies and work. I have also participated in the Slovak SOČ with my research project that I carried out within the ICRC.
Please tell us more about the SOČ.
It is a competition in which high school students can create a professional paper on a chosen topic. They have a supervisor with whom they consult their results. They then have to defend their work publicly in the various rounds of the competition. I see this as a great opportunity to develop a project with an interesting topic that is really similar to the level of a bachelor’s or master’s thesis. I have always wanted to try working in a research centre and share my results further, and the ICRC Academy and the SOČ have made this possible.
How did you do in the SOČ?
My project made it to the national final, which took place on 26-28 April 2023. I competed for the Healthcare and Pharmacology category, where 16 projects from all over Slovakia advanced from the regional rounds, and the competition was really high. In addition to the presentation, there was also a debate with the expert evaluation committee, which I had no problem with thanks to the ICRC Academy, and I ended up winning. Unfortunately, my category will not continue from the national round, but I plan to compete with my project at the AMAVET Science and Technology Festival in the autumn, so my competition is definitely not over yet.
How do you spend your free time?
Apart from science, I am actively involved in The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (DofE for short). The aim of the programme is to promote the holistic development of young people’s abilities through long-term and regular activities in several areas: e.g. developing new skills, exercise or volunteering. Participants can receive an internationally recognised certificate – Bronze (minimum 6 months of performance), Silver (minimum 12 months of performance) and Gold (minimum 18 months of performance). My focus at the gold level is primarily on German language study. In the sports category, I am involved in gymnastics and acrobatics, and as part of my volunteer work I run gymnastics classes for children at a local dance club. I also like to exercise and I really enjoy studying languages and art.
Thank you for the interview and I wish you continued success in science and other activities!
Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.
Media contact: Ing. Jiří Erlebach, Head of PR and Marketing Dpt, FNUSA Spokesperson, +420 543 182 006. jiri.erlebach@fnusa.cz.
MU Rector’s Awards for Scientific Achievements go to the ICRC
Martin Bareš, Rector of Masaryk University, has recognised outstanding achievements in science and research for the year 2022. Among the winners of the Rector’s Awards are two ICRC representatives, Martin Toul and Aleš Hampl. Congratulations to both colleagues!
The ceremony took place on 18 May 2023 in Karel Engliš Grand Auditorium of the Faculty of Law. The award ceremony is held annually in several categories: science and research, sports, teaching, arts and civic activities. It was in the first category that the ICRC scientists were placed.
RNDr. Martin Toul, Ph.D. works in the Loschmidt Laboratories of the Faculty of Science of MU and in the Protein Engineering team of the ICRC. Specifically, he received the MU Rector’s Award for Outstanding MU Doctoral Students for his research in protein engineering. He uses advanced kinetic methods to uncover the biggest weaknesses in proteins and then eliminate them. The proteins studied can then be used more effectively in industry and medicine, whether by gaining better stability, durability or sensitivity. An example of a potential use is the production of more effective drugs for stroke.
Photo: Martin Toul (author: Martin Indruch, MU)
Doc. MVDr. Aleš Hampl, CSc. is an internationally recognized expert on stem cells and their use in biomedicine. He was awarded the MU Rector’s Prize for long-term outstanding research achievements in the field of natural sciences and medicine. In addition to his role as the Head of the Department of Histology and Embryology of the MU Faculty of Medicine, he also serves as the head of the ICRC Cell and Tissue Regeneration team. His research focuses on understanding and targeting the biological properties of different types of human stem cells with the aim of their safe application in biomedicine.
Photo: Aleš Hampl (author: Martin Indruch, MU)
Congratulations!
The ICRC is a joint workplace of St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno and the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University.
Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.
Media contact: Ing. Jiří Erlebach, Head of PR and Marketing Dpt, FNUSA Spokesperson, +420 543 182 006. jiri.erlebach@fnusa.cz.
ICRC deepens its cooperation with the Institute of Biophysics of the CAS
Biomedical research in Brno has taken another step towards excellence. On Friday 19 May 2023, the Director of the St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno (FNUSA), Ing. Vlastimil Vajdák, and the Director of the Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (BFÚ AV ČR), doc. RNDr. Eva Bártová, Ph.D., DSc., signed a contract on cooperation in joint research.
Photo: signing of the agreement; from left: Ing. Vlastimil Vajdák, prof. MUDr. Irena Rektorová, Ph.D. and doc. RNDr. Eva Bártová, Ph.D., DSc.
The signing of the agreement builds on the existing successful cooperation between the BFÚ AV ČR and the International Clinical Research Centre (ICRC) of FNUSA and MUNI MED. “The contract allows us to look for new opportunities. One of them is joint clinical research, for which FNUSA provides ideal facilities. During the meeting, we also discussed the state of instrument equipment of both parties and the possibility of sharing these capacities,” explained Director Vajdák.
The cooperation between the ICRC and the BFÚ AV ČR is carried out through research teams that focus on acute and chronic inflammatory processes or molecular mechanisms in the formation and development of tumours and metastases. “With the updated agreement, we strengthen the cooperation between the two research institutions and thus significantly contribute to the strengthening of excellence in biomedical research in Brno,” added doc. Bártová.
There are also plans to expand the cooperation. The possibility of using clean laboratories for the production of products for modern therapies, including cell therapy and tissue engineering, is being discussed. This was also confirmed by the head of the ICRC, Prof. Irena Rektorová, M.D., Ph.D.: “We plan to continue to look for common topics and use grant opportunities, for example within the Jan Amos Komenský Operational Programme.”
Photo: director of FNUSA, Ing. Vlastimil Vajdák, Director of the BFÚ AC ČR, doc. RNDr. Eva Bártová, Ph.D., DSc.
Photo: together in front of the BFÚ AV ČR building
Author: Marta Vrlová, M.A., MPH, Senior PR Specialist ICRC, marta.vrlova@fnusa.cz.
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