Peroxidase experts met in Brno

The International Human Peroxidase Meeting is now taking place in Brno. It is the world’s most important event for mammalian peroxidase researchers and its role in human health or disease identification. The meeting is organized by the The International Clinical Research Center of St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno (FNUSA-ICRC) together with the Institute of Biophysics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (BOKU).

Peroxidases are a large group of enzymes that play a role in various biological processes. “This conference focuses mainly on myeloperoxidase, eosinophil peroxidase, lactoperoxidase, thyroid peroxidase, peroxidazines 1 & 2, therefore heme peroxidase in mammals,” confirmed Lukáš Kubala, head of the FNUSA-ICRC research team Inflammation. “The topics will cover both the molecular enzymology, physiology and pathophysiology of peroxidases, the chemistry and biochemistry of oxidation products, and the function of peroxidases in host defense and tissue biology.”

Participators were welcomed also by Christine Winterbourn, a world-renowned legend in the field. She came to Brno from the University of Otago (New Zealand), where she is a professor of pathology. She was one of the first scientists to prove that human cells produce free radicals as part of their normal function and have documented some of the free radical chemical reactions that occur in diseases such as cancer, stroke, ischemic heart disease or arthritis. As the first woman in history she has received the Rutherford Medal, the most prestigious scientific award in New Zealand.

Christine Winterbourn in Brno, University in Otago