The Researcher´s Night returned to ICRC. It revealed surprising Transformations that are happening in the world around us
One evening, dozens of locations across the Czech Republic, and a diverse program for both children and adults that presented science in a fun and playful way. The Night of Scientists returned and on September 27, it visited all major Czech cities. One of the country’s largest scientific events, it was inspired this year by the works of Franz Kafka, with “Transformation” chosen as the main theme. Visitors were treated to interactive experiments, fun games and quizzes, exciting screenings, and lectures full of surprising discoveries. And once again, ICRC was part of it. The teams from the ICRC Center for Translational Medicine, specifically the Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation team and the Mechanobiology of Disease team, prepared tours of their facilities and introduced visitors to their research.
We guided you through the lifelong journey of the human immune system
The team of Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation, led by Mgr. Jan Frič, Ph.D., MHA, took enthusiastic attendees on an exploration of the fascinating transformation of the immune system from adulthood to old age. How the body’s defense mechanisms evolve throughout our lives, how they adapt to changes, why they sometimes become weakened, what is key for them, and what causes these changes were explained through both theory and practice to dozens of eager visitors.
We showed you metamorphosis in mechanobiology
Our scientists can transform any human cell in a laboratory dish into a stem cell and then convert it back into a cell of your choice! This metamorphosis provides them with an almost inexhaustible source of material for researching biological processes and diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Visitors, together with researchers from the Mechanobiology of Disease team, experienced light and fluorescence microscopy, cell cultivation, box filling with tips, and even saw how the cell stretching machine works.