News

An interview with Jan Dobes to honour his Invence prize (in czech only).

The Rector of Charles University Milena Králíčková awarded four personalities with commemorative medals of Charles University. She presented them to the laureates at this year's last meeting of the Scientific Council of Charles University on Thursday 12 December. The gold medal was awarded to Professor Jan Černý and the silver medal to Dr Lenka Libusová, both from the Department of Cell Biology.

In her research, she delves into the origins of life on Earth. What keeps her awake at night are the 20 amino acids that have formed the building blocks of proteins in all organisms since the very beginning—from the simplest life forms to humans. How would life look if the identity of these amino acids changed? Could life even emerge under such circumstances?

Dr. Matouš Vobořil from the Department of Cell Biology at the Faculty of Science, Charles University has been awarded a prestigious Junior Star grant from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. Thanks to the new grant, the young scientist can set up his own laboratory and research team at the faculty.

Dr. Jan Dobeš from the Department of Cell Biology at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, has received the prestigious Česká hlava award. He was awarded by the INVENTION prize for his outstanding achievement in the field of basic or applied research in the 23rd year of the competition.

Researchers have made a remarkable advancement in understanding how cells regulate their inner framework. The team from three institutes of the Czech Academy of Science, the Institute of Molecular Genetics, the Institute of Biotechnology and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Faculty of Science of Charles University, BIOCEV and CEITEC has uncovered the precise molecular mechanisms behind the protein MICAL1, which plays a crucial role in maintaining cell shape and movement. Researchers' findings offer a detailed insight into MICAL1’s function in controlling actin filaments—the cell's flexible “skeleton”—and open up new possibilities for developing treatments to address diseases linked to MICAL dysfunction. The study was published by the prestigious journal Nature Communications.