NICR as seen from the outside

‘It is my pleasure and honour to follow, as member of the International Supervisory and Advisory Board (ISAB), the development of NICR, which is fast transforming into a truly comprehensive consortium whose teams connect basic research with the translational approach and clinical applications.' These are the words of Viktor Umansky from DKFZ Heidelberg, which he shared with us at a recent CACR Meeting 2024. He added: ‘This naturally requires a very close collaboration between researchers and clinicians. I believe that NICR has put a lot of effort into bringing these people together. I very much appreciate also NICR’s attention to the

 

education and further development of young scientists. It is wonderful for me to be there, to follow the development of Czech cancer research, and to observe this progress. Thanks to it I, too, can learn a lot for my research.’

Daniela Elena Costea, head of the ISAB then in her article brings various arguments in support of her conclusion that ‘NICR is a model of what can be achieved in cancer research through coordinated and interdisciplinary efforts.’

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Nikta Ziaei:

Let’s bring the world’s top scientists to the Czech Republic

Czech cancer research has achieved impressive progress, which is reflected in the growing representation of Czech scientists in impacted journals and at important international conferences. In order to make Czech cancer research even more visible and to make sure that NICR becomes the conceptual leader in this area, we should organise here international conferences and workshops on new subjects, and thus attract to the Czech Republic world’s top cancer researchers. 

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Jonathan S. Duke-Cohan:

Experience is the bridge between the Czech Republic and the world

The Czech Republic has had to catch up with Western countries who have had forty extra years of development. One must be realistic about expectations here – Czech oncology research is not a large signal on the international radar at present, but this is something that will change. Everything is dependent upon the new, younger generations of clinicians and scientists coming into the field. After 3–5 years abroad, these clinicians and scientists will bring back experience and contacts that will forge a strong bridge between Czechia and the top institutions in the world thus raising the stature here. 

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TBK1-associated adapters TANK and AZI2 protect mice against TNF-induced cell death and severe autoinflammatory diseases

 

Andrea Ujevic, Daniela Knizkova, Alzbeta Synackova et al.

 

Nat Commun

2024 November 

 

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54399-4 

PMID: 39562788

eIF4F controls ERK MAPK signaling in melanomas with BRAF and NRAS mutations

 

Barbora Valcikova, Natalia Vadovicova, Karolina Smolkova

et al.

 

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

2024 October

 

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321305121

PMID: 39436655

LAMP-based electrochemical platform for monitoring HPV genome integration at the mRNA level associated with higher risk of cervical cancer progression

 

Nasim Izadi, Johana Strmiskova, Milan Anton et al.

 

J Med Virol

2024 October

 

DOI: 10.1002/jmv.70008 

PMID: 9420658

Thanks to NICR, we are discovering new uses of biosensors 

Markéta Bocková became fascinated with optical biosensors already during her work on master’s thesis. As a graduate of the Biochemistry programme, she felt affinity with 

medical applications, and to work on linking optical biosensors with medical diagnostics seemed a clear career choice. Nowadays, the research team Optical Biosensors at the Institute of Photonics and Electronics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, which is part of the NICR, has around 20 members. They include theoretical physicists, experts in optics, engineering, biochemistry, physical chemistry, and construction not only from the Czech Republic but also from Italy, Slovakia, China, and Iran. Studies published by this team have over 22,000 citations, which translates into about 1,100 citations a year. When it comes to medical applications, she is always very happy when she can add, as a ‘cherry on the cake’, also some smaller clinical study, as a sort of reward for her team and for the physicians with whom they collaborate.

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Snapshots from the 2024 CACR 

At the Ander Stadium in Oloumouc, the Czech national football team played against Georgia in the League of Nations and in the congress centre across the street, scientists played a league of their own. They were taking part in the Czech Annual Cancer Research Meeting, which was for the third year running co-organised by the NICR. Let us recall these moments with photographs and listen to the impressions of participants from the Czech Republic and abroad. 

RP2 for the development of anticancer pharmaceuticals

Research groups active in RP2 work on various aspects of research and development of potential anticancer pharmaceuticals and therapeutic methods. Their work focuses on the development of new therapeuticals based on small molecules, polymers, and so-called biologicals, that is,

therapeutical proteins, antibodies, nucleic acids, and cell therapies. Further efforts go into optimalisation of candidate substances, biological testing, and preclinical development. The goal is to take several of the most promising pharmaceuticals to the stage of clinical studies and, as Michal Hocek and Marián Hajdúch, leaders of the RP2 note, NICR teams have already managed to make significant progress in this area. 

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Indicators are not only publications…

NICR is committed to using the relevant national and European research infrastructures to advance cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment. The institutions involved in the NICR are themselves directly involved in the management of large research infrastructures and synergies between the participating teams make it possible to create added value, avoid duplication, and increase research efficiency. NICR actively collaborates with

several large research infrastructures in order to enhance its cancer research capabilities. These partnerships provide NICR with access to advanced technologies and resources, thus facilitating cutting-edge research and innovation.

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Medical Tribune, 3 December 2024

‘It’s a wonderful feeling, when you can present the results of work you’ve been doing for twenty years – and about which many people around you said that it’s complete nonsense. When it turns out, after all these years, that you were right, that’s quite good, isn’t it?!’, says Jaroslav Štěrba.

CzechCrunch, 14 November 2024

Lenka Bešše, a biologist from NICR, speaks about ways of understanding cellular mechanisms that allow cancer to develop and become more resistant, but also about how very different it is to do research in Switzerland and in Czechia, especially with two small children. 

Žena-IN, 3 November 2024

Cancers of the blood belong among those that can be successfully treated, but there are still many patients whom physicians still cannot help. Science is, however, making fast progress, says the haematologist and researcher Tomáš Stopka, who focuses in NICR on the development of new medications for haematological malignities. 

Zdravotnický deník, 1 November 2024

‘NICR reacts to pressing needs of the state administration, which needs to see, when it focuses on academic oncology, where research takes place and where it is done well. Otherwise, it can happen that it would spend an endless amount of money that would fragment all around the sphere, but it won’t be actually clear what it’s good for,’ said Pavel Doleček, secretary of the Minister of Science, Research, and Innovation, with appreciation. 

Novinky.cz, 27 October 2024

‘A basic component of search for new medications for a concrete cancer is an understanding of its biological foundations. We push forward the potential of oncology by focusing not only on the cancer cells as such but study the tumour as a whole. That enables us to influence the processes that take place in it’, explained, among other things, Aleksi Šedo to readers of Novinky.cz.

DVTV, 10, 12, 19 and 26 November 2024
Scientists Against Cancer is a miniseries prepared as part of media partnership between NICR and DVTV. It features subjects such as science vs love, science vs (lack of) success, or science vs the world. The entire miniseries concludes by an interview with NICR Director Aleksi Šedo.

3 December 2024

Why do cells have suicidal mechanisms and how did cancer learn to de-activate them? Is a golden pipette handy in a lab? Zuana Kečkéšová from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS accepted an invitation to In Amongst the Cells. 


5 November 2024

‘If your opponent is of a choleric temper, seek to irritate him’, wrote Master Sun Tzu in about the 5th century BC. A ‘few of years later’, Martin Mistrík from the Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of Palacky University uses the same tactic in the fight against cancers. 

 

You’ll find all parts of the In Amongst the Cells podcast also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!