The Academic Award, or Praemium Academiae, will be presented to Lukáš Palatinus from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Jiří Neužil from the Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and Petr Škrdla from the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Brno. The award winners can draw on the grant of up to CZK 30 million over the next six years to cover costs related to research, salaries, and the purchase of technical equipment. 

"Each of the three selected individuals is among the world's best in their field. The Academic Award will enable them to further develop their potential – for the benefit of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Czech science as a whole," says Radomír Pánek, President of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Since 2007, the Academic Award has been presented to forty individuals. An overview of the award winners is available here.

The Lumina quaeruntur award is aimed at scientists in their mid-career, including those returning to active work after parental leave. It is intended to help the laureate establish their own research group, with support of up to CZK 4 million per calendar year for a maximum of five years. At least 20% of the budget is covered by the academic institution where the laureate will work.

This year's recipients are Filip Křížek from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Michal Hrbek from the Institute of Mathematics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Aniruddha Mitra from the Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Barbora Pafčo from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Jaroslav Bartík from the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, and Václav Smyčka from the Institute of Czech Literature of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The Lumina quaeruntur award was first presented in 2018 and has been awarded to 42 scientists to date. An overview of the award winners is available here.

ACADEMIC AWARD

Prof. Ing. Jiří Neužil, CSc., Institute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of Sciences

Horizontal mitochondrial transfer (HMT) is a process in which mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, move between cells. HMT is known to be responsible for cancer and is also associated with obesity, mitochondrial pathologies, and damage to neural networks and bones. Many areas remain unexplored.

Jiří Neužil's TransMit project at the Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of HMT and its practical applications. He and his team will focus on the molecular regulation of HMT and its role in the onset and development of cancer. This part of the research will be a priority. Among other things, the scientists will investigate the molecular mechanism of mitochondrial movement using TNT (tunneling nanotubes; membrane channels that connect cells and enable the transfer of various organelles between them). It has been proven that horizontal mitochondrial transfer is directly related to the movement of mitochondria in TNT between healthy (host) and tumor cells (i.e., tumor cells can steal mitochondria from other cells and thus obtain more energy). They also want to propose new possibilities for cancer treatment.

Jiří Neužil is no newcomer to HMT research. For example, he recently demonstrated that horizontal mitochondrial transfer is a common denominator in several types of tumors, of which there are now more than 20.

Although the tumor part will be the main focus, scientists will also focus on two other areas: neuronal and bone. They are interested in how HMT affects the health of neurons and how to suppress neurodegenerative diseases. Previous research suggests that TNTs are the main means of intercellular "transport" between neurons and supporting cells. Studying the role of HMT in bone physiology may show how to promote bone remodeling. It appears that HMT is important for bone cell function and that mitochondria from supporting cells migrate to basic bone cells (osteocytes), thereby supporting bone quality, which deteriorates with age.

The TransMit project will involve collaboration between a group of Czech scientists who will form the Czech HMT School. In addition to the research itself, they want to raise awareness that Czech scientists are leaders in this field.

LUMINA QUAERENTUR

Aniruddha Mitra, Ph.D., Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Aniruddha Mitra from the Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences wants to uncover the principles that govern the dense "traffic" in eukaryotic cells. He will focus on sensory cilia—antenna-like organelles that play a key role in regulating signal transmission and are therefore essential for many developmental and physiological processes.

Cilia are found on the surface of almost every cell in the body. They are separated from the interior of the cell by a permeable barrier through which proteins, among other things, pass via intraflagellar transport. This system "guards" the entry, exit, and distribution of proteins, and its disruption is associated with ciliopathies—genetically diverse disorders that include very rare and severe diseases affecting both children and adults. 

In 2019, Aniruddha Mitra moved to a laboratory at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands and developed advanced fluorescence microscopy tools that enabled the imaging and analysis of individual molecules for the study of intracellular dynamics in neurons and sensory cilia of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Caenorhabditis elegans). This cutting-edge approach offers a unique insight into the development of neural networks and allows for quantitative investigation of the dynamics of membrane proteins in cilia at nerve junctions. 

The scientist wants to extend the method to sensory cilia. Together with his team, he plans to reveal how membrane proteins in cilia are sorted and to elucidate the mechanisms of intraflagellar protein transport. The practical outcome is the creation of a quantitative molecular model that would allow for a better understanding of ciliopathies and cellular responses to changes in the environment.

Aniruddha Mitra moved to Europe after completing his bachelor's degree at Delhi University in India. He received his doctorate from the Technical University of Dresden and subsequently worked in laboratories in the Netherlands. He will move to the Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences from Utrecht.

Source: Press Release CAS