Zdeněk Lánský received the Czech Science Foundation President’s Award for Outstanding Research
Five excellent scientists have received the Award of the President of the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) for outstanding results in grant projects, which was exceptionally presented this year by GACR Vice President Stanislava Hronová. The prestigious prize for the best basic research was awarded to Martin Pivokonský (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic), Vladimír Šindelář (Masaryk University), Zdeněk Lánský (BIOCEV Biotechnology and Biomedicine Centre as the joint venture of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Charles University), Klára Šeďová (Masaryk University), and Marek Eliáš (University of Ostrava).
The award-winning research projects provide important insights that will make it possible to ensure the high quality drinking water, use certain organic substances in the preparation of medicines, better understand what happens inside nerve cells, improve education for school children, or better understand the evolution of cell organelles ‒ tiny structures present in the cells of plants and algae.
“We believe it is extremely important to reward scientists for their work, which is why this year we have selected these five best grant projects. It was an honour to present the President’s Award of the Czech Science Foundation to the laureates, but I am deeply saddened that the President of the Czech Science Foundation, Jaroslav Koča, an exceptional scientist and a man who recently left us unexpectedly forever, was unable to present it. We are presenting these awards for the eighteenth time, and this year’s selection of projects once again proves that basic research in the Czech Republic is world-class,” says Stanislava Hronová, Vice-President of the Czech Science Foundation.
The laureates of the GACR President’s Award are selected on the recommendation of several hundred scientists who evaluate projects funded by GACR. Over thirty projects have been shortlisted, out of which the winning projects were then selected in five areas of basic research: technical sciences; physical sciences; medical and biological sciences; social sciences and humanities; and agricultural and biological-environmental sciences.
“Every year, the Czech Science Foundation funds hundreds of research projects selected through a transparent tender process. We are the only institution in the Czech Republic that has funded exclusively basic research projects for 28 years. We will continue to strive to create the right conditions for quality basic research so that it brings more success for Czech scientists,” says Stanislava Hronová, Vice President of the GACR.
Medical and biological sciences
RNDr. Zdeněk Lánský, Ph.D., BIOCEV - In Vitro Reconstitution of the Mitochondrial Transport Complex
Thanks to this project, a mechanism has been discovered that allows molecular motors to find a viable path in the crowded interior of a cell. It has led to the discovery of how molecular motors transport mitochondria in nerve cells over long distances and how this mechanism increases the reliability of transport. The clarification of the molecular mechanism provides insights relevant to further research on the regulation of mitochondrial transport.
Source: Press Release of the Czech Science Foundation (GACR)
Zdeněk Lánský Lab - HERE
