News

The Czech EATRIS Spotlight event took place in early June at the Kaiserštejn Palace in Prague, bringing together leading experts to support translational medicine and strengthen collaboration among research infrastructures in the Czech Republic and across Europe. The event welcomed approximately 100 participants, including scientists, clinicians, representatives of research organisations, public authorities, and European partners.

The development of new medicines for paediatric patients, particularly in oncology and rare diseases, remains one of the greatest challenges in modern medicine. The growing importance of academic clinical research was highlighted during this year’s International Clinical Trials Day (ICTD).

As part of the News in Biomedical Research lecture series, Lindsay Case from Massachusetts Institute of Technology visited the Institute of Biochemistry and Experimental Oncology at the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University. The lecture by the leading American scientist was held at the invitation of Martin Sztacho, whose research group is part of the NUVR, and attracted nearly 50 students, postdoctoral fellows, and researchers.

At the invitation of Jan Škoda from the Faculty of Science at Masaryk University and Jaroslav Štěrba, Scientific Director of NICR, Professor Michael D. Hogarty, a leading American pediatric oncologist and researcher from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, visited Brno.

The Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) took place from April 17–22 in San Diego. This year’s theme, “Precision, Partnership, Purpose: Advancing Cancer Science to Save Lives Globally,” reflected the extraordinary advances in cancer research, as well as their expected impacts for patients across the globe. Several NICR research groups also presented their findings.

The fourth edition of the Summer School on Tumor Microenvironment and Immunity will take place this July, organized by the Czech Immunological Society in cooperation with the Institute of Microbiology of the CAS and under the auspices of, among others, the NICR.

On April 8, new laboratories of the Centre of Excellence CREATIC, dedicated to the research, development, and manufacturing of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), were opened in the renovated pavilion at the University Campus Bohunice of Masaryk University. Teams from the NICR have also made a significant contribution to their development.

Join us at AFO 2026 and don’t miss the documentary “André Is an Idiot”—a story about a man who is dying because he underestimated prevention and did not undergo a colonoscopy in time. Representatives of NICR will also take part in the subsequent discussion.

Don’t forget to register for the Czech Annual Cancer Research Meeting, which will take place November 23–25, 2026, in Olomouc. The deadline for abstract submission is September 15, 2026.

Our dear longtime colleague and friend, leading molecular immunology expert Jonathan S. Duke-Cohan from Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, visited Prague once again.

How does the immune system influence the development and progression of brain tumors, and what new treatment possibilities does immunotherapy offer? These questions were among the topics addressed in a lecture by Magdalena Houdová Megová from the NICR, delivered as part of the Brain Awareness Week festival and attended by dozens of members of the public.

How has our understanding of T-lymphocyte development and T-cell receptor signaling evolved over the past two decades? And what do these advances mean for contemporary immunology and the future of targeted therapies? These and other questions will be addressed by leading molecular immunologist Jonathan S. Duke-Cohan.

What happens inside tumour cells when a slow-growing lymph node cancer transforms into an aggressive form of the disease? The key is the loss of a molecule called miR-29, which normally acts as a brake on tumour cell growth.

As is traditional at the end of January, the Clarion Congress Hotel Prague hosted the 17th edition of the interdisciplinary oncology colloquium PragueONCO. NICR was also represented in the scientific programme, having co-organised, together with the Neuro-Oncology Section of the Czech Oncology Society, a parallel symposium focused on the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours.

This year's Czech Annual Cancer Research (CACR) Meeting will take place on November 23–25, 2026, traditionally at the NH Collection Olomouc Congress Hotel.

On 18 January, during a ceremonial evening at the Prague Planetarium, the Neuron Foundation announced the laureates of its awards honoring outstanding Czech scientists for 2025. The Award for Connecting Science and Business was presented to the Czech spin-off company Adalid Sciences ...

Students of the Christian Doppler Grammar School in Prague discussed the molecular basis of cancer […]

Thank you for your cooperation this year. We wish you a peaceful Christmas, good health, happiness, energy, and great ideas in 2026!

On 2 December 2025, a summary conference of the collaborating EXCELES projects was held at the Residence of the Mayor of Prague. EXCELES is a programme of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports aimed at supporting excellent research and the emergence of national scientific authorities. Funded by the National Recovery Plan, the projects connect key biomedical institutions across the Czech Republic and strive for what Czech research has long been lacking: cooperation rather than fragmentation.

The programme of this year’s Czech Annual Cancer Research Meeting (CACR Meeting), which brought almost 300 leading scientists from the Czech Republic and abroad to Olomouc on 23–25 November, offered a comprehensive overview of the latest findings that may fundamentally influence future cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The National Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) also presented the results of its 3.5-year existence.

In cooperation between the NICR and the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, a lecture by Martin Sadílek from the University of Washington took place in Prague on November 6. The talk focused on the use of mass spectrometry in newborn screening and biomedical research.

New insights into the metabolic mechanisms of tumors and their therapeutic targeting were the main theme of the 4th Prague Symposium on Cancer Metabolism, held under the auspices of the National Institute for Cancer Research on October 14–15, 2025, at the Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, in Motol.

For the first time, the 20th Congress of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO 2025) took place in a country of the former Eastern Bloc — and Prague passed the test with flying colors. A record attendance of more than 1,600 experts, inspiring discussions, and new partnerships all confirmed the growing importance of Czech neuro-oncology on the European map.

Sweeten up the penultimate Friday in October and support a good cause! Come on 24 October 2025 between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to Camus Square Shopping Centre in Brno to taste what Zdeněk Andrysík from the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, members of his research group and other colleagues from NICR have baked for you. Proceeds from this second charity bake sale will be donated to the Fund Krtek.

As dusk fell on 26 September, the Academic Club of the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, in Prague’s Faust House filled to capacity. On the occasion of Researchers’ Night, the National Institute for Cancer Research welcomed all those who are curious about the unknown and unexplored.

The Institute of Photonics and Electronics of the CAS invites you to a one-day workshop, which will take place on November 11, 2025, and will feature invited lectures delivered by distinguished experts in advanced analytical techniques s and cancer research.

The National Institute for Cancer Research once again took part in the 49th Brno Oncology Days (BOD) and the 39th Nursing Conference, held in early September in Brno. The event welcomed more than 2,400 participants and confirmed its position as the largest oncology conference in the Czech Republic.

Four leading research institutions, five days, and six motivated high school students who immersed themselves in the world of scientific discovery. For the very first time, the National Institute for Cancer Research (NICR) organized a Summer School for secondary school students, offering them a unique opportunity to experience first-hand what it means to work in research teams.

At the end of the summer holidays, Martin Sztacho, whose research group at NICR focuses on the architecture of cancer cells, actively participated in the 17th International Congress of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry. The program featured the latest insights in histochemistry and cytochemistry applied in medicine, biology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence.

Don't forget that September 1, 2025, the deadline for submitting abstracts for the Czech Annual Cancer Research Meeting, is fast approaching!