Active substances of drugs, alone or in combination with each other, herbs and herbal supplements are metabolized by the human liver. This metabolization can be associated with irreversible damage or even death of the patient. There is no effective prevention against this problem. Additionally, there is no simple drug testing preclinical system to decipher hepatotoxicity issues undoubtfully at early stages of the drug development.
Scientists from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences in collaboration with BENEŠ a LÁT a.s. and CARDAM s.r.o. managed to develop a cooling system for complex forms manufactured by means of 3D printing. The project results utilize the latest findings in the area of coating technologies and significant progress of additive manufacturing.
Scientists from the Laboratory of Biophysics contributed to the field of DNA nanotechnology with a recent systematic analysis. The authors, led by Oleg Lunov, have summarized the current state of knowledge about the interactions of DNA nanostructures (DN) with cells and identified the key challenges.
“We had the opportunity to invest time into interdisciplinary research, knowing that if everything works according to plan, we‘ll rank among the best. But an overarching element of our research remains to be optics – we’ve never run away from it,” says Alexandr Dejneka, the Optics Division Head, in an interview.
A combination of theoretical study, purposeful work, and valuable practical experience – this is what the Radius Development Centre provides to university students. The centre was conceived by three Institutes of the Academy of Sciences together with two universities – Palacký University in Olomouc and University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.
Targeted drug delivery is a topic of interest to scientists around the world. A new contribution to this area has now been made by researchers from the Laboratory of Biophysics led by Oleg Lunov from the Division of Optics. The group was exploring biological properties and the efficiency of cellular delivery using DNA nanostructures (DN).
How can physicists contribute to dealing with drug-induced liver injury? The answer to this question is, for example, by applying cutting-edge imagining techniques. Researchers from the Institute of Physic of the Czech Academy of Sciences have joined an international interdisciplinary research team which is conducting a research to generate new knowledge and approaches to dealing with drug-induced liver injury, aiming to create a liver model for timely detection of drug toxicity. A comprehensive interdisciplinary research summary of this subject was published in the prestigious Journal of Hepatology.
Recently, large-scale testing of Prague‘s public transportation system for signs of Covid-19 transmissibility was initiated by the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP). The extensive testing of the system, which was carried out in April 2021 by researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (AVČR), found no evidence of the infectious presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Institute of Physics and the Prague Public Transit Company have recently agreed on mutual cooperation aimed at testing the Prague public transportation network for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19.
Brain4Industry, a consortium led by the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences - as the representative of the Czech Republic - has applied for membership in the European Digital Innovation Hub.
A device to detect SARS-CoV-2 in saliva samples is one step closer to a real-world application. A unique technology, which was developed by researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, has shown sensitivity comparable to that of PCR testing.
Advantages of new technologies, such as 3D print, lasers or IT systems for collecting and analysing of large quantities of data will be joined under one roof at a new innovation centre and Digital Innovation Hub – Brain4Industry in Dolních Břežany. A conference called “Digitalization and 3D Print in the Practice of Czech Companies” outlined the advantages of the innovation approach being initiated there to the representatives of industry and research organizations.
