In the autumn of last year, The Czech Science Foundation evaluated project proposals accepted for the competition SGA0202000004 – Grant Projects of Excellence in Basic Research EXPRO (official report – in Czech only). Two projects were also selected for the support group: Novel biophotonic tools for investigation of cellular processes and SubTHz on-chip devices for controlling protein nanomachines. Each of them received financial support of fifty million Czech crowns. Both started in January this year and will run for five years.
The aim of the project Novel biophotonic tools for investigation of cellular processes, which supervisor is Jiri Homola from Optical biosensors research team, is to develop a new generation of label-free biophotonic tools that will enable investigation of cellular processes (especially cell secretion and interactions of cells with biomolecules) and use them to investigate cellular processes related to serious onco-hematological diseases, such as myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia.
The goal of the project SubTHz on-chip devices for controlling protein nanomachines, which supervisor is Michal Cifra from Bioelectrodynamics research team, is to generate advanced electromagnetic tools and chip devices enabling control of protein nanomachine ensembles. We expect ground-breaking impact in nanotechnology based on new possibilities in the engineering of electromagnetic wave-matter nanoscale interaction.
Photo by: Petra Palečková, Tomáš Zakar