The ceremonial presentation of the cheques took place on Tuesday, 10 March at Brno’s New Town Hall. The Brno Ph.D. Talent competition is intended for doctoral students studying natural sciences and engineering at any Brno university. From a record 151 applicants, an expert committee first selected 51 finalists. The finalists then presented their research projects in the second round and 25 of them were selected to receive the award. This means that over the next three years, they will receive a scholarship of 360,000 CZK, allowing them to focus on further developing their research projects.
The projects of the awarded students cover a wide range of topics, from medicine and pharmacy to biotechnology and advanced technologies. Work by laureates from Masaryk University, for example, explores new approaches to treating Alzheimer’s disease, innovative therapeutics for acute myeloid leukaemia and more effective treatment strategies for patients after stroke. Other projects investigate new methods of vagus nerve stimulation for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, possibilities for early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases or the molecular mechanisms behind the natural healing of teeth.
From the Faculty of Pharmacy, Marie-Anna Bajerová was the only recipient of the award. Her project focuses on using 3D printing in the development of new types of wound dressings that contain natural components. The goal is to create modern wound coverings that can better adapt to patients’ needs while contributing to more effective and gentler treatment.
“In short, the concept is personalised wound dressings using substances of purely natural origin. The matrix will consist of polysaccharides, especially alginate and carrageenans, and the active ingredient will be a natural antiseptic such as manuka honey, other bee products or plant oils and extracts. The project is unique particularly in that it combines the chemical structure of the individual components and their interaction with mechanical properties and therapeutic effects to enable the most effective personalised approach,” says Marie-Anna Bajerová on the website of the Faculty of Pharmacy.
The Faculty of Science has the highest number of award recipients – twelve in total – followed by the Faculty of Medicine with four laureates.
Several projects also have a strong technological and biotechnological dimension. Students are working on such diverse topics as developing computational methods to identify candidates for new medicines, innovations in agricultural biotechnology, and improving the properties of protein enzymes used in industry, medicine and everyday life.
“The competition is organised in cooperation with four Brno universities. Since 2009, more than three hundred young researchers have received the award. The Brno Ph.D. Talent scholarship helps them launch their research careers and develop their potential. It is a delight to see how many talented people we have in Brno and how their ideas help improve the world around us,” says Brno mayor Markéta Vaňková.
The competition is organised by JCMM, with funding provided by the City of Brno.
Brno Ph.D. Talent 2025/2026 award recipients
Marie-Anna Bajerová, Faculty of Pharmacy
Pharmacy – Personalised 3D-printed wound dressings based on polysaccharides with natural antiseptics
This project focuses on using 3D printing to create innovative wound dressings that incorporate natural components such as polysaccharides and natural antiseptics. The approach redefines both the design and delivery of wound care, making treatment more efficient and centred on the patient.
Jan Česnek, Faculty of Science
Environment and health – Studying Alzheimer’s disease and drug screening using in vitro neuronal membrane models
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and a global socioeconomic challenge. The project investigates interactions between Aß42 and ApoE – key proteins influencing AD pathogenesis – and lipid membranes using innovative microfluidic membrane models. It aims to provide molecular mechanistic insight into AD pathology and accelerate the discovery of new medicines.
Mariane de Araujo e Silva, Faculty of Medicine
Neuroscience – Non-invasive temporal interference stimulation of the vagus nerve to modulate and predict therapeutic outcomes in epilepsy
This project explores a new non-invasive approach – temporal interference stimulation of the vagus nerve – to influence epileptogenic brain networks. Using EEG connectivity and heart-rate variability, the research seeks to identify biomarkers that can predict individual responses, with the vision of developing a promising therapy.
Tim de Martines, Faculty of Science
Environment and health – Advanced protein profiling and rational engineering of next-generation therapies for ischaemic stroke
The project aims to improve treatment options for patients after stroke. It focuses on modifying a promising thrombolytic protein called staphylokinase, which can dissolve blood clots. Advanced computational modelling will help researchers better understand how this protein works and how it can be purposefully improved.
Martin Havlásek, Faculty of Science
Environment and health – Structure-based drug design strategy for discovering new Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics
Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a promising therapeutic target in Alzheimer’s disease, but its structural properties make it challenging for traditional computational strategies. The project aims to develop an innovative computational approach that overcomes these limitations and enables the identification of promising drug candidates.
Casimira Valeria Chuquimez Ventura, Faculty of Medicine
Biomedical sciences – New roles of innervation and vasculature in tooth regeneration
By combining advanced 3D imaging, genetic lineage tracing and injury models, the project aims to map the neurovascular microenvironment of teeth and reveal how glial and vascular cells detect damage and regulate early repair.
Pavel Kolodin, Faculty of Science
Experimental plant biology – Genome editing in Brassicaceae
Population growth, climate change and industrial demands require innovation in agricultural biotechnology. Species of the genus Brassica, particularly B. napus, are economically important, yet traditional breeding methods are reaching their limits. The project aims to improve the efficiency and precision of gene editing and create a robust platform for improving Brassica crops.
Patrik Lindovský, Faculty of Science
Life sciences – Design of fusion peptides
The project seeks to contribute to the development of targeted drug delivery and open new therapeutic possibilities that could allow treatment of diseases previously considered incurable.
Anna Lněničková, Faculty of Science
Physiology, immunology and developmental biology of animals – Sensitising colorectal tumours to combined induction of p53 and ISR
To improve outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer, the research focuses on developing a specialised mouse model that will allow scientists to observe how tumour cells respond to various medicines affecting key cellular anti-tumour pathways. The aim is to identify a combination that activates these pathways strongly enough to trigger tumour cell death.
Patrik Matušů, Faculty of Science
Haematology and oncology – Inhibition of casein kinase 1 alpha as a new therapeutic approach in acute myeloid leukaemia
The research focuses on acute myeloid leukaemia, particularly the limited treatment options available for relapsed and refractory patients. It studies new selective CK1 inhibitors, their mechanism of action, resistance, effectiveness in different patient samples and validation in mouse xenograft models. The aim is to clarify the role of CK1 in AML pathogenesis and help advance these inhibitors towards clinical trials.
Anastasia Moskvina, Faculty of Science
Plasma physics – Plasma-modified scaffolds with MXene for simultaneous osteosarcoma therapy and bone tissue engineering
Osteosarcoma is an aggressive bone cancer that mainly affects young people under nineteen. Standard therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not always effective and often cause serious side effects. The nanomaterial systems under development combine anti-tumour photothermal therapy with support for bone tissue regeneration, aiming for effective and gentler treatment.
Petr Pazourek, Faculty of Science
Condensed matter physics – Structural properties of ferroelectric topological insulators and other modern materials
The project examines the structural and electronic properties of ferroelectric topological insulators, focusing on thin films of chalcogenide compounds PbSnTe, PbGeTe, PbSnSe, PbGeSe and SnGeTe deposited on BaF₂ substrates. Using temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transport measurements, it aims to clarify ferroelectric phase transitions and their relationship to modifications in band structure.
Monika Rosinská, Faculty of Science
Mathematical biology, bioinformatics and modelling – EnzymeMiner: pioneering a new wave of enzyme discovery
Protein enzymes are everywhere – in medicines, cleaning products and even in brewing beer. The project focuses on searching protein databases to find proteins with desired functions but improved properties, enabling them to work at lower temperatures.
Elena Sekaninová, Faculty of Medicine
Neuroscience – Pupillometric biomarkers of the onset of neurodegenerative diseases
The project studies pupillometric indicators of neurodegenerative diseases, with a primary focus on dementia with Lewy bodies. Its goal is to develop a standardised analytical procedure and test pupil responses during cognitive tasks of varying difficulty. The results could contribute to more accurate and earlier diagnosis of dementia and support the development of new clinical tools.
Jaroslava Šafářová, Faculty of Science
Physiology, immunology and developmental biology of animals – Targeting the DSG2–MMP14 axis to overcome metastatic progression and therapy resistance
The project focuses on the role of the adhesion molecule desmoglein-2 (DSG2) and the enzyme MMP14 in tumour metastasis. The aim is to understand this mechanism and verify the DSG2–MMP14 axis as a potential therapeutic target, which could lead to new strategies for suppressing the spread of metastases.
Martina Šindlerová, Faculty of Medicine
Biomedical sciences – The cellular basis of tooth healing
The project investigates the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms behind the natural healing of teeth. It focuses on how teeth coordinate their own repair through tertiary dentinogenesis, examining reactionary, reparative and a newly identified third type in response to periodontal damage.
Viliam Volko, Faculty of Science
Life sciences – Development of paramagnetic NMR spectroscopy for structural analysis
NMR is widely used in chemistry, biology and medicine. Many transition-metal complexes contain unpaired electrons, which cause signal broadening and large paramagnetic shifts. The research aims to develop a method for calculating paramagnetic shifts in systems used for designing catalysts, artificial biomolecules and labels for structural biology.