On Wednesday, 23 September, the fourth Prague.bio Conference took place in Prague, bringing together experts in biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, research and innovation. The Masaryk University Technology Transfer Office (CTT MU) attended the conference to explore current trends in life sciences, establish new contacts and identify opportunities to bring the results of university research into practice.
Held at the National House in Vinohrady, the conference provided a platform for researchers, biotechnology companies, startups, investors and other stakeholders from the innovation ecosystem to meet. The programme included expert presentations and panel discussions, showcases of innovative projects and startups, as well as one-to-one partnering meetings.
Masaryk University also presented two research projects at the conference in the form of poster presentations. Ondřej Jurček from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Masaryk University showcased a nanoparticle technology with applications in drug delivery and cosmetics. Isar Mohld from CEITEC Masaryk University presented the RNAutriX project, a platform focused on drug discovery.
The conference focused primarily on advances in biotechnology, collaboration between academia and industry, and opportunities to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications. For MUNI TTO, events of this kind provide an opportunity to gain a better understanding of potential partners’ needs and explore new avenues of collaboration for technologies and know-how developed at Masaryk University.
The conference programme was followed on Thursday, 24 September, by a visit to the facilities and laboratories of PharmTheon, a translational research centre of IOCB Tech. The CTT MU team had the opportunity to explore the centre’s facilities and learn more about its activities in translational research and drug development.
PharmTheon connects basic scientific research with practical applications in medicine, engineering, and biotechnology. It collaborates with academic institutions, startups, and biotechnology companies to advance promising scientific discoveries into early-stage drug discovery and preclinical development. Its activities draw on expertise in areas such as medicinal chemistry, high-throughput screening, computational drug design, pharmacological profiling, biochemistry, functional assays, biomarkers, and in vivo models.The visit was an interesting opportunity for us to see in practice how the combination of scientific expertise, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, and the field of application can work together. More information about PharmTheon and its activities can be found at pharmtheon.cz.
We would like to thank the organisers of Prague.bio and the PharmTheon team for the opportunity to be part of this year’s event and for the inspiring meeting.
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