The CEITEC Institute in Brno has acquired two pavilions for science and research

Brno - The Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) in Brno, which experts consider one of the leading scientific institutions in the world, today expanded with two new pavilions. Scientists thus obtained modern facilities for the research of biologically significant molecules, the evolution of plants, as well as the human mind and health. The construction of the buildings cost 440 million crowns, and their technical equipment cost 990 million crowns, said Masaryk University rector Mikuláš Bek to reporters. The majority of the costs were covered by the EU.
    CEITEC was established at the behest of the European Commission in 2011. It is a project of four Brno universities and two research institutes. It serves not only for education but primarily for research. Experts focus on clarifying the origin and spread of serious diseases, as well as studying the human brain and mind. Their research could bring new insights in the fight against epilepsy or Parkinson's disease or uncover the causes of aggressive behavior in drivers.
    Until now, CEITEC has been based in university buildings. Only today did it acquire its own facilities, which are part of the Masaryk University campus in Brno-Bohunice. Researchers thus gained a total of 7,000 square meters for research. One of the new pavilions also houses a special laboratory with a new cryo-electron microscope, which is unique in Central and Eastern Europe. It allows the observation of structures and arrangement of proteins and nucleic acids. From these findings, scientists can derive the mechanisms of biomolecule functions and utilize the knowledge for the development of so-called targeted treatment procedures.
    The device is four meters tall, weighs 2,000 kilograms, and is powered by 300 kilovolts. It can examine deeply frozen samples, which do not move even a tenth of a nanometer in the device.
    The institute's area is still under construction. Next year, it will expand with four additional buildings. The total cost of its construction will be 5.2 billion crowns; the EU will cover 4.4 billion and the Czech Republic 786 million crowns.
    The institute's leadership aims to involve the world's scientific elite in research. According to CEITEC director Markus Dettenhofer, this effort is succeeding. Currently, about 30 foreign scientists are active in it, and successful experts who gained experience abroad are returning to the Czech Republic. Among them is structural biologist Lukáš Trantírek, who graduated from Masaryk University years ago and has been working in Utrecht, Netherlands.
    "Brno has a very strong community of scientists researching nucleic acids. For me, it is a stimulating environment that allows the development of research focused on human genome regulation," Trantírek told ČTK. He leads an eight-member scientific group that studies individual parts of DNA.
    Among the foreign scientists at the institute is Vanessa Beatriz Tognetti from Argentina. At CEITEC, she has been researching the stress adaptation of plants for two years, specifically the mechanisms that allow them to quickly adapt to changes in their environment. Her colleague, Vincenzo Micale from Italy, studies processes in the human brain that lead to the development of schizophrenia.
    "The new spaces and shared laboratories will ensure further development of successful research teams and allow young scientists to engage in top-level research even while studying," added rector Bek.