Fibroblast growth factor FGF2-STAB, which was developed at MUNI, has now been patented, not just in Europe but also in Singapore, with patent proceedings also ongoing in a number of other countries. The patent is shared between Masaryk University and the university spin-off ‘Enantis’, which is in charge of the commercial use of the growth factor molecule. The discovery will have applications in cell biology, regenerative medicine and cosmetics.
As you may have read in the Magazine ‘M’, fibroblast growth factors are proteins that support cell growth and division. Researchers from Masaryk University not only managed to discover and describe the key properties of the FGF2 protein, they were also able to stabilise the factor thanks to protein engineering.
Protein engineering modifications to FGF2 lasted three years and focused on the thermodynamic stability of the protein. “We gradually exchanged some amino acids in its structure for others, introducing so-called point mutations. Through this process, we strengthened interactions between the amino acids, thereby increasing the overall robustness of the protein. We mastered the design of mutations and their construction quickly, but then followed a long period of testing their effect on FGF2 biological activity. We had to be very careful not to damage the protein, so we tested each of the thousands of protein variants individually", added David Bednář from the Loschmidt Laboratories, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.
Honorary doctorates were awarded, by decision of the Scientific Council of Masaryk University, to Professor Thomas Robert Cech, who made a significant contribution to the formation of the field of biological sciences; and Professor Peter Wolfram Michor, who made a significant contribution to the development of mathematics.
A team of botanists has revealed significant changes in the distribution of species in the Czech flora. Their study, published in the international scientific journal Biological Conservation, analyzed the decline and increase of individual plant species in the Czech Republic since 1960.
