Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the most distinguished figures in Czech immunology – Prof. Milan Hašek (4 October 1925). His inventive mind, courage to push the boundaries of scientific knowledge, and ability to inspire others made him a pioneer whose legacy lives on today.
Prof. Milan Hašek was not only an extraordinary person, immunologist, biologist, and physician, but also a mentor to an entire generation of scientists. Many of them left for abroad after 1968 and became respected ambassadors of Czech immunology around the world. His curiosity, inventiveness, and experimental precision—often bordering on genius—earned him a reputation as a world-renowned immunologist and co-discoverer of the phenomenon of immune tolerance.
When this year’s Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Prof. Shimon Sakaguchi, was invited to Prague, he responded clearly:
“I would be delighted to visit the country that gave the world Milan Hašek.”
On this occasion, we cordially invite you to a mini-seminar dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Prof. Milan Hašek, which will commemorate his life, scientific contributions, and the international impact of his work.
| 13:00 – 13:05 | Opening Dominik Filipp, PhD. – head of the Laboratory of immunobiology, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IMG) |
| 13:05 – 13:10 | Welcome greeting Petr Dráber, Ph.D., DSc. – director of IMG |
| 13:10 – 13:15 | Welcome greeting Luca Ernesto Vannucci, M.D., Ph.D. – president of Czech Immunological Society |
| 13:15 – 13:30 | “Milan Hašek – Reminder of a man” (short video presentation) |
MEMORIAL LECTURES | |
| 13:30 – 14:00 | Memories of Milan Hašek Prof. Juraj Ivanyi, M.D., Ph.D. – emeritus Professor of Immunology of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London; long-term collaborator and close friend of Prof. Hašek. |
| 14:00 – 14:30 | Milan Hašek in the memories of his last student Prof. Vladimír Holáň, Ph.D., DSc. – leading Czech immunologist specializing in transplant immunology and immunoregulation; former researcher at the Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and the last PhD student of Prof. Hašek. |
| 14:30 – 14:40 | break |
SCIENTIFIC LECTURES | |
| 14:40 – 15:00 | The living legacy of Milan Hašek – current trends in chicken models at IMG Jiří Hejnar, Ph.D. – head of the Laboratory of Viral and Cellular Genetics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences; expert in endogenous retroviruses, viral receptors, and gene editing in poultry. |
| 15:00 – 15:15 | Thymflammation: a novel concept of central tolerance Matouš Vobořil, Ph.D. – head of the newly established Laboratory of Viral Immunology, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University; laureate of the Česká hlava “Doctorandus” Award (2020) and recipient of Junior Star and Primus grants, focusing on immune tolerance and antiviral immunity. |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | Tight cooperation between thymic dendritic and epithelial cells drives T cell tolerance Jiří Březina, Ph.D. – postdoctoral researcher at VIB Ghent, Belgium – studying novel mechanisms underlying the establishment of central tolerance. |
| 15:30 – 15:45 | The second life of Aire: how we are protected from Candida infection Jan Dobeš, Ph.D. – head of the Laboratory of Microbial Immunity, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University; recipient of the Česká hlava “Invence” Award (2023), “ACTERIA Early Career Research Prize”, and grants Junior Star, Primus, and ERC.CZ, focusing on peripheral tolerance and gut immunity. |
| 15:45 – 16:00 | IFNγ-producing self-reactive CD4+ T cells drive autoimmune adrenalitis in a mouse model of Addison’s disease Ondřej Štěpánek, Ph.D. – head of the Laboratory of Adaptive Immunity, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences; recipient of the EMBO Installation Grant, ERC Starting Grant, and a Horizon Europe Grant, whose research focuses on fundamental aspects of T-cell biology in infection, cancer, and autoimmunity. |
We warmly look forward to seeing you and celebrating the legacy of Prof. Milan Hašek together.