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    Czech science is helping endangered species: The IEM CAS plays a key role

    Research Published on 02. 09. 2025 Reading time Reading time: 2 minutes
    Group photo of representatives of institutions holding the signed Memorandum – from left: Jan Malínský, Ildikó Csölle Putzová, Radomír Pánek, Jana Rychtářová, and Miroslav Bobek.

    According to the current Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), approximately 45000 species of animals, plants, and fungi are threatened with extinction. Scientific teams and institutions worldwide are therefore looking for ways to reverse this alarming trend.

    One significant step is the memorandum of cooperation signed on August 29, 2025, by representatives of Czech research institutions. Its goal is to create a model for saving endangered mammals, using the example of Przewalski’s horse, an iconic species that was on the brink of extinction several decades ago.

    The memorandum was signed by Radomír Pánek, President of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Jan Malínský from the IEM CAS, Miroslav Bobek, Director of Prague Zoo, Jana Rychtářová from the Institute of Animal Science, and Ildikó Csölle Putzová from the Veterinary Research Institute.

    “It is our responsibility to future generations. We want to expand the range of current activities so that the rescue plan we will develop together can also be applied to other mammal species,” emphasised Radomír Pánek, President of the CAS.

    One of the key pillars of the entire initiative is the preservation of viable biological material—tissues and cells that may play a crucial role in saving the species in the future. Prague Zoo has committed to providing genetic material from Przewalski’s horses and other endangered mammals. This material will then be analysed and stored by scientific institutions with unique know-how.

    This is precisely where the IEM CAS comes in, specifically the Department of Cell Nucleus Plasticity led by reproductive biologist Helena Fulková. According to Miroslava Anděrová, Vice-President of the CAS for Life Sciences, the IEM CAS is one of the key institutions in the field of cell biology and genetic resource preservation, contributing its specialised knowledge and necessary expertise to the project, which will enable the set research and application goals to be achieved.

    More information can be found in the official press release (open in a new window – only available in Czech).

    Photo: Jana Plavec / CAO of the CAS