PULSIO Conference in Olomouc showed that innovation and health belong together
The aim of the first edition of the expert conference PULSIO, held on 12 November by the Innovation Centre of the Olomouc Region (ICOK), was to showcase the unique position of the Olomouc Region in the field of life sciences. CATRIN was a partner of the conference and was strongly represented both among the speakers and in the audience.
More than one hundred participants could listen to or join discussions on how innovation arises, what slows down its development and what it needs in order to grow. As an example of good practice in linking the academic world and business, the INTERVIR project from the “Intersectoral Cooperation for ITI” call of the Johannes Amos Comenius Operational Programme was presented. The project aims to bring new solutions for the prevention and diagnosis of viral and bacterial diseases. CATRIN is involved in the project together with other faculties of Palacký University and the companies FARMAK and MedicProgress.
“CATRIN is a very sophisticated and highly valued research centre, so it makes a lot of sense to cooperate with it,” said Pavel Sedláček from MedicProgress, who discussed the project together with the principal investigator Petr Jakubec from CATRIN and Roman Buchtík from FARMAK in a panel discussion moderated by Jiří Navrátil from the CATRIN Technology Transfer Office.
CATRIN was also strongly represented in the Pitch Session. Research in cooperation with commercial partners was presented, for example, by Edita Holásková, whose aim is to use the human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 produced in the grains of genetically transformed barley for the treatment and prevention of mastitis in dairy cows. The application potential of nanofibre structures carrying AgNP3 and other additives was presented by Jana Soukupová, and Imma Caprielo spoke on the topic “Rare Earth Automated Chemistry for Targeted Optimized Recovery”.
The Director of the Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine of Palacký University in Olomouc, Marián Hajdúch, in his presentation pointed out the causes of cancer and emphasized the importance of prevention. Start-ups and companies presented concrete examples from business practice, and there was also a panel discussion with founders and investors who shared their experience with developing projects in the field of life sciences.
Physician and promoter of prevention and healthy lifestyle approaches, Tomáš Šebek, offered a view of current developments in the field of medtech and stressed the importance of cooperation between academia, business and public administration. “I consider this conference extremely valuable. It is exceptional that people from research, business and healthcare meet here; this is exactly how the whole ecosystem should work if it is to be truly vibrant and deliver results,” he said.
The PULSIO conference thematically develops the regional OLIVIE strategy, which aims to transform the Olomouc Region into a region of healthy living. CATRIN is part of the strategy, and Radek Zbořil is one of the authors of the vision. The Innovation Centre of the Olomouc Region has long supported cooperation between academia, companies and healthcare institutions. Together with Palacký University and University Hospital Olomouc, it has therefore established and manages the digital innovation hub DIGI2Health, which connects experts, start-ups and companies developing new technologies in healthcare.