Researchers' Night

This year, the BIOCEV centre is joining the nationwide Researchers' Night for the first time. Come to BIOCEV in Vestec near Prague on Friday, 25 September, from 16:00 to 21:00 and experience science up close - beyond classrooms and textbooks.

We will open the doors to our laboratories and give you a glimpse behind the scenes of cutting-edge biomedical research. Meet our scientists, explore fascinating demonstrations and enjoy hands-on activities that bring science closer to children and adults alike.

Everyone with a curiosity for science is welcome, regardless of age - children, students, parents and anyone who would like to discover what happens behind the doors of research laboratories. Admission is free.

Come and see that science is neither distant nor difficult to understand. You may be surprised by how many fascinating stories can be found in a single cell.

PROGRAM

LAB TOURS

Cells on the move: How immune cells travel

Immune cells certainly do not sit still. They are constantly on the move, searching for their targets and heading where they are needed at exactly the right moment. But how do they know where to go? And what controls their movement? Take a look through a microscope and find out how we study immune cell movement in the laboratory.

Virus on the loose! Can you identify who is infected before the virus spreads?

An expedition to a remote Colombian rainforest turns into an unexpected race to contain a viral outbreak. One member of the research team managed to leave the area before quarantine was declared! Who did they infect along the way? Step into the role of a virologist, examine samples using several laboratory methods and uncover the traces left by the virus. Can you work out who is infected and who is in the clear?

Molecular alchemy: How is a medicine made?

What needs to happen before an idea in the laboratory becomes a real medicine? It begins with a search for molecules that can influence a particular process in the body. In the laboratory, we then investigate how these molecules work, how they behave in cells and whether they could be both effective and safe. Take a look behind the scenes of modern drug development and discover how small molecules can hold great promise for treating disease.

The microscopic world up close: How can we see the invisible?

What can we learn when we take a really close look at cells? Choose from three stations: watch glowing cells in real time, explore the microscopic world with a beam of electrons, or find out how scientists count millions of cells and select one particular cell from among them. Come and see what modern microscopes and other instruments can do.

Practical information about the lab tours

Each tour lasts at least 30 minutes, and some take longer. Capacity is limited, and places for specific time slots can only be booked on site after you arrive at BIOCEV. While you wait, explore our additional programme of challenges, games and experiments for all ages.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES  

Challenges, games and experiments for all ages

HOW TO GET HERE

BIOCEV is located at Průmyslová 595, Vestec.

By public transport: From Prague, the easiest route is to take Metro line C to Opatov, then bus 326 or 331 to the Vestec, BIOCEV stop. The stop is only a few minutes' walk from the site.

By car: Parking will be available on the BIOCEV site.

NOTICE
Please note that this is a public event. Photographs and video footage will be taken during the event for reporting and promotional purposes and may be published on the website and social media. If you do not wish to appear in these images or recordings, please speak directly to the organisers at the venue

CONTACT
Kateřina Sedláčková, katerina.sedlackova@ibt.cas.cz