Professor Pavel Hozák Receives the Paul Nakane Prize

Professor Pavel Hozák, Head of the Laboratory of Biology of the Cell Nucleus at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Director of the Czech-BioImaging national research infrastructure for biological and medical imaging, has been awarded the prestigious Paul Nakane Prize for his lifetime contribution to the fields of histochemistry and cytochemistry.

This prestigious award, given every four years by the worldwide International Federation of Societies for Histochemistry and Cytochemistry (IFSHC), recognizes exceptional international scientific leaders who have made significant contributions to the development of these fields. Professor Hozák will receive the award and deliver a plenary lecture at the upcoming ICHC2025 International Congress, which will be held in Rimini, Italy, from August 27–30, 2025.

Professor Hozák is internationally recognized as an expert in cell biology, particularly in the structure and function of the cell nucleus. His research group at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences focuses on nuclear mechanisms of gene expression regulation. Among their key achievements are the identification of phosphoinositides' role in transcriptional control, the discovery of functions of nuclear actin and actin-binding proteins, and the involvement of nuclear myosin I in RNA polymerases I and II activity.

"I truly appreciate this award and see it not only as recognition of my work, but of our entire international team involved in the research. I'm pleased that Czech science is gaining increasing international recognition," said Professor Hozák.

This award also highlights the growing influence of Czech science on the international stage and strengthens collaboration between Czech and foreign research. The Paul Nakane Prize serves as an example of how Czech research contributes to global scientific progress and how Czech scientists are recognized in the most prestigious scientific communities worldwide.

The prize is named after Paul K. Nakane, a pioneering scientist who, in the 1960s, played a key role in the development of enzyme-labeled antibody methods—a technique that laid the foundation for modern histochemistry and immunodiagnostics. His groundbreaking work paved the way for widely used methods such as ELISA and Western blot, which are now staples in research and medical diagnostics.

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