Dioscuri Centre at the Institute of Physics: Progress in Nano-Optics for Biology

One of the main goals of the Optical Society of the Czech and Slovak Republics is to connect laboratories and research facilities in the field of optics in order to use available instruments and equipment more efficiently. Among the institutions involved is the recently established Dioscuri Centre at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, which focuses on developing advanced optical technologies for studying biological processes at the molecular level.

By combining nano-optics and nanofluidics, scientists will be able to observe cellular processes in real time and in their natural environment, opening up new possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

“Scientific breakthroughs have often been driven by the invention of new tools and techniques. In biology in particular, optical methods and microscopy have revolutionized our understanding of life’s basic building blocks,” said Barbora Špačková, the head of the centre and a recognized expert in nano-optics.

The project has secured up to CZK 35 million in funding over five years and is set to launch in the summer of 2024. It will become the second Dioscuri Centre at the Institute of Physics supported by the Max Planck Society.

More information about the centre and its research: Dioscuri Centre for Single-Molecule Optics