Dear colleagues and friends,

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Prof. Milan Hašek (October 4, 1925),
a giant of Czech immunology. He was not only an outstanding scientist, immunologist,
biologist, and physician, but also an inspiring mentor to an entire generation of researchers,
many of whom emigrated after 1968 and became respected ambassadors of Czech immunology
abroad. His insatiable curiosity, innovative spirit, and experimental precision, often bordering
on genius, earned him worldwide recognition as a co-discoverer of immune tolerance.
When this year’s Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Prof. Shimon Sakaguchi, was
invited to Prague, his response was clear: “I would be delighted to visit the country that gave
the world Milan Hašek.”

We are pleased to invite you to a mini-conference dedicated to the centennial of Prof. Milan
Hašek’s birth.
📅 October 23, 2025
📍 Hašek Lecture Hall, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences
🕐 1:00–4:00 PM (followed by refreshments)

Invited speakers include:
• Prof. MUDr. Juraj Ivanyi, Emeritus Professor of Immunology of Infectious Diseases,
King’s College London, long-term collaborator and close friend of Prof. Hašek
• Prof. RNDr. Vladimír Holáň, DrSc., leading Czech immunologist specializing in
transplant immunology and immunoregulation, former researcher at the Institute of
Experimental Medicine of the CAS and Prof. Hašek’s last PhD student
• RNDr. Jiří Hejnar, CSc., Head of the Laboratory of Viral and Cellular Genetics, IMG
CAS, expert in endogenous retroviruses, viral receptors, and gene editing in poultry
• Mgr. Ondřej Štěpánek, Ph.D., Head of the Laboratory of Adaptive Immunity, holder
of the EMBO Installation and ERC Starting Grants, and Horizon Europe Grant, focused
on fundamental aspects of T-cell biology in infection, cancer, and autoimmunity
• Mgr. Jan Dobeš, Ph.D., Head of the Laboratory of Microbial Immunity, Department
of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University; recipient of the Česká hlava
“Invence” Award (2023), “ACTERIA Early Career Research Prize”, and grants Junior
Star, Primus, and ERC.CZ, focused on peripheral tolerance and gut immunity
• Mgr. Matouš Vobořil, Ph.D., Head of the newly established Laboratory of Viral
Immunology, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University;
laureate of the Česká hlava “Doctorandus” Award (2020) and holder of Junior Star and
Primus grants, focused on immune tolerance and antiviral immunity
• Mgr. Jiří Březina, Ph.D., Postdoctoral researcher at VIB Ghent, Belgium – studying
novel mechanisms underlying the establishment of central tolerance

We warmly look forward to seeing you and celebrating the scientific legacy of Prof. Milan
Hašek together.

RNDr. Petr Dráber, DrSc., MUDr. Luca Vannucci, PhD., RNDr. Dominik Filipp, CSc.