The Director of the Institute, MUDr. Jan Kopecký, DrSc. was awarded the Jan Evangelista Purkinje Honorary Field Medal for Merit in Biomedical Sciences. This award has been granted by the Czech Academy of Sciences since 1965 in recognition of outstanding results of scientific work in biology, especially in the fields of biomedical sciences.

Jan Kopecký has contributed to a significant advance in research on the problems of metabolism and obesity on a global level and has thus contributed to the improvement of treatment procedures for patients. He has co-authored more than 188 scientific articles mainly in the field of biochemistry, molecular biology and metabolism. His current research topics include the influence of white adipose tissue metabolism on whole-body lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, ontogenetic development of energy metabolism, and translational research on cachexia and adipose tissue. His work defined the concept of a "healthy adipocyte", i.e. a fat cell with a high capacity for oxidative phosphorylation and the ability to respond flexibly to metabolic changes. Congratulations on the award!