Lukáš Pekárek, a postdoctoral researcher in the Jahnel group at the Cluster of Excellence, Physics of Life (PoL), and in the group of Michael Schlierf at the B Cube Dresden has just been awarded a Peter and Traudl Engelhorn Fellowship. Established in 1993, the Peter and Traudl Engelhorn Foundation awards junior scientists in the life sciences with research prizes and postdoctoral funding opportunities. Winners of this highly competitive fellowship receive two-year postdoctoral funding for their research endeavours. Similar to other prestigious postdoctoral awards (such as the Marie-Curie Fellowship) acceptance rates are low and limited to outstanding young scientists.
Lukáš’ academic journey began at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, where he completed a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. Later, he joined NTU Singapore and learned how to use optical tweezers, an experience that inspired him to pursue a PhD abroad. At the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research in Würzburg, he use this knowledge to study RNA structures of viral RNA, including SARS-CoV-2, revealing how viral RNA manipulates the cell’s protein translation machinery.
Now, Lukáš combines the skills from his previous research projects to focus on the structure of long RNAs, and how liquid-liquid phase separation affects them. Long RNAs are also accompanied by RNA-binding proteins, which contain special sequences known as ‘intrinsically disordered regions’ causing them to clump together and form condensates. Biological condensates are dynamic assemblies of proteins or nucleic acids (like RNA) that are essential in certain cellular activities like cell division or gene regulation. The properties and phase behaviour of these condensates can be determined through intrinsically disordered protein regions.
To prove that these are crucial for RNA-binding proteins to function and shape RNAs, Lukáš studies their effects on native RNAs (composed of a few thousand nucleotides). His work could provide new insights into the role of RNA-binding proteins, especially those with intrinsically disordered regions, in forming biomolecular condensates—a process thought to be crucial for normal cellular function. Recognition by the foundation for his research is an important career milestone, and also highly useful for continuing the research project. According to Lukáš: “The PTES scholarship gives me a bit more autonomy but also, importantly, allows me to stay here in Dresden for longer and focus on the bigger questions. Now I can dive more deeply into the field of RNA-protein condensates”.
On behalf of the PoL community, we would like to give a massive congratulations to Lukáš! Best of luck with your next research endeavours.
----
For more information on the Peter and Traudl Engelhorn Scholarship, please check out their official website.