Český Krumlov hosted a top-tier symposium on nucleic acid chemistry
From June 8 to 13, 2025, Český Krumlov welcomed 135 participants from 25 countries for the 19th Symposium on Chemistry of Nucleic Acid Components (SCNAC). Organized by Prof. Michal Hocek from IOCB Prague, this prestigious international conference continues a legacy from 1969.
The SCNAC symposium series has earned a global reputation as a premier scientific meeting in the field of chemistry and chemical biology of nucleosides, nucleotides, oligonucleotides, and nucleic acids. The 2025 edition once again attracted world-renowned scientists whose research has significantly shaped not only nucleic acids research itself but also molecular biology and biomedicine.
Michal Hocek adds, “It is always a great pleasure and honor to host this prestigious symposium and welcome top scientists in our field to the Czech Republic. In addition to excellent scientific presentations and discussions, this conference is special with its friendly and inclusive atmosphere and rich social program, including a conference dinner in historical costumes perfectly suited to the medieval venue of the meeting.”
Keynote speakers included pioneers such as Prof. Marvin Caruthers (University of Colorado), who revolutionized molecular biology through the development of automated DNA and RNA synthesis using solid-phase phosphoramidite chemistry, and Prof. Sir Shankar Balasubramanian (University of Cambridge), inventor of Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) technologies that have made rapid whole-genome sequencing a reality.
A highlight of the event was the presentation of the František Šorm Medal by IOCB Director Prof. Jan Konvalinka to Prof. Naoki Sugimoto (Konan University, Japan), in recognition of his outstanding work on the behaviour of nucleic acids in crowded cellular environments.
The scientific program covered a wide range of cutting-edge topics, including prebiotic synthesis of nucleic acids and peptides, RNA and oligonucleotide therapeutics, nucleoside- and nucleotide-based drugs, functionalized nucleic acids, aptamers, DNA and RNA enzymes, RNA modifications, G-quadruplexes and other non-canonical structures, as well as nucleic acid nanomaterials.
This year’s symposium also featured research outputs from the ongoing P JAC project RNA for Therapeutic (CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004575), supported by the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and co-financed by the European Union. The next edition of the SCNAC symposium will take place in June 2028.
