Spotlight on deoxyriboyzmes and public attention for Martin's research

Martin received the highest Czech award for scientists and innovators, ‘Česká hlava’ (‘Czech Brain’) 2025, for his research work, which he carried out during his doctoral studies at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB CAS) and is continuing at the University of Würzburg at the Chair of Organic Chemistry I.

Martin's work was selected by a jury of leading Czech scientists and presented at the award ceremony with the statement: “For the development of catalytically active DNA molecules – the deoxyribozymes Aurora and Apollon, which emit fluorescent and chromogenic signals and enable the detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus enzymes. The substances have the potential to support the development of new antiviral drugs.”

We warmly congratulate Martin on his success and look forward to continuing our groundbreaking research with him.

Anyone who would like to accompany Martin during the presentation of his research work can follow the gala evening via live stream:  https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10213906625-ceska-hlava/ (the report and the award ceremony for Martin start at 4:30).

A brief summary of Martin's awarded research

The DNA molecule is known as the carrier of genetic information, and most of us imagine it as a double helix. We often encounter the term DNA in detective stories, where DNA is discussed in connection with clues or evidence to convict a perpetrator.

DNA is found in the cell nucleus and belongs to the group of nucleic acids. However, these substances can do much more than carry genes and convict criminals. A very unexpected and remarkable discovery was that nucleic acids can act as catalysts, i.e., accelerate chemical reactions. This discovery was made by Thomas Cech's group in the 1980s in the USA. Shortly thereafter, a method called in vitro selection was developed, which allows the identification of DNA or RNA molecules that catalyze the desired chemical reaction.

In vitro selection is essentially accelerated artificial evolution in a test tube. We can imagine it as sifting through a huge number of molecules and looking only for those with the right function. At first glance, it seems simple, but typical in vitro selection starts with a huge number of different DNA molecules. In words, there are ten to the power of sixteenth (10¹⁶, ten million billions) of them, and only a few suitable molecules are sought among them. The incredible power of in vitro selection therefore lies in its precise ability to distinguish active molecules that can catalyze a given reaction from the inactive ones.

The awarded project introduces a new way of thinking about DNA. In this project, DNA is not considered a carrier of genetic information, but rather as an organic compound capable of catalyzing chemical reactions. By using in vitro selection, Martin isolated short catalytically active DNA molecules (so called deoxyribozymes) that produce fluorescents and colored signals. Martin named these carefully selected DNA molecules Aurora, which produces purple fluorescence, and Apollon, which generates yellow product.

A key achievement of Martin's work was the development of a sensor based on these DNAs. This sensor produces a fluorescent signal exclusively in the presence of a specific and active enzyme from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The name of the enzyme is the Nsp15 endoribonuclease. This sensor was then used in high-throughput screening to find suitable inhibitors of this Nsp15 endoribonuclease. The inhibitors discovered using this method could serve as the basis for the development of new antiviral therapeutics. Reliable and robust screening tests are one of the cornerstones of discovering new drugs in pharmacy.

The results of the work have shown that catalytically active DNA molecules are suitable for the development of high-capacity tests. Aurora and Apollon can thus be used both in basic research to find new drugs and as a basis for the development of a new generation of tests for the rapid and inexpensive diagnosis of certain viral diseases.

(source: https://www.ceskahlava.cz/rndr-martin-volek-ph-d/, translation from Czech)