History
The history of Czech Immunological Society would not be complete, without brief introduction about immunology organization in former Czechoslovakia.
Beginnings
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Beginnings: 1950s and 1960s
The first specialised centers in immunological research in former Czechoslovakia were established in 1951. Traditionally, this research was concentrated at the Charles University and its institutes associated with medical research such as immunology and microbiology in Praha, Plzeň, and Hradec Králové and in the Masaryk University in Brno, Komenský University in Bratislava and Šafařík University in Košice. In the same year, immunology became one of the major research topics at the Department of Microbiology of the Biological Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, which in 1952 gave rise to the Institute of Microbiology, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, where the department of immunology was already independent and one of the biggest departments.
The "Prague immunology school", represented mainly by Profs. Jaroslav Šterzl and Milan Hašek, was widely recognised in late 50´s and early 60´s thanks to the breakthrough findings in the area of immunological tolerance (Hašek) and adaptive phase of the antibody response (Šterzl). The promising development of Czech immunology closely linked to and validated by fruitful international research was crudely interrupted by the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact armies, and the subsequent severance from the international scene that lasted for more than 40 years. Some of the prominent immunologists emigrated to the USA, Canada and to Western Europe.
Despite these events the contacts persisted to some degree; the first signs of a more perceptible revival occurred at the beginning of the 80´s. Dynamic 1970s and 1980s
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Dynamic 1970s and 1980s
The establishment of the Czechoslovak (later on Czech and Slovak) Immunological Society
However, already in the 50´s and 60´s Czech immunologists were strongly aware of the need to meet colleagues on a wider, optimally international, basis of a specialised society devoted to immunology. This was the reason why Prof. Šterzl in 1969 established a group for the preparation of Czechoslovak immunological society as a connecting link with the IUIS, which was created in the same year. The newborn Czechoslovak Immunological Society had immediately after its foundation nearly 400 members and Profs. Šterzl and Říha were invited as its representatives to take part in the IUIS meeting (Interlaken, Switzerland, September 1970).
In April of that year the first issue of the Immunological Bulletin was distributed to the members as an official information vehicle of the, as yet not officially approved, Immunological Society. It has been published without interruption ever since. It brings official information on all activities of the Society such as reviews, original articles, articles devoted to state-of-the-art methodologies, lists of national and international congresses and seminars, as well as the minutes of Society committee.As a revenge for the firm and uncompromising stands of the heads of the Immunological Society to the Warsaw Pact occupation, the government refused to approve the founding of an independent Czechoslovak Immunological Society. The committee thus decided to establish an independent immunological section under the umbrella of the Czechoslovak Biological Society in 1973. Its membership at that time was almost 500 specialists from different fields of biology and medicine, and Prof. Šterzl was elected the first president. The international recognition of this section was officially confirmed at the 2nd International Congress of Immunology, held in Brighton, UK, in 1974, in which the Czechoslovak representative took part as an observer.
In 1986 the political climate also in Czechoslovakia became less oppressive and the establishment of the Czechoslovak Immunological Society (CSIS) was finally officially approved. The Society immediately became a member of the IUIS and EFIS. The first president of the official CSIS was Prof. J. Štefanovič.
Division of Czechoslovakia
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Division of Czechoslovakia
In 1993 the former Czechoslovakia split into separate Czech Republic and Slovakia and the attendant legislative problems evoked the necessity to divide the Society into the Czech (Czech Immunological Society; CIS) and Slovak (Slovak Immunological Society, SIS) parts. The close collaboration of both societies continues to this day with joint congresses.
The first president of CIS was Prof. Jaroslav Šterzl, to be followed in 1994-1997 by Prof. Ivo Hána, in 1997-2000 by Prof. Helena Tlaskalová, in 2000-2006 by Prof. Aleš Macela and since 2006 by Prof. Blanka Říhová.
From the very beginning the scientific secretary of the Society has been Dr. Martin Bilej, who is also the editor-in-chief of the Immunological Bulletin. In 1992-1998 Prof. Šterzl served as the IUIS council member and was replaced in 1998-2001 by Prof. Tlaskalová.
History of CIS activities
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History of CIS activities
The first congress of Czech and Slovak immunologists was organised by Prof. Jindřich Lokaj in Brno in 1976. The second was held in Martin, Slovakia, in 1979 and since then the immunological congresses have been organised at 3-year intervals, with the Czech Republic and Slovakia alternating as organisers. General assemblies convene and presidents of the Society are elected during the congresses.
One of the chief activities of CIS, apart from the regular congresses, local highly specialised Symposia and Day of Immunology, is the co-organisation of EFIS-EJI Tatra Immunology Conference held at two-year intervals at Štrbské Pleso (Tatra Mountains, Slovakia) and participation in the PhD education in immunology.
The Society confers every year two prestigious awards; one of them, in the memory of Miloslav Pospíšil, is presented to authors of all ages for distinguished papers in the field of natural immunity, the other is limited to authors under 35 years as a reward for excellent original papers in immunology. It is currently named after Prof. Šterzl, the founder of modern Czech immunology, who passed away on May 8, 2012. In addition, the Society confers the highest award, the Garnet Immunoglobulin, usually on the occasion of immunological congress not only to Czech but also to foreign immunologists who left a deep and permanent trace in the field and closely collaborate with Czech colleagues.
Since 1969, first the committee and later on also the secretariat of the Czechoslovak/Czech Immunological Society have ben hosted by the Institute of Microbiology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.