Mohammad Rida Ghaddar, a fourth-year PhD student in the Placenta in Health and Disease research team at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, under the supervision of Professor František Štaud, has been awarded the prestigious EMBO Scientific Exchange Grant.
The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) supports short-term research exchanges that promote international collaboration and the transfer of advanced scientific expertise through its Scientific Exchange Grants programme. This competitive award will enable Mr. Ghaddar to conduct a six-month research stay from January to June 2026 at the Placental Biology Laboratory of Dr. Vicente Pérez García at the Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBM-CSIC/UAM) in Madrid, Spain.
During his stay, Mr. Ghaddar will work with first-trimester trophoblast and organoid models and receive advanced training in CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, functional genomics, and transcriptomic profiling. These techniques will complement his PhD research focused on the endocannabinoid system and cannabis-derived compounds in placental biology. The collaboration between the two laboratories aims to integrate early and term placental models to better understand molecular mechanisms governing human placental development and maternal–fetal immune interactions.
This award highlights the growing international recognition of the Faculty of Pharmacy’s contribution to placental research and strengthens Charles University’s collaboration with leading European centers in reproductive and developmental biology.
Text and photo: Placenta in Health and Disease Team