The Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) has awarded Tito Damiani a Standard Project grant for “Metabolomics-driven discovery of plant chemical novelty and its insecticidal potential” (Project No. 26-21882S). Providing approximately €300,000 from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028, the project is based in the Pluskal Lab at IOCB Prague.
The project investigates chemical novelty in understudied plant lineages, with particular attention to its potential insecticidal activity. Guided by phylogenetic information and evidence from the scientific literature, the team aims to select and sample more than 1,000 understudied plant species at Prague Botanical Garden. Their chemical profiles will be analysed using LC–MS/MS and computational metabolomics workflows developed in the Pluskal Lab.
Sampling follows DBGI procedures to maintain traceability among botanical specimens, collection metadata and the resulting chemical data. The samples will expand DBGI’s physical collections, while the associated data and knowledge will contribute to its open knowledge base.
