In remembrance of Prof. RNDr. Marie Stiborová , DrSc.

Prof. Stiborová (2. February 1950 – 13. February 2020) was designated for the Gold Medal of Charles University on the occasion of her seventieth birthday. However, she did not live to see the ceremony, and neither did she receive the necklace with the motif of Aristolochia, commissioned by her colleagues as a birthday present. Aristolochia is a symbol: Marie Stiborová participated in elucidation of the mechanism, by which the alcaloid present in this plant forms adducts with DNA and causes cancer. This topic caught attention of both the scientific community and general public, since Aristolochia was being added to herbal slimming teas, and Prof. Stiborová warned against their consumption.

However, the scope of Prof. Stiborová‘s scientific work was much broader. Mechanism of action of anticancer drugs (e.g. ellipticine), activation of carcinogens by reductases and heme enzymes, and design of novel cytostatics are all among the topics, which Prof. Stiborová pursued with unrivalled enthusiasm and vigor.

Prof. Marie Stiborová was an outstanding teacher and organizer. She supervised more than hundred students, many of whom successfully continue working in the field of chemical carconogenesis. The conference Toxcon 2020, one of the few scientific events, which took place in a traditional format last year, was dedicated to Prof. Stiborová’s legacy.