Group of Dr. Hajdúch is one of the pioneers of personalized medicine in the Czech Republic. We focus on the molecular basis of human diseases, especially cancer. We are involved in identification and description of metabolic and signaling pathways, genetic and epigenetic changes causing human cancers. This includes tumors of various origins and underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis, including genetic tumor predisposition syndromes, infectious or inflammatory diseases. Our research generates new therapeutically exploitable molecular targets and biomarkers for the diagnosis and targeted treatment of human disorders.
In the field of drug research and development, the group focuses mainly on anticancer drugs, specifically small molecules, including natural compounds. We test the biological activity of synthesized chemical compounds, in the case of biologically active substances, we identify the mechanisms of action through the methods of cellular biology, biochemistry, chemical proteomics and genetics. In the case of known molecular targets, we perform high-throughput screening and screen for pharmacological inhibitors or activators of the biological activity of the molecular target or cellular phenotype. Furthermore, in collaboration with medicinal chemists we optimize the chemical structures to increase effectiveness and pharmacological properties of candidate molecules. Promising compounds enter pre-clinical testing and few of them proof-of-concept first in man or drug repurposing clinical trials.
In the field of biomarkers, we focus mainly on their identification, validation and implementation for diagnostic, prognostic and predictive purposes in cancer research and for routine clinical use. These biomarkers can be used in situations directly related to patient care, drug development and research. To this end, we leverage our expertise and knowledge in the identification and validation of biomarkers at the multiomic level through comprehensive profiling and analysis of the genome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome. We perform comprehensive genomic, metabolic and proteomic analyses to find alterations of signaling and regulatory pathways in healthy versus tumor cells. Selected validated biomarkers are subsequently developed as diagnostic kits or directly licensed to industrial partners.