1 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:15,080 Our laboratory studies the role of proteins in neurobiology and tumour biology. 2 00:00:15,359 --> 00:00:18,600 Proteins play a vast variety of key roles in the body, 3 00:00:19,039 --> 00:00:21,239 from the mechanical movement of muscle cells 4 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:24,760 to signal transduction and regulation of gene expression. 5 00:00:26,359 --> 00:00:30,440 However, protein dysfunction can lead to the onset of a disease. 6 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:36,399 The Neurobiology Group is dedicated to the study of Huntington’s disease, 7 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,960 a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder. 8 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:45,240 We use a mouse model of Huntington’s disease zQ175 9 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,000 as well as human neural stem cells. 10 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:53,200 “Huntington’s disease usually manifests in adulthood and ends in death 11 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:58,159 within 15-20 years of the onset of the first symptoms. 12 00:00:58,159 --> 00:01:00,479 It is caused by a mutant form of the huntingtin protein 13 00:01:00,479 --> 00:01:02,759 that fails to perform its proper function, 14 00:01:02,759 --> 00:01:05,319 aggregates and leads to neurodegeneration, 15 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:07,680 particularly in an area of the brain called the striatum. 16 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:09,840 In our laboratory, we seek to find ways 17 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,000 how to prevent the accumulation of huntingtin aggregates 18 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,159 how to remove them from the brain cells.” 19 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:23,120 We also use neural stem cells to study the process of formation of mature neurons and glia 20 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:25,879 during the development of the nervous system. 21 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,400 The Tumour Biology Group studies the intercellular communication 22 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,319 between the skin tumour cells of a malignant melanoma 23 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:42,239 and the cells of the surrounding tissue. 24 00:01:42,719 --> 00:01:45,799 This cell-to-cell communication is often mediated by proteins 25 00:01:45,799 --> 00:01:49,480 transmitting proliferation signals to the surrounding cells and thus, 26 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,840 promoting tumour growth. 27 00:01:52,359 --> 00:01:55,239 The Tumour Biology Group also studies cancer immunology. 28 00:01:55,239 --> 00:01:59,879 As a model, it uses the MeLiM breed of minipigs developed in Liběchov, 29 00:01:59,879 --> 00:02:02,799 which carries the hereditary form of melanoma. 30 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:08,919 We study the process of spontaneous tumour regression and the potential use 31 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,520 of this mechanism in the clinical immunotherapy of melanoma. 32 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,280 We study the role of proteins in the body by a variety of different methods. 33 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:21,599 Mass spectrometers allow us 34 00:02:21,599 --> 00:02:25,080 to measure several thousands of proteins at the same time 35 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:30,360 In contrast, although Luminex measures only tens of proteins, 36 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,599 it can accurately quantify them even in very small quantities. 37 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,159 Another widely used method is the Western blot, 38 00:02:39,159 --> 00:02:42,960 a technique we use to separate proteins by size 39 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:48,240 quantify specific proteins in both normal and pathological tissue samples. 40 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,039 If we want to detect and localise the selected proteins 41 00:02:53,039 --> 00:02:55,360 within the tissue or even individual cells, 42 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:59,439 we stain them using antibodies with an antibody-bound fluorescent dye 43 00:02:59,439 --> 00:03:01,960 and observe them under a microscope. 44 00:03:08,039 --> 00:03:11,159 We perform primarily basic research 45 00:03:11,159 --> 00:03:14,599 aimed at improving our understanding of disease mechanisms. 46 00:03:15,159 --> 00:03:19,919 We anticipate that in the future, this could facilitate the development 47 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:23,680 of new therapies of both Huntington’s disease as well as melanoma. 48 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:26,919 We are always pleased to share our experience 49 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:28,560 gained over the years with the younger colleagues. 50 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,039 Thus, we raise ourselves a new generation of scientists.