The Laboratory of Cell Regeneration and Plasticity
is one of the PIGMOD Centre’s three laboratories.
Our main objective is the biomedical research
and preclinical testing of various therapeutic approaches in miniature pigs.
The advantages of miniature pigs lie in their physiological and anatomical similarity
to humans and the minimal ethical hurdles associated with their use.
The minipigs represent a unique model for testing the safety
and efficacy of treatment prior to clinical trials.
We specialise in studying Huntington’s disease, spinal injuries,
and eye disorders, i.e., retinopathies such as Usher syndrome,
Stargardt disease and macular degeneration.
"For Huntington’s disease study, we use two minipig models, transgenic and knock-in."
Currently, we are working with the Technical University of Munich
to create a humanised minipig model.
By using behavioural, biochemical and molecular genetic methods on these models,
we are trying to characterise the onset and course of the disease.
In addition, we also use them for testing novel therapies.
Our long-standing collaboration
with various biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies
involves preclinical studies aimed at reducing huntingtin levels.
Based on our joint results,
uniQure has been approved to conduct gene therapy clinical trials on humans.
Additionally, we focus on the use of nanoparticles in gene therapy
and look into the possibilities of regenerative medicine
featuring neuronal reprogramming.
„Currently, the PIGMOD Centre is developing a new gene therapy programme
for severe eye disorders that remain untreatable.“
It concerns two serious diseases:
Usher syndrome, which starts with a condition known as “tunnel vision”,
We run this programme in collaboration
with the German universities in Munich, Mainz and Giessen.
"Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a neurodegenerative retinal disease
and the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over the age of 60
and affects hundreds of thousands of people in the Czech Republic."
The dry form of this disease is still untreatable to this day.
We are exploring cell therapy options
involving the transplantation of healthy retinal cells into the affected eye.
We insert the cultured cells into the eye on a nanofiber carrier,
and, thanks to the similarity of the pig eye to the human eye,
we can improve the technical performance of the transplantation
and monitor its efficacy.
Our research is helping to move therapies for incurable diseases
from preclinical testing to the clinical stage.
Thanks to the genetic pig models,
we are at least able to mimic the damage
and provide a platform for methods and testing of novel therapies.
At the same time, we are actively involved in developing novel therapies.
Our research is closely linked to patient organisations from around world.
We travel to give lectures and receive funding from abroad.
The trust patients put into our work is our greatest driving force.