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Czech Centre for Phenogenomics
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Dear Colleagues,
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As we approach the end of 2023, we are excited to deliver the final issue of our newsletter for this year. In this edition, we present you with an exclusive profile interview featuring the new deputy director of the Czech Centre for Phenogenomics. Additionally, we share the latest updates on our autumn activities. Lastly, we would like to remind you that the CCP services are still open for applications under the ISIDORe and canSERV calls.
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We wish you a peaceful Advent season and a New Year filled with happiness and contentment.
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Best wishes from Radislav Sedlacek and the CCP team
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Meet the new deputy director of the Czech Centre for Phenogenomics Jan Prochazka
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Jan Procházka, PhD has been appointed as the new deputy director of the Czech Centre for Phenogenomics. Jan leads the Phenotyping Module aiming at standardized, systematic characterization of mouse models as well as preclinical research and development.
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5th CCP Phenogenomics Conference is over
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The fifth annual conference of the Czech Centre for Phenogenomics was held on 14 and 15 September 2023 at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the CAS in the campus of the biomedical institutes in Prague - Krč. The conference was held within the framework of the research programme of the Strategy AV21 of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic "Gene and precision therapy - new hope in the treatment of human diseases", which is coordinated by PD. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Radislav Sedláček, Director of the Czech Centre for Phenogenomics.
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The conference was divided into the following thematic sessions:
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- Rare Diseases and Models
- Disease Models and Therapy Delivery
- Genetic Diseases and Therapies
- Disease Genetics and the Non-Coding Genome
- Technology Session
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In addition, the conference featured a poster session with more than 30 scientific and technology posters on display. Almost 200 participants from 18 countries attended the conference.
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Opening of the travelling exhibition The Gene Age
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The outdoor travelling exhibition, together with a website (online version of the exhibition, aims to introduce the general public to the basics of genetics and the DNA molecule in relation to rare genetic diseases, their diagnosis and possible treatment in an entertaining way.
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The purpose is to raise awareness and education on the issue of the contribution / influence of genes and their mutations in the emergence of human diseases, especially rare diseases, to popularize this issue, and to highlight the inclusion and integration of people with rare diseases into society.
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Advanced genome editing: extracellular vesicles in disease modelling and mouse model development
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CCP team is developing new targeting and delivery methods, among them, also virus-like nanoparticles, consisting of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and Adeno-Associated Virus (AAVs).
We have developed a method of efficient production and harvesting EVs from secondary cell cultures, which allows co-production and co-harvesting AAVs from AAV packaging cells. The compound EV-AAV particles have been tested as vectors carrying targeting constructs. The tests have shown high targeting efficacy and low toxicity towards treated zygotes (in mouse models). The preliminary data show a potential of EV or EV-AAV in the context of targeted-transgenesis. Therefore within this new project funded by the Czech Ministry of Education we would like to proceed with optimization EV intake by zygotes establishing the technology as efficient delivery of small-to-large constructs. Furthermore, we will expand the robustness and capacity of this promising vector by loading it with active CRISPR/Cas9 tools, such as Prime Editing and Base Editing. Also, EVs hold a great promise in terms of gene therapy/in vivo disease modelling/humanization and thus, we will study the EV-loading mechanism, tropism and composition and test their delivery potential on primary cell culture, and later in vivo.
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Open access to CCP services under transnational calls
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2023 Orbis Pictus award for Mary Dickinson
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Mary Dickinson was awarded the 2023 Orbis Pictus Prize at TT2023 conference, where she gave a talk "Understanding Gene Essentiality using Mammalian Models".
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A review of standardized high-throughput cardiovascular phenotyping with a link to metabolism in mice. (full text)
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Lindovsky, J., Nichtova, Z., Dragano, N.R.V. et al. Mamm Genome 34, 107–122 (2023).
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For currently open positions please visit our website.
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Czech Centre for Phenogenomics
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Institute of Molecular Genetics of the
Czech Academy of Sciences
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