Laboratory of Tumor Immunology
Head of the Laboratory:
Marek Kovář, PhD.
Phone: +420 296 442 362
Email: makovar@biomed.cas.cz
Website: http://www.lab152.cz/en/
| RNDr. Marek Kovář, Ph.D. | Head of the Laboratory |
| prof. RNDr. Blanka Říhová, DrSc. | Senior scientist |
| RNDr. Milada Šírová, Ph.D. | Scientist |
| RNDr. Jiřina Kovářová, Ph.D. | Associated scientist |
| Mgr., RNDr. Barbora Dvořáková, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral fellow |
| Mgr. Petra Weberová | PhD student |
| MUDr. Martin Kaňa | PhD student |
| Mgr. Iva Malátová | PhD student |
| Pavlína Jungrová | Technician |
| Helena Mišurcová | Technician |
| Bc. Klára Hrabánková | Student |
| Filip Vomáčka | Student |
| Jan Kocourek | Student |
| Valerie Tahtahová | Student |
Laboratory of Tumor Immunology has been evolved from Laboratory of Humoral Immunology at Department of Immunology and Gnotobiology at the Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
The laboratory is one of the leading groups in the research of polymer-bound cancerostatics based on the HPMA copolymers. Our laboratory tightly collaborates with the Department of Biomedicinal Polymers at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. We also study the interactions of the immune system with cancer cells, immunotherapy and mechanisms of anticancer immunity. Moreover, we also investigate the potential of immunocomplexes of IL-2 and anti-IL-2 mAb which are extremely stimulatory for various populations of T and NK cells.
General research interest:
- The study of biological features of HPMA copolymer conjugates with respect for their molecular weight, structure and biologically active compound they bear (cytostatic drug, inhibitor of ABC transporter, protein)
- The testing of anticancer activity of HPMA copolymer conjugates containing cytostatic drug (doxorubicin, docetaxel and others) in the panel of selected tumor cell lines of both human and mouse origin in vitro and in several mouse tumor models in vivo
- The investigation of the immunocomplexes of IL-2 with different anti-IL-2 mAbs and the potential of these immunocomplexes to activate various populations of immunocompetent cells and modulate the immune responses
Current project of the laboratory:
- Potentiation of the anticancer activity of HPMA copolymer cojugates containing cytostatic drug (doxorubicin, docetaxel) by IL-2/anti-IL-2 mAb immunocomplexes and depletion of T regulatory cells
- Overcoming of multidrug resistance by the use of HPMA copolymer cojugates containing both cytostatic drug (doxorubicin, docetaxel) and inhibitor of ABC transporters (reversin 121, ritonavir, elacridar)
- Elucidation of the extremely strong sensitization to LPs mediated shock and mortality by IL-2/anti-IL-2 mAb immunocomplexes with high selectivity for CD25+ cells
- Potential of the cancer cells induced to die via immunogenic apoptosis for induction of anticancer immune response
- Augmentation of EPR effect by HPMA copolymer conjugates containing donors of NO in order to increase anticancer activity of high-molecular-weight drugs