Tereza Ormsby

Proteases of Human Pathogens – Jan Konvalinka Group

Targeted cancer therapy: It's not the caliber of your gun, but to hit the right target.

  • Mission: To innovate cancer diagnosis and therapy by developing targeted small molecules and antibody mimetics that enhance immune system engagement and improve patient outcomes.
  • Vision: To revolutionize cancer treatment through cutting-edge molecular recognition technologies, creating effective and versatile solutions that transform patient care and survival rates.

Molecular recognition of specific tumor antigens on the surface of cancer cells and the engagement of the patient’s immune system for their targeted destruction are crucial for the diagnosis and targeted therapy of tumors. In recent years, numerous immunoreceptors and their ligands that regulate the body’s immune response, such as the PD1/PDL1 system, have been discovered. Blocking these pathways has become a highly successful strategy in cancer immunotherapy.

Our multidisciplinary research team is dedicated to designing and preparing small molecules that target key tumor markers (e.g., FAP, PSMA, CAIX) or proteins involved in cancer. We employ not only the classical structure-activity relationship (SAR) approach but also innovative methods such as phage display and mRNA display. For high-throughput testing of large numbers of compounds, we have developed a highly sensitive DIANA method, which we further optimize for individual target proteins, including their detection in complex biological samples.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
  • Zamani MR, Hadzima M, Blazkova K, Šubr V, Ormsby T, Celis-Gutierrez J, Malissen B, Kostka L, Etrych T, Šácha P, Konvalinka J. Polymer-based antibody mimetics (iBodies) target human PD-L1 and function as a potent immune checkpoint blocker. J Biol Chem. 2024 Apr 27:107325. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107325
  • Sedlák F, Kvasnička A, Marešová B, Brumarová R, Dobešová D, Dostálová K, Šrámková K, Pehr M, Šácha P, Friedecký D, Konvalinka J. Parallel Metabolomics and Lipidomics of a PSMA/GCPII Deficient Mouse Model Reveal Alteration of NAAG Levels and Brain Lipid Composition. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2024 Apr 3;15(7):1342-1355. DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00494
  • Novotná K, Tenora L, Prchalová E, Paule J, Alt J, Veeravalli V, Lam J, Wu Y, Šnajdr I, Gori S, Mettu VS, Tsukamoto T, Majer P, Slusher BS. Discovery of tert-Butyl Ester Based 6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine Prodrugs for Enhanced Metabolic Stability and Tumor Delivery. J Med Chem. 2023 Nov 23;66(22):15493-15510. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01681 
  • Blažková K, Beranová J, Hradilek M, Kostka L, Šubr V, Etrych T, Šácha P, Konvalinka J. The development of a high-affinity conformation-sensitive antibody mimetic using a biocompatible copolymer carrier (iBody). J Biol Chem. 2021 Nov;297(5):101342. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101342
  • Šimková A, Ormsby T, Sidej N, Slavětínská LP, Brynda J, Beranová J, Šácha P, Majer P, Konvalinka J. Structure-activity relationship and biochemical evaluation of novel fibroblast activation protein and prolyl endopeptidase inhibitors with α-ketoamide warheads. Eur J Med Chem. 2021 Nov 15;224:113717. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113717
SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE AND TECHNOLOGY

High-throughput automated testing of small molecule libraries 

Structural biology

Flow cytometry

COLLABORATION WITH LARGE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES AND RESEARCH CENTRES

Center for Advanced Preclinical Imaging CAPI