Tomáš Stopka

Laboratory of Haematooncology and Stem Cells

Stem cells are the mastermind of the tumor!

The progression of leukemias is related to tumor cell resistance, which is an ideal target for new therapies, but specific molecules that drive resistance must not only be discovered and validated in mouse PDX models, but have to move via clinical studies towards patient‘s bed side!

We are physicians, biologists and mathematicians that are interested in the clonal evolution of tumours, in particular the ability of cancer stem cells to escape targeted therapies. We study how resistance leads to reprogramming of gene expression, changes in metabolism, but also how it affects the tuning of other processes including redox homeostasis.

We use state-of-the-art technologies such as targeted proteomics, genomics, and transgenic research in the mouse. We can also track natural or pathological protein modifications and use these technologies to identify molecular processes associated with the development and progression of malignancies and the emergence of resistance.

We collaborate within the NIRC but also with scientists from around the world, educate students and participate in clinical applied projects and patient organizations.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
  • Turkova T, Kokavec J, Zikmund T, Dibus N, Pimkova K, Nemec D, Holeckova M, Ruskova L, Sedlacek R, Cermak L, Stopka T. Differential requirements for Smarca5 expression during hematopoietic stem cell commitment. Commun Biol. 2024 Feb 29;7(1):244. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05917-z
  • Stopka T, Minařík L, Dusilková N, Pešta M, Kulvait V, Špaček M, Zemanová Z, Kalousová M, Jonášová A. G-CSF plus azacitidine versus azacitidine alone for patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome: academic, open label, randomized trial. Blood Cancer J. 2022 Jul 7;12(7):105. DOI: 10.1038/s41408-022-00698-2 
  • Kokavec J, Zikmund T, Savvulidi F, Kulvait V, Edelmann W, Skoultchi AI, Stopka T. The ISWI ATPase Smarca5 (Snf2h) Is Required for Proliferation and Differentiation of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells. Stem Cells. 2017 Jun;35(6):1614-1623. DOI: 10.1002/stem.2604 
  • Janostiak R, Rauniyar N, Lam TT, Ou J, Zhu LJ, Green MR, Wajapeyee N. MELK Promotes Melanoma Growth by Stimulating the NF-κB Pathway. Cell Rep. 2017 Dec 5;21(10):2829-2841. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.11.033
  • Petrak J, Ivanek R, Toman O, Cmejla R, Cmejlova J, Vyoral D, Zivny J, Vulpe CD. Déjà vu in proteomics. A hit parade of repeatedly identified differentially expressed proteins. Proteomics. 2008 May;8(9):1744-9. DOI: 10.1002/pmic.200700919
SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE AND TECHNOLOGY

Live cell confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, sorting

Proteomic analysis of cells, tissues and body fluids using isotope labeling methods iTRAQ, TMT or SILAC 

Antibody-based detection and quantitation (western blotting and ELISA)

Next-generation sequencing

Tissue cryopreservation and cell separation

COLLABORATION WITH LARGE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES AND RESEARCH CENTRES

Biotechnology and Biomedicine Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Charles University BIOCEV

Czech Centre for Phenogenomics CCP

Central European Institute of Technology at Masaryk University CEITEC MU

National Center for Medical Genomics NCMG