Josef Srovnal

• Mission: Our mission is to identify circulating biomarkers of cancer diseases with diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive significance.
• Vision: We envision introducing and expanding the concept of liquid biopsy into routine clinical practice.

In the realm of oncology, enhancing secondary prevention and early diagnosis while concurrently developing new targeted drugs to improve patient survival and quality of life pose significant challenges. Although classic tissue biopsy stands as a standard diagnostic method, its limitations in anatomical localization and sample heterogeneity, compounded by its invasive nature and limited repeatability, are notable drawbacks. In contrast, liquid biopsy offers a minimally invasive, comprehensive, and reproducible approach to molecular tumor characterization through biomarkers present in peripheral blood.

Currently, the most scrutinized materials in liquid biopsy include circulating free tumor DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs), with ongoing research into extracellular vesicles and their nucleic acid contents. Despite its evident benefits, the routine integration of liquid biopsy into clinical practice has yet to be realized, primarily due to insufficient standardization of molecular methods. Our research group focuses on implementing and standardizing comprehensive genomic liquid biopsy testing, utilizing free circulating biomarkers such as CTCs, ctDNA, or extracellular vesicles. Through our efforts, we aim to overcome existing barriers and facilitate the widespread adoption of liquid biopsy in clinical oncology.