Oncological diseases represent a serious health, psychological and social problem. Due to the aging of the population, changes in lifestyle and environment, their incidence is constantly increasing. Research in the field of nanomedicine at CIB focuses on mitigating the negative consequences of chemotherapy and making anti-cancer treatment more effective through two main approaches:
- Development of a selective nanotransport system for targeted drug transport: the aim is to create nanocarriers capable of targeted delivery of active agents directly to tumour cells. These systems have high affinity for specific receptors on the surface of tumor cells and the potential for personalizing treatment based on individual patient mutations.
- Photodynamic therapy (PDT): Mechanisms of photodynamically induced cell death are being investigated to optimise this therapeutic modality. Research is being conducted at the cellular level, in the chorioallantoic membrane model system of the chick embryo and in vivo in animal models, with the aim of developing protocols applicable in clinical practice.
Protein Engineering
The protein engineering research area at CIB is focused on the development and characterization of biomacromolecules – primarily enzymes and binding proteins – with novel or improved properties for applications in biomedicine, diagnostics, biotechnology and synthetic biology. The development of new proteins employs advanced rational design technologies as well as directed evolution methods, including high-throughput screening, ribosome and yeast display.
Development of staphylokinase as a next-generation thrombolytic agent
One of the main lines of development is the engineering of staphylokinase, a bacterial protein with potential for thrombolytic therapy. The goal is to create variants of staphylokinase using directed evolution and structural design with:
- Higher specificity towards fibrin (to limit systemic adverse effects),
- increased stability in serum,
- reduced immunogenicity for safe clinical use
The staphylokinase constructs under development represent promising biologics for acute thrombotic conditions such as heart attacks and strokes
Engineering haloalkane dehalogenases for biocatalysis and biosensors
CIB has a long-standing interest in protein engineering of haloalkane dehalogenases – enzymes capable of catalysing the removal of halogens from organic compounds. They are mainly used in the fields of:
- Biodegradation of environmental pollutants (e.g. chlorinated hydrocarbons),
- the development of biosensors for the detection of environmental contaminants,
- biocatalysis in organic synthesis.
Using directed evolution, structural analysis and modelling of enzyme-substrate interactions, variants with improved specificity, thermostability and substrate tolerance are generated.
Development of photosensitizers based on the LOV2 domain
Within optogenetics and photopharmacology, the CIB also develops photosensitizers based on the LOV2 domain (Light-Oxygen-Voltage domain 2), which is sensitive to blue light and allows the control of protein activity by illumination. The aim of the research is to:
- To create modular, light-tunable constructs that allow the control of the activity of fused therapeutic or signaling proteins,
- regulate intracellular processes (e.g. apoptosis, signalling) with light in real time,
- design photosensitizers with optimized dark-return kinetics and the ability to target selected cellular compartments.
These research activities form the basis for the development of smart biomolecules with controlled activity that will find applications in precision medicine, cell biology and synthetic biology.
Ageing and oxidative stress
This research area integrates the study of the molecular bioenergetics of cellular respiration and the regulation of oxidative stress. The mechanisms of electron and proton transfer in mitochondria, the production of reactive oxygen species, as well as cell death processes associated with mitochondrial dysfunction are investigated.
The results of the research contribute to a deeper understanding of ageing processes and the mechanisms of neurodegenerative and cancer diseases, thus creating prerequisites for the development of new therapeutic strategies.
