Research

1st Research Project:
Functional genomics in biological and biomedical research
Project leader: prof. dr hab. Chandra Pareek

Functional genomics is a field of molecular and theoretical biology which is focused on analyzing genomes of various organisms, from bacteria to humans. The main goal of genomics is to decrypt the sequence of the genetic material and map the genomes, as well as to study relations and interactions between genes.

The research will be performed in four packages:
Medical biotechnology – human genomics
Modern methods of molecular biology, such as sequencing, genotyping and gene expression profiling, will be used. The projects will be multi-center and will require collaboration of physicians, geneticists and bioinformaticians. They will be focused on the development of genetic pictures of human diseases, cancers in particular. Advanced genetic studies will be done, resulting in better diagnostics, pathogenesis and treatment response monitoring and determination of the risk of recurrence. The analyzes will be of practical importance, as the results will serve to assess individual genetic risk factors and develop diagnostic tests.
Translational research
That part of genomics will be carried out mainly on gene expression analysis and the development of biomarker utilizing advanced Next Generation Genome Sequencing technologies and bioinformatics (www.genomics-lab.com). It will further focus on the integration of genomic and transcriptomic technologies towards translational cancer research (TCR).
Plant genomics
Genes responsible for economically important traits (stress resistance, yield) will be sought for both in model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum, and in crops (tomato or sugar beet). This will allow obtaining improved crop varieties.
Bacterial genomics and metagenomics
Bacterial populations from various environments, such as soils, fresh and marine waters and human gastrointestinal tract, will be analyzed. Genes that allow removal of toxic compounds from the environment will be looked for. The genes could be used in bioremediation.
The planned projects will make it possible to obtain genes that encode enzymes engaged in the synthesis of novel secondary metabolites (e.g. antibiotics).
Microbial biodiversity in soils and waters will also be assessed to check human influence on the environment. The relation between bacterial population composition in human gastrointestinal tract and diseases (cancers in particular) will be studied as well.