Head of department:
Prof. Kasimira Todorova, PhD, DSc
Team department:
Prof. Soren Hayrabedian, PhD, DSc
Assoc. Prof. Diana Zasheva, PhD
Assoc. Prof. Velislava Terzieva, PhD
Chief assistant Andrey Velichkov, PhD
Assistant Ilka Tsvetkova
Assistant Yulia Marienko
Main research topics
Laboratory Head: Professor Krassimira Olegova Todorova, PhD, DSc
Main Research Topics
Main Goal of the newly established Laboratory:
Research of the global changes at genome, transcriptome and proteome level implicated in the biological processes in normal and pathological conditions in reproductive system and related to reproduction and sexual development organs
Laboratory Activities:
1. Study of epigenetic regulation in reproductive and oncological phenomena.
2. Genomic and transcriptomic studies – nanopore-based 3rd generation sequencing, bioinformatics analysis of NGS data and deep sequencing library preparation.
3. Molecular modelling and molecular dynamics of ligand-receptor interactions implicated in reproduction, immunomodulation and oncology and their experimental validation.
4. Methods of exogenous and genomic expression of molecules important in embryogenesis, reproductive Immunology and oncogenesis.
5. Biomarkers – development of new methods for detection of fusion phenomena and validation of markers with diagnostic application
Lab Photos:
-
Scientific achievements
- We have developed an experimental flow for synthetic gene design, allowing for direct cloning and eukaryote expression of very short peptides. This method was employed for the direct expression of PreImplantationFactorTM, owned by and in collaboration with BioIncept LLC (NJ, USA).
- We have developed a method and also a diagnostic kit for the detection of natively folded protein products encoded by fusion genes like TMPRSS2:ERG with prognostic significance in prostate cancer. Patent pending. Application filed in National Patent Office, 2014.
- We have developed a method combining high resolution confocal microscopy with 3D image processing and analysis, and Principal Component Analysis to identify the effects of specific innate immunity ligands (LPS, ie-DAP) on downstream interaction between autophagy marker LC3 and inflammasome molecule NALP3. Published in Nat Sci Rep, 2016.
New information is coming soon…