Kateřina Jiráková
Junior Researcher
Mechanobiology of Disease
Our team investigates fundamental mechanisms and translates findings from bench to bedside, combining preclinical models with clinical insight.
Researcher at ICRC with focus on translational medicine. Combines preclinical insights with clinical practice across cardiology, neurology, and oncology programs.
Currently leads / contributes to interdisciplinary projects bridging molecular biology, imaging, and patient care at St. Anne's University Hospital Brno.
Research Group
- Team size
- Team size: 22 Researchers
- Place
- Place: Building B1, 4th Floor
- Collaborates with
- Collaborates with Charles University, Prague
Head of Research Group
- Giancarlo Forte, Ph.D.
Members
Bc. Branislav Brozmann
Junior Researcher
Bc. Tereza Bílková
Junior Researcher
Mgr. Nikola Kaštánková
Ph.D. Student
Bacel Aldabash, MSc
Ph.D. Student
Gokula Narayanan Suryanarayanan
Ph.D. Student
Prosenjit Chakraborty, MSc
Ph.D. Student
Marco Cassani, Ph.D.
Senior Researcher, Principal Investigator
Giancarlo Forte, Ph.D.
Researcher, Senior Research Team Leader
Mgr. Martina Tatíčková
Researcher
Mgr. Helena Skálová
Research Technician, Research Coordinator
Mgr. Zuzana Garlíková, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ivana Aćimović, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher
RNDr. Jan Fröhlich, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Senior Postdoctoral Researcher, Senior Research Specialist
Dr. Soraia Margarida Da Silva Teixeira Fernandes
Principal Investigator
Stefania Pagliari, Ph.D.
Senior Postdoctoral Researcher
Mgr. Bc. Vladimír Vinarský, Ph.D.
Senior Postdoctoral Researcher
Mgr. Pavel Šimara, Ph.D.
Senior Postdoctoral Researcher
Mgr. Jan Vrbský, Ph.D.
Senior Postdoctoral Researcher
MUDr. Danica Zapletalová, Ph.D.
Research Specialist
MUDr. Pavel Tinka
Research Specialist
Team Assistant
Romana Vlčková
Administrative Support
Main Objectives
- Identification of potential cellular mechanosensors involved in the onset of cardiac pathologies and suitable as bio-markers of the diseases.
- Identification of novel molecular processes involved in cardiac phenotype acquisition.
- Generation of valuable in vitro models of cardiac diseases.
Research focus
The Mechanobiology of Disease (MBD) group is mainly interested in correlating defects in tissue-specific cell mechanobiology system with the onset of aging pathologies, with a specific focus on those affecting the cardiovascular system and cancer. The working hypothesis of MBD is that defects in the function of the apparatus cells use to perceive and respond to external mechanical cues – the mechanosensing apparatus – contribute to aging-associated pathologies.
MBD researchers adopt loss- and gain-of-function approaches, microfluidics and micropatterning technologies to manipulate the mechanosome of adult, pluripotent stem cells and stem cell-derived cardiac cells. MBD takes advantage of cutting-edge technologies for live imaging, cell separation and high-throughput gene and protein analysis to highlight perturbations in the mechanosensing apparatus occurring in the cardiac tissue and cells derived from patients.
Technological equipment
- Laboratory equipment for cell sorting, analysis, tissue characterization:
- Flow Cytometer, Cell Sorter, Multiphoton Microscope, Magnetic Cell Separator, Bioreactors and stretching machines, Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope suited for live imaging, Enhanced Resolution Confocal Microscope, Real-Time PCR System, Microfluidics devices.
Selected Results
- Perestrelo AR, Silva AC, Oliver-De-La-Cruz J, Martino F, Horváth V, Caluori G, Polanský O, Vinarský V, Azzato G, de Marco G, Žampachová V, Skládal P, Pagliari S, Rainer A, Pinto-do-Ó P, Caravella A, Koci K, Nascimento DS, Forte G. Multiscale Analysis of Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in the Failing Heart. Circ Res (2021) DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.120.317685
- Oliver-De La Cruz J, Nardone G, Vrbsky J, Pompeiano A, Perestrelo AR, Capradossi F, Melajová K, Filipensky P, Forte G.Substrate mechanics controls adipogenesis through YAP phosphorylation by dictating cell spreading. Biomaterials 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.03.009.
- Nardone G, Oliver De La Cruz J, Vrbsky J, Martini C, Pribyl J, Skládal P, Pešl M, Caluori G, Pagliari S, Martino F, Maceckova Z, Hajduch M, Sanz-García A, Pugno NM, Stokin GB, Forte G. YAP regulates cell mechanics by controlling focal adhesion assembly. Nat Commun 2017. doi:10.1038/ncomms15321.
- Pagliari S, Vinarsky V, Martino F, Perestrelo AR, Vrbsky J, Oliver-De-La-Cruz J, Caluori G, Skladal P, Zampachova V, Kytyr D, Grassi G, Sampaolesi M, Rainer A, Forte G. YAP-TEAD control of human pluripotent stem cell mechanics guides cardiogenic mesoderm specification. Cell Death Differ (2020) DOI:10.1038/s41418-020-00643-5.
- Martino F, Perestrelo AR, Hejret V, Durikova H, Horvath V, Cavalieri F, Caruso F, Albihlal WS, Gerber AP, O’Connell MA, Pagliari S, Forte G. The mechanical regulation of RNA binding protein hnRNPC in the failing heart. BiorXiv 2021, https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.27.457906.
- Ergir E, Oliver De La Cruz J, Fernandes S, Cassani M, Niro F, Pereira Sousa D, Vrbsky J, Vinarsky V, Perestrelo AR, Debellis D, Cavalieri F, Pagliari S, Redl H, Ertl P, Forte G. Generation and Maturation of Human iPSC-derived Cardiac Organoids in Long Term Culture. BiorXiv 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.07.483273.
- Mosqueira D, Pagliari S, Uto K, Ebara M, Romanazzo S, Escobedo-Lucea C, Nakanishi J, Taniguchi A, Franzese O, Di Nardo P, Goumans MJ, Pinto-do-Ó P, Aoyagi T, Forte G. Hippo pathway effectors control cardiac progenitor cell fate by acting as dynamic sensors of substrate mechanics and nanostructure. ACS Nano (2014) 8: 2033-2047.
