Name: Czech Centre for Phenogenomics
Institution: Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Coordinator: PD. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Radislav Sedláček, radislav.sedlacek@img.cas.cz
Website
CCP is the largest non-distributed biomedical RI in the Czech Republic with international impact, providing a unique and complex service portfolio which, on this scale, can only be found in just a few places around the world. CCP activities in excellent research and user service focus on four main areas. The first is genome editing, which is currently performed primarily using the programmable nuclease. CCP belongs to the best centres in the world in this area and offers numerous services to researchers, thus facilitating the development of animal models to study human diseases. Second, CCP focuses on phenotyping, i.e., the comprehensive characterisation of genetically modified models to describe the functions of studied genes with informative mutations. CCP can investigate all the main physiological systems and reveal how and where specific genes function. As CCP closely cooperates with partners from international consortia, all procedures and technologies are standardised, hence improving result reproducibility. Third, CCP develops not only new technologies for genome editing and for the characterisation of physiological functions, but also provides services in preclinical development, including pharmacokinetics, dynamics and toxicology, thus contributing to the development of new medicines for both the academic and commercial sectors. This also includes PDX technology (Patient-Derived Tumor Xenograft), which investigates the development of human tumors engrafted into mouse models and the possibilities of their treatment using a personalised therapeutic approach. The fourth and newest area is studying infection using mouse models, for which CCP has recently opened a state-of-the-art BSL-3 facility to investigate dangerous infections.
Altogether, CCP proceeds to develop further and to expand from disciplines such as genetics, molecular biology and physiology to preclinical activities aiming at innovation in the design of new treatment approaches to human diseases. CCP is a member of INFRAFRONTIER (European Research Infrastructure for the Generation, Phenotyping, Archiving and Distribution of Mouse Models of Human Diseases) and due to the comprehensive portfolio of its expertise, ranging from the generation of mutant models to its knowledge and experience with analysing the functions of genes and their mutations, it has also become a member of IMPC (International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium). CCP works together with IMPC members on a very ambitious goal, which is the description of the functions of all mammalian genes. CCP is finalising its entry into EurOPDX European RI.
