RNDr. Zuzana Pavlíčková, Ph.D.
Maiden:Lhotská
Job Position: Postdoc - Laboratory of parasitic therapy
Phone:
+420 38 777 5420
E-mail:
zuzana.lhotska@paru.cas.cz
Room:
132
Brief Profile
Zuzana is currently in a postdoctoral position at the Laboratory of Parasitic Therapy (BC CAS), where she continues her research on the effects of the intestinal protozoan Blastocystis on the host organism. She is also involved in other projects within the laboratory. Her scientific journey began during her first year at the University of South Bohemia (JU), where she decided to focus her bachelor’s and master’s theses on Blastocystis. During her studies, she received two grants from the JU Student Grant Agency, both of which she successfully defended. Her bachelor’s project focused on the in vitro axenization of Blastocystis, while her master’s thesis concentrated on an epidemiological study of the occurrence of this protozoan in the healthy human population in the Czech Republic. During her PhD studies, Zuzana investigated the role of Blastocystis in the gut microbiome and the factors that influence its bacterial composition.
- 8/2019 – 5/2024: Ph.D. study; University of South Bohemia (Faculty of Science) and Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences; programe - Infectious Biology
- 2019: State rigorous exam in Parasitology
- 9/2017 – 6/2019: master studies at University of South Bohemia (FSci); program - Parasitology
- 9/2013 – 6/2017: bachelor studies at University of South Bohemia (FSci); program - Biology
- 2009 – 2013: Secondary Vocational School of Veterinary, Mechanization and Horticulture - veterinary field
- 3/2024 - now: postdoc - Laboratory of parasitic therapy; Biology Center, Institute of Parasitology, The Czech Academy of Sciences
- 12/2014 - 2/2024: research assistant - Laboratory of parasitic therapy; Biology Center, Institute of Parasitology, The Czech Academy of Sciences
- molecular biology, molecular diagnostics and cloning
- sequence processing
- experimental work with laboratory animals
- axenic and xenic cultivation methods for intestinal protists
- coproscopic techniques for the detection of intestinal parasites
- analysis of the gut microbiome
- non-invasive sampling and other common laboratory methods
Projects & internship
- 9-10/2022 – internship at the Statens Serum Institut (Copenhagen, Denmark) focused on the analysis of the gut microbiome
- 2020-2022 - Principal investigator of the individual GAJU project, entitled “Changes in the transcriptome of a commensal protist with possible functional impact on the host gut”
- 2018 - Principal investigator of the project supported by the Student Grant Agency (SGA) of the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia, entitled „Study of Blastocystis in Human Microbiome“
- 6 –7/2017 – a short-term internship at the University of British Columbia (Canada): CD4 T-cell transfer model of colitis; Department of Microbiology and Immunology; under the direction of Lisa Osborne Ph.D.
- 2015 - Principal investigator of the project supported by the Student Grant Agency (SGA) of the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia, entitled “Introduction of a Suitable Experimental in vitro Model for the Study of Intestinal Protozoa of the Genus Blastocystis”
Participation in the conferences:
- 9/2024: Blastocystis conference, Crete, Greece. "Occurrence of Blastocystis sp. in a Gut-Healthy Human Population and Their Animals in the Czech Republic and its impact on the gut microbiota" (poster)
- 8/2023: 29th International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, Chennai, India. „Occurrence of commensal intestinal protist, Blastocystis sp., in a gut-healthy human population and their animals in the Czech republic“ (oral presentation)
- 6/2022: 51. Jírovcovy protozoologické dny; Svratka: „Blastocystis colonization alters the gut microbiome and, in some cases, promotes faster recovery from induced colitis“ (poster)
- 5/2021: 3rd International Blastocystis conference, „Blastocystis colonization alters host immune response and gut microbiome“ (oral presentation)
- 4/2017: 47. Jírovcovy protozoologické dny; Nové Hrady: „Axenizace buněk střevního prvoka rodu Blastocystis“ (poster)
Supplementary education:
- 2024 -Blastocystis and the Gut Microbiome - a bioinformatics training school, Barcelona, Spain
- 2021 - Osvědčení o odborné způsobilosti k navrhování pokusů a projektů pokusů podle § 15d odst. 3 zákona č. 246/1992 Sb., na ochranu zvířat proti týrání, ve znění pozdějších předpisů
- 2020 - The Workshop on Genomics in Český Krumlov
Doplňkové vzdělání:
- 2024 – Blastocystis a střevní mikrobiom – bioinformatická škola, Barcelona, Španělsko
- 2021 – Osvědčení o odborné způsobilosti k navrhování pokusů a projektů pokusů podle § 15d odst. 3 zákona č. 246/1992 Sb., na ochranu zvířat proti týrání, ve znění pozdějších předpisů
- 2020 – Workshop o genomice v Českém Krumlově