RNDr. Petr Kopáček, CSc.
Job Position: Research Scientist - Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Ticks
Phone:
+420 387775148
E-mail:
kopajz@paru.cas.cz
Room:
336
Born
14th April, 1958, České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia
ORCID Id: 0000-0003-2412-5724
Education
1982: RNDr. (equivalent to M.Sc.) - graduated in physical chemistry at Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Prague
1988: Postgradual course of analytical chemistry at Faculty of Sciences, Komenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
1993: CSc. (equivalent to PhD.) in Biochemistry at Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Former and current positions
1982–1983: Institute of Parasitology, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice; assistentship on human protozoan isoenzymes
1983–1985: Institute of Entomology, Czech. Acad. Sci., České Budějovice, research assistant on insect olfaction physiology
1985–1993: Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Biol. Center Czech. Acad. Sci., České Budějovice, research assistant on protein analysis, electrophoresis and related techniques
1993–1995: Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry; Institute of Entomology, Czech Acad. Sci., České Budějovice, research worker on proteins involved in immune system of insects
1995–1996: Galena (IVAX), Research Unit, České Budějovice, research specialist on drug binding proteins
1996: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Acad. Sci. Czech Rep. and Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, senior scientist on immune proteins in ticks
Scientific stays, fellowships and courses
October–November 1989: Stay at Technical University Munich, Germany by Prof. B. Radola, study of isoelectric focusing and two-dimensional electrophoresis
October 1991–March 1992: Stay at University of Uppsala, Sweden, Institute of Physiological Botany by Prof. K. Söderhäll; study on crayfish plasma proteins
May 1994–June 1995: Fellowship from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Institute of Zoologie, Free University Berlin by Prof. P. Götz and Prof. M. Schweiger, study on insect prophenoloxidase systém
April 1997–June 1997: Stay at University of Arizona, Tucson, Center of Insect Science by Prof. John H. Law, within the BRAVO! program, work on tick ferritins
June 2000 – Course - Biology of Disease Vectors, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Co
July 2000 – August 2000: Summer laboratory at Woods Hole, Ma. Co-operation with Prof. Peter B. Armstrong (University of California), on alpha-2-macroglobulin receptor from Limulus
September 2002: HHMI/NRC sponsored course: "Genome-wide Approaches to Understanding Bacterial Pathogenesis”, Institute of Microbiology, Prague, Czech Rep.
October–November 2003: EMBO practical course: "Integrated Molecular Diagnostics for Tick-borne Pathogens Using RLB Hybridization and Microarray Based Biochips", University of Pretoria, South Africa
November 2006: Scientific visit at Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas (Prof. Dr. Sirlei Daffre) and Departmento de Biochuimica Medica, ICB, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Prof. Dr. Pedro L. Oliveira)
Projects solved
a) principal investigator
1997–1999 – Immune system of a tick: Identification and characterization of proteins involved in clotting and melanization of tick hemolymph (A6022701, Grant Agency, Academy Sciences CR)
2000–2002 – Humoral factors and cellular events involved in pathogen transmission by ticks (206/00/266 Grant Agency CR)
2003–2005 – Immune reactions within the gut of the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata (A6022307 Grant Agency, Academy Sciences CR)
2005–2008 – The role of α2-macroglobulin in pathogen transmission by the tick Ixodes ricinus (IAA600220603, Grant Agency, Academy Sciences CR).
2005–2008 – Peptidases in the gut of the hard tick Ixodes ricinus: characterization and potential for vector-control (206/060/865, Grant Agency CR)
2009–2012 – The digestive system of ticks – the target for rational development of vaccine against tick and tick-borne pathogens (IAA600960910 Grant Agency, Academy Sciences CR)
2010–2012 – Functional genomics of the complement-like molecules in the tick Ixodes ricinus (P506/10/2136 Grant Agency CR)
2013–2017 – The role of hemoglobin in tick metabolism and pathogen transmission (13-11043S, Grant Agency CR) (GACR award 2018 – see below)
2018–2020 Nutritional factors essential for tick development and reproduction (18-01832S, Grant Agency CR)
2020–2022 – The role of Toll pathway in the regulation of tick immune response against tick-transmitted pathogens (20-05736S, Grant Agency CR)
b) co-principal investigator
2010–2013 – Structural proteomics of tick proteolytic systems (P207/10/2183 Grant Agency CR)
2011–2014 – Development of a vaccine protecting against transmission of tick-borne diseases based on ferritin 2 for veterinary and human application (FR-TI/3-156, Ministry of Industry and Trade CR)
2019–2022 – Midgut microbial ecology, epithelial immunity, and vector competence of Ixodes ricinus and Amblyomma americanum (19-04301S, Grant Agency CR)
Publishing activity (till November 2020)
Papers published in peer-reviewed journals – 75
Chapters in edited book – 4
Patents – 3
Number of citation (without self-citation) ~ 2350
Hirsch index – 33
Teaching activities
Supervisor of 6 and co-supervisor of 2 defended Ph.D. theses and ~ 25 undergraduate diploma works (Bc., MSc.).
September 2019 – a tutor in the 2 weeks’ course “Escola de Altos Estudos” (High Studies School Program granted by Brazilian Federal Agency for Post-graduate Educatio, CAPES) – Univ. Fed. Rio de Janeiro, and Univ Fed. Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brasil.
Other activities
Since 2012 – a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Developmental & Comparative Immunology (Elsevier)
2017–2021 – member of the GACR panel 502
Awards:
2018 – Award from the President of the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) in Biological & Agricultural Science for the excellent results achieved in the project "The role of hemoglobin in tick metabolism and transmission of tick-borne pathogens".
