PharmDr. Lukáš Opálka, Ph.D.

Research interests:

• Synthesis of ceramides with ultralong and α-hydroxylated chains
• Synthesis of ceramide derivatives (ceramide-1-phosphates, glucosylated ceramides, labeled ceramides, gangliosides)
• Preparation of model lipid membranes mimicking the structure of skin barrier in human skin and the evaluation of their structure (IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction) and permeability (flux of model drugs through the membrane, water loss through the membrane and electrical impedance measurements)
• Preparation of lipid systems mimicking human transport vesicles (lamellar bodies) with the potential to regenerate damaged skin barrier
• Lipid quantification in human stratum corneum using LC-MS/MS

Education:

• 2011 – 2016 Ph.D. study in the program Organic Chemistry, subject Bioorganic Chemistry, Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University. Topic of the Ph.D. thesis: Synthesis of human ω-O-acylceramides and evaluation of their effects on barrier properties of skin lipid membranes.
• 2006 – 2011 Master study in the program Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University. Topic of the diploma thesis: Substituted benzoxazoles – synthesis and biological activity.

Teaching activities:

• Since 2017 – seminars from Organic Chemistry for pharmacists
• Since 2013 – practical exercises from Chemical laboratory techniques for pharmacists and for healthcare bioanalytics
• Supervisor of MSc students (currently 6, 10 defended)

Research grants (main investigator):

• 2024 - 2026: Standard project, Czech Science Foundation (GAČR 24-10736S): Corneocyte lipid envelope: lipid-protein binding mechanisms and barrier rescue in ichthyosis models

Research grants (member of a team):

• 2024 - 2027: AZV project (NW24-08-00289): Skin Barrier Lipidomics as a Noninvasive Method for Predicting Late Adverse Events in Childhood Cancer Survivors
• 2022 - 2025: ERA-NET Cofund EuroNanoMed3/TAČR (LIPARCI): Pre-clinical development of an acylceramide nanostructured delivery system to rescue the skin barrier in patients with ichthyosis
• 2022 - 2025: Lead Agency project, Czech Science Foundation (GAČR-DFG 22-20839K): Novel Insights into the Nanostructure of the Skin Lipid Barrier by Biophysical Methods
• 2019 – 2021: International project, Czech Science Foundation (GAČR-DFG 19-09135J): Ultralong chain ceramides in membrane models of healthy and diseased skin barrier
• 2019 – 2021: Standard project, Czech Science Foundation (GAČR 19-09600S): Integrated design methodology of nanoformulation processes for (trans-)dermal delivery of actives
• 2016 – 2018: International project, Czech Science Foundation (GAČR-DFG 16-25687J): Interdependencies between Inflammatory Processes and Barrier Lipids in Diseased Skin
• 2013 – 2017: Standard project, Czech Science Foundation (GAČR 13-23891S): Lipid membrane models – a new tool for studying pathophysiology of skin diseases at a molecular level
• 2011 – 2013: Standard project, Czech Science Foundation (GAČR 207/11/0365): Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of skin ceramides and compounds targeting them
• Grant Agency of the Charles University projects

International experience:

• 2018: 6 months at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany in the scientific group of PD Dr. Roger Sandhoff. Topic: Analysis of human skin lipids in the patient with 3-ketodihydrosphingosine reductase disfunction
• 2015: 2 weeks at Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia in the scientific group of Dr. Norbert Kučerka. Topic: Measurements of neutron diffraction of model lipid membranes containing acylceramides using the IBR-2 pulse reactor

Czech and international collaboration:

• Michal Holčapek, University of Pardubice, Czech Republic
• Roger Sandhoff, German Cancer Research Centre, Germany
• Nathalie Jonca, Université de Toulouse, France
• Daniel Huster, University of Leipzig, Germany
• Jason Meyer, University of California San Francisco, USA
• Olga López, Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia-Spanish National Research Council, Spain
• Zdeněk Spáčil, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
• Reinhard Neubert, Adina Eichner, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
• André Nadler, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
• Federica Casseti, Cristina Has, University Freiburg, Germany

Membership:

• Since 2012 – Czech Chemical Society
• Examination Board for MSc and Bc Defenses, Department of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University (since 2018)
• Member of the organizing committee of the 7^th Lipidomic Conference (2020)

Awards:

• Best poster, Conference „6th Lipidomic Conference“, Prague, Czech Republic (2018)
• Josef Hlávka Award (2017)
• Best student oral presentation, Conference „4th European Joint Theoretical/Experimental Meeting on Membranes 2016“, Bratislava, Slovakia (2016)

Invited presentations:

• Gordon Research Conferences: Lipidomics (2024; Italy)
• Annual Symposium of Korean Society for Investigative dermatology (2021; Seoul, Korea; online contribution)
• Annual Symposium of Korean Society for Skin Barrier Research, web-conference (2020)
• Congress of Practical Pharmacy, Olomouc, Czech Republic (2019)
• Science Café in District 5, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic (2019)

Publications:

2024

• Paraskevopoulos, G.; Opalka, L.; Kovacik, A.; Paraskevopoulou, A.; Panoutsopoulou, E.; Sagrafena, I.; Pullmannova, P.; Cap, R.; Vavrova, K. Lysosphingolipids in ceramide-deficient skin lipid models. J. Lipid. Res. 2025, 66 (1), 100722.
• Dwivedi, A.; Mazumder, A.; Pullmannova, P.; Paraskevopoulou, A.; Opalka, L.; Kovacik, A.; Machacek, M.; Jancalkova, P.; Svacinova, P.; Peterlik, H.; Maixner, J.; Vavrova, K. Lipid Monolayer on Cell Surface Protein Templates Functional Extracellular Lipid Assembly. Small 2024, 20 (26), e2307793.
• Paraskevopoulos, G.; Fandrei, F.; Pratihast, A. K.; Paraskevopoulou, A.; Panoutsopoulou, E.; Opálka, L.; Mithu, V. S.; Huster, D.; Vávrová, K. Effects of imidazolium ionic liquids on skin barrier lipids–Perspectives for drug delivery. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2024, 659, 449-462.

2023

• Jancalkova, P.; Kopecna, M.; Kurka, M.; Kovacik, A.; Opalka, L.; Sagrafena, I.; Vavrova, K. Skin Barrier Fine Tuning through Low-Temperature Lipid Chain Transition. J. Invest. Dermatol. 2023, 143 (12), 2427-2435.
• Kováčik, A.; Kopečná, M.; Hrdinová, I.; Opálka, L.; Boncheva Bettex, M.; Vávrová, K. Time-Dependent Differences in the Effects of Oleic Acid and Oleyl Alcohol on the Human Skin Barrier. Mol. Pharm. 2023, 20 (12), 6237-6245.
• Hergesell, K.; Paraskevopoulou, A.; Opálka, L.; Velebný, V.; Vávrová, K.; Dolečková, I. The effect of long-term cigarette smoking on selected skin barrier proteins and lipids. Sci. Reports. 2023, 13 (1), 11572.
• Fandrei, F.*; Havrišák, T.*; Opálka, L.*; Engberg, O.; Smith, A. A.; Pullmannová, P.; Kučerka, N.; Ondrejčeková, V.; Demé, B.; Nováková, L. The intriguing molecular dynamics of Cer [EOS] in rigid skin barrier lipid layers requires improvement of the model. J. Lipid Res. 2023, 64 (5). *equal contribution.
• Nezvedová, M.; Jha, D.; Váňová, T.; Gadara, D.; Klímová, H.; Raška, J.; Opálka, L.; Bohačiaková, D. s. a.; Spáčil, Z. k. Single cerebral organoid Mass Spectrometry of Cell-Specific protein and glycosphingolipid traits. Anal. Chem. 2023, 95 (6), 3160-3167.

2022

• Sagrafena, I.; Paraskevopoulos, G.; Pullmannová, P.; Opálka, L.; Nováčková, A.; Lourantou, O.; Vávrová, K. Assembly of Human Stratum Corneum Lipids In Vitro: Fluidity Matters. J. Invest. Dermatol. 2022, 142 (7), 2036-2039.
• Opálka, L.; Meyer, J. M.; Ondrejčeková, V.; Svatošová, L.; Radner, F. P.; Vávrová, K. ω-O-Acylceramides but not ω-hydroxy ceramides are required for healthy lamellar phase architecture of skin barrier lipids. J. Lipid Res. 2022, 63 (6).
• Fandrei, F.; Engberg, O.; Opálka, L.; Jančálková, P.; Pullmannová, P.; Steinhart, M.; Kováčik, A.; Vávrová, K.; Huster, D. Cholesterol Sulfate Fluidizes the Sterol Fraction of the Stratum Corneum Lipid Phase and Increases its Permeability. J. Lipid Res. 2022, 63 (3), 100177.
• Pilz, R.; Opalka, L.; Majcher, A.; Grimm, E.; Van Maldergem, L.; Mihalceanu, S.; Schakel, K.; Enk, A.; Aubin, F.; Bursztejn, A. C.; Brischoux-Boucher, E.; Fischer, J.; Sandhoff, R. Formation of keto-type ceramides in palmoplantar keratoderma based on biallelic KDSR mutations in patients. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2022, 31 (7), 1105-1114.

2021

• Strati, F.; Oliveira, J. S.; Opalka, L.; Mukhina, T.; Dobner, B.; Neubert, R. H.; Brezesinski, G. Two-and three-dimensional physical–chemical characterization of CER [AP]: a study of stereochemistry and chain symmetry. J. Phys. Chem. B 2021, 125 (35), 9960-9969.

• Kováčik, A.; Pullmannová, P.; Opálka, L.; Šilarová, M.; Maixner, J.; Vávrová, K. Effects of (R)-and (S)-α-hydroxylation of acyl chains in sphingosine, dihydrosphingosine, and phytosphingosine ceramides on phase behavior and permeability of skin lipid models. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22 (14), 7468.

• Strati, F.; Neubert, R. H.; Opálka, L.; Kerth, A.; Brezesinski, G.: Non-ionic surfactants as innovative skin penetration enhancers: insight in the mechanism of interaction with simple 2D stratum corneum model system. Eur. J. Pharm. Sci. 2021, 157, 105620.

2020

• Engberg, O.; Kováčik, A.; Pullmannová, P.; Juhaščik, M.; Opálka, L.; Huster, D.; Vávrová, K.: The Sphingosine and Acyl Chains of Ceramide [NS] Show Very Different Structure and Dynamics That Challenge Our Understanding of the Skin Barrier. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59 (40), 17383–17387.
• Opálka, L.; Kováčik, A.; Pullmannová, P.; Maixner, J.; Vávrová, K.: Effects of omega-O-acylceramide structures and concentrations in healthy and diseased skin barrier lipid membrane models. J. Lipid Res. 2020, 61 (2), 219-228.

2019

• von Gerichten, J.; Lamprecht, D.; Opálka, L.; Soulard, D.; Marsching, C.; Pilz, R.; Sencio, V.; Herzer, S.; Galy, B.; Nordström, V.; Hopf, C.; Gröne, H.-J.; Trottein, F.; Sandhoff, R.: Bacterial immunogenic α-galactosylceramide identified in the murine large intestine: dependency on diet and inflammation. J. Lipid Res. 2019, 60 (11), 1892-1904.
• Pullmannova, P.; Ermakova, E.; Kovacik, A.; Opalka, L.; Maixner, J.; Zbytovska, J.; Kucerka, N.; Vavrova, K.: Long And Very Long Lamellar Phases In Model Stratum Corneum Lipid Membranes. J. Lipid Res. 2019, 60 (5), 963-971.
• Sochorová, M.; Audrlická, P.; Červená, M.; Kováčik, A.; Kopečná, M.; Opálka, L.; Pullmannová, P.; Vávrová, K.: Permeability and microstructure of cholesterol-depleted skin lipid membranes and human stratum corneum. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2019, 535, 227-238.

2018

• Hájek, R.; Lísa, M.; Khalikova, M.; Jirásko, R.; Cífková, E.; Študent, V.; Vrána, D.; Opálka, L.; Vávrová, K.; Matzenauer, M.; Melichar, B.; Holčapek, M.: HILIC/ESI-MS determination of gangliosides and other polar lipid classes in renal cell carcinoma and surrounding normal tissues. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2018, 410 (25), 6585-6594.
• Mauldin, E. A.; Crumrine, D.; Casal, M. L.; Jeong, S.; Opálka, L.; Vavrova, K.; Uchida, Y.; Park, K.; Craiglow, B.; Choate, K. A.; Shin, K.-O.; Lee, Y.-M.; Grove, G. L.; Wakefield, J. S.; Denis, K.; Elias, P. M.: Cellular and Metabolic Basis for the Ichthyotic Phenotype in NIPAL4 (Ichthyin)–Deficient Canines. Am. J. Pathol. 2018, 188 (6), 1419-1429.
• Hruskova, K.; Potuckova, E.; Opalka, L.; Hergeselova, T.; Haskova, P.; Kovarikova, P.; Simůnek, T.; Vavrova, K.: Structure-Activity Relationships of Nitro-Substituted Aroylhydrazone Iron Chelators with Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2018, 31 (6), 435-446.

2017

• Pichery, M.; Huchenq, A.; Sandhoff, R.; Severino-Freire, M.; Zaafouri, S.; Opálka, L.; Levade, T.; Soldan, V.; Bertrand-Michel, J.; Lhuillier, E.; Serre, G.; Maruani, A.; Mazereeuw-Hautier, J.; Jonca, N.: PNPLA1 defects in patients with Autosomal Recessive Congenital Ichthyosis and KO mice sustain PNPLA1 irreplaceable function in epidermal omega-O-acylceramide synthesis and skin permeability barrier. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2017 26 (10), 1787-1800.
• Školová, B.; Kováčik, A.; Tesař, O.; Opálka, L.; Vávrová, K.: Phytosphingosine, sphingosine and dihydrosphingosine ceramides in model skin lipid membranes: permeability and biophysics. BBA-Biomembranes 2017, 1859 (5), 824-834.
• Vávrová, K.; Kováčik, A.; Opálka, L.: Ceramides in the Skin Barrier.  Eur. Pharm. J. 2017, 64 (1),1-8.

2016

• Opálka, L.; Kováčik, A.; Maixner, J.; Vávrová, K.: Omega-O-Acylceramides in Skin Lipid Membranes: Effects of Concentration, Sphingoid Base, and Model Complexity on Microstructure and Permeability. Langmuir 2016, 32 (48), 12894-12904.
• Kováčik, A.; Opálka, L.; Šilarová, M.; Roh, J.; Vávrová, K.: Synthesis of 6-hydroxyceramide using ruthenium-catalyzed hydrosilylation–protodesilylation. Unexpected formation of a long periodicity lamellar phase in skin lipid membranes. RSC Advances 2016, 6 (77), 73343-73350.

2015

• Opálka, L.; Kováčik, A.; Sochorová, M.; Roh, J.; Kuneš, J.; Lenčo, J.; Vávrová, K.: Scalable Synthesis of Human Ultralong Chain Ceramides. Org. Lett. 2015, 17 (21), 5456-5459.
• Wallmeyer, L.; Lehnen, D.; Eger, N.; Sochorova, M.; Opalka, L.; Kovacik, A.; Vavrova, K.; Hedtrich, S.: Stimulation of PPAR alpha normalizes the skin lipid ratio and improves the skin barrier of normal and filaggrin deficient reconstructed skin. J. Dermatol. Sci. 2015, 80 (2), 102-110.