News

2025

Time flies, and in just about six months, we are moving to a brand-new university campus in Hradec Králové! This campus, shared by the Faculty of Pharmacy and Faculty of Medicine, is uniquely connected by an "umbilical cord bridge" to our clinical oncology partners at the University Hospital. We’re beyond excited for this move and couldn’t resist taking an early look at our future workspace. Although it still needs some finishing touches, it’s inspiring to see the place where our research will grow and thrive.

Besides winning awards, our group members also love to have fun. Together with our PhD student colleagues from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, we spent a spring weekend afternoon playing paintball in the outdoor arena in Malšovice. It was a thrilling experience, quite different from online Counter-Strike or Call of Duty. Don’t worry, nobody got hurt😉. Many thanks to Bohdan for organizing this fantastic event!

Bingo! Rhea repeated her breathtaking performance and won 2nd place at international level of the Student Research Conference! The finalists from the faculty rounds held at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University in Hradec Králové, the Faculty of Pharmacy, Masaryk University in Brno (Czechia), the Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia), the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice (Slovakia), and also from the Polish universities Medical University of Gdańsk and Poznan University of Medical Sciences presented their innovative pharmaceutical research, vying to impress the expert committee. We warmly congratulate Rhea on this extraordinary achievement and sincerely thank her for representing not only our research group but the entire faculty with distinction. Further details are available via the link (Czech only): Úspěchy našich studentů v mezinárodním kole Studentské vědecké konference 2025 | Farmaceutická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy

In April, Rhea and Katka (Katarína), our enthusiastic and talented diploma students, took part in the XXXII. Student Research Conference organized by the Czech Pharmaceutical Students’ Association at FaF. What started as a valuable training for their thesis defence quickly turned into an impressive success, with Katka winning 3rd place and Rhea taking 1st place! We are incredibly proud of their achievements and thankful for their outstanding representation of our group. Notably, this is just the beginning for Rhea, who will soon present her research at the international level of the Student Research Conference competition held at Zentiva pharmaceutical company in Prague. Fingers crossed for her continued success! More information (in Czech) can be found here: XXXII. Studentská vědecká konference zná své vítěze | Farmaceutická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy

In January, Ziba successfully defended her dissertation titled „Study on the modulation of pharmacokinetic drug resistance in preclinical cancer models” and officially earned her PhD title. We congratulate Ziba on completing this important milestone and wish her great success and inspiration on her professional research journey!

2024

Unbelievable but true! Youssif delivered a captivating presentation that won him Prize of Vice-Rector for Research and Creative Activity, i.e. the prestigious award for the 2nd best project across Charles University. The competition was fierce, with participants representing a wide spectrum of faculties and disciplines from archaeology to medicine. The official ceremony took place at Carolinum on November 17, 2024, where Youssif received his well-deserved prize along with a financial reward. We enthusiastically applaud his brilliant achievement and celebrate his success! For more details, feel free to check the official announcement on the Faculty of Pharmacy website: Award for Youssif Budagaga for an outstanding result achieved within the project funded by the Grant | Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy

What a great news from our team! Just days after Youssif's successful defence, GAUK board decided to evaluate his GAUK project from 2021 as „outstanding”. This recognition crowns an intensive collaboration with clinicians Ivo Hanke, M.D. and Tomáš Rozkoš, M.D. from University Hospital Hradec Králové, which led to the development of unique primary ex vivo explant NSCLC models derived from patients’ tumors. The primary cultures have been biobanked and used to evaluate the MDR-reversing capability of novel NSCLC drugs. In addition, research internship at prof. Tsao lab in Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto, Canada) allowed to incorporate further cutting-edge ex vivo and in vivo NSCLC models to Youssif’s research, thus boosting the translational potential of his results (see respective new below). In future, revealed drug combinations might be transformed into effective and safe therapeutical solutions for oncological patients suffering from chemotherapeutic resistance. The project produced three impactful publications with a cumulative impact factor of 18.25 and two more manuscripts in preparation. Adding to these achievements, Youssif’s work has been nominated for the Award for outstanding research results achieved with special-purpose grants from the GAUK agency. Youssif will present his project in Carolinum, Prague on 26.6.2024. We are keeping our fingers crossed and can’t wait to see the competition!

We are excited to share that Youssif Budagaga has officially earned his Ph.D. title. The defence of his thesis "Study on interactions of new anticancer drugs and their utilization for modulation of multidrug resistance in solid tumors" impressed everyone with its outstanding quality. We are not only proud of Youssif’s achievement, but also happy to announce that he will stay with us as a postdoctoral researcher, keeping his passion and expertise in our team. Can’t wait to see what great discoveries lie ahead!

Next to Youssif, also Ziba completed her abroad research internship in 2024. She describes her experience: “I completed a five‑month internship in the MALDI Imaging Group led by dr. Melanie Föll at the Department of Pathology, Medical University of Freiburg, Germany. Immersion in this cutting‑edge environment deepened my expertise in mass‑spectrometry imaging: I managed the entire workflow—from tissue sectioning and matrix deposition to MALDI‑TOF/TOF data acquisition and advanced bioinformatic analysis—and gained first‑hand insight into the translational applications of MALDI imaging in biomedical and diagnostic research. Freiburg’s rigorous yet collaborative research culture, set against the city’s vibrant academic scene and environmentally minded lifestyle, further enriched the experience. Daily interaction with international colleagues sharpened my communication skills, fostered cross‑disciplinary thinking, and shaped my professional outlook. This five‑month internship proved both scientifically and personally transformative, broadening my technical repertoire while reinforcing my commitment to high‑precision, collaborative research.” We are happy to hear these enthusiastic words and are truly grateful to dr. Föll for internship support.

As part of his doctoral journey, Youssif Budagaga underwent an internship at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Canada (Dec 2023–Sep 2024), supported by the Charles University Mobility Fund. He mastered advanced ex vivo 3D patient-derived organoid and in vivo NOD/SCID mice patient-derived xenograft models to tackle multidrug resistance in NSCLC. By this step, Youssif helped to launch collaboration with prof. Ming-Sound Tsao, a world-renowned NSCLC guru. Congrats to Youssif on achieving his traineeship goals and warm thanks to Ming for welcoming Youssif to his workplace!

2023

One year, two hits. The Grant Agency of Charles University board evaluated solving of Yu’s GAUK project from 2020 as “outstanding”, which is rare to see. As part of this project, we identified entrectinib, tepotinib, talazoparib, sonidegib, and alisertib as powerful dual-activity resistance modulators with promising translational potential. These contributions resulted in five publications in prestigious journals, with a cumulative impact factor of 29.08. We couldn’t be prouder of this extraordinary success!

We are proud and delighted to announce that our GAČR project from 2020 received an “outstanding” rating from the Czech Science Foundation board. This project advanced the understanding of pharmacokinetic mechanisms in anticancer drug resistance and introduced an innovative approach to their modulation, providing valuable preclinical insights for translational research. Our efforts culminated in 14 publications with a remarkable cumulative impact factor of 82.75 and strong citation recognition. Many of these papers were co-authored with our international collaborators: dr. Lei Guo (National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. FDA, Jefferson, AR, USA), and dr. Sarah Kammerer and prof. Jan-Heiner Küpper (Institute of Biotechnology, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany), whose expertise significantly enriched our work. For more details, see the official announcement on the Faculty of Pharmacy website (available in Czech): GA ČR projekt řešený doc. Hofmanem hodnocen jako vynikající | Farmaceutická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy

In June, Yu Zhang successfully defended his dissertation thesis “Study of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms of drug resistance and their modulation in non-small cell lung cancer” with full support from the committee! Like Dimitrios before him, Yu completed this milestone several months ahead of his official study period, a clear testament to his dedication and strong work ethic. Congratulations, Yu, on this great achievement! We wish you all the best in your future research career and are proud to have you as part of our team.

2022

Our entire team enthusiastically took part in the 2nd International Transmembrane Transporter Society Meeting hosted by the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. We were energized by fascinating talks, passionate discussions over posters, and valuable networking during social events. Last but not least, we savored the unique vibes and flavors of Copenhagen city😉. Ziba, Youssif, and Yu actively presented their posters, receiving inspirating feedback from fellow transporter scientists.

Yu Zhang had the unique opportunity to visit the prof. Kaisa Lehti’s lab at Karolinska Institute. Here is how Yu describes this experience in his own words: „I feel so excited that I could join the research group of prof. Kaisa Lehti at Karolinska Institute, Sweden as a visiting Ph.D. student (February – May 2022). During my research stay, I have learnt the advanced wet-lab techniques, such as 3D cell culture, real-time cell imaging, 3D immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Using these techniques, I can characterize the cancer cells’ activities (e.g., invasion and migration) in a “reality-closer” way, which brought a huge progress for my research work. Besides, joining in prof. Kaisa’s group at Karolinska Institute also enabled me to conduct scientific work in a more comprehensive and logical way. I deeply appreciate the home-feeling hosting and huge supports from her and her team members! I also appreciate the START program for the financial support.” We warmly congratulate Yu on his successful research engagement and sincerely thank Kaisa for her generous hospitality and support in fostering our productive cooperation.

2021

We are proud of Dimitrios, our team’s first PhD student, who successfully defended his dissertation PhD thesis “Study on the role of pharmacokinetic mechanisms of drug resistance in new anticancer drugs with focus on solid tumors” with flying colors — several months ahead of the standard study timeline! We will always cherish the memories of our early days together. Hard work truly pays off…

Warm congratulations to Yu Zhang for ranking 24th out of 271 applications and securing another student project funded this time by Charles University. Within the project “Unraveling pharmacodynamic principles of acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors”, we are excited to shift our focus from pharmacokinetic to pharmacodynamic resistance and explore possible shared mechanisms across EGFR TKi generations. Special thanks to prof. Kaisa Lehti from Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and dr. Rudolf Kupčík from Biomedical Research Centre (Faculty Hospital Hradec Králové, Czechia) for joining us on this exciting research journey with their expertise in tumor microenvironment and global proteomic analysis, respectively. Let’s go!

Our successful ride on a grant-funding wave from the Grant Agency of Charles University follows! We are thrilled that the agency has decided to support another our project: "Implementation of ex vivo and in vivo lung tumor models for the evaluation of clinical value of dual drug resistance modulators." A massive congratulations to Youssif Budagaga, our newest PhD student, for achieving such a significant and early success!

2020

We are proud that the success of our ensartinib paper caught the eye of iForum, an online magazine published by Charles University. This led to an interview with our group leader, Assoc. Prof. Jakub Hofman, who shared insights into his scientific journey, expert views on pharmacokinetic resistance, and other fascinating topics. Check out the full new and link to the interview on the Faculty of Pharmacy website (only in Czech): Rakovinu nikdy nevymýtíme jednou zázračnou pilulkou | Farmaceutická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy

Our paper on ensartinib, highlighting its potential as a multispecific dually-acting modulator of chemotherapeutic resistance, has been published in Cancers (IF 6.162). For more details, check out the official news release on the Faculty of Pharmacy website: Paper from Research Group of Cancer Pharmacology was published in prestigious journal Cancers | Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy

We are excited to announce that the Grant Agency of Charles University will support our project: “The role of pharmacokinetic interactions of new targeted drugs in modulating the efficacy of cytotoxic drugs in non-small cell lung carcinoma.” Huge congratulations to our new PhD student, Yu Zhang, on this important milestone early in his research journey!

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We are thrilled to share that the Czech Science Foundation has chosen to fund our project titled “Study on the role of novel targeted breast and lung anticancer drugs in the phenomenon of pharmacokinetic drug resistance”. This exciting financial support, alongside our dedicated inland team and international collaborators, empowers us to embark on groundbreaking research soon.

Our research group is officially up and running! We are energized and eager to dive into cancer pharmacology research, face the exciting challenges of securing grants, and build impactful new collaborations. Here’s to the future of our cancer pharmacology team!