Translational Human Genomics

Mission

To conduct translational genomics research that advances knowledge and transforms the lives of patients with cancer and rare diseases.

Research Focus

The group advances precision medicine by applying cutting-edge genomic technologies to cancer and rare diseases. In oncology, the team studies genomic and transcriptomic alterations in solid tumors to improve diagnosis and guide individualized therapy. In rare diseases, the focus is on undiagnosed pediatric patients to overcome diagnostic dead ends, shorten the diagnostic odyssey, and uncover underlying genetic causes.

Key Research Questions

Which genomic alterations drive the onset and progression of an individual disease?
How does the disease reprogram cellular biology or epigenetics?
What is the functional impact of novel genetic variants identified in patients, and how can these alterations be therapeutically targeted?

Approach & Integration

Research often starts with broad, hypothesis-free analyses before quickly generating specific biological questions. These are addressed using functional genomics to dissect mechanisms, validate candidate genes, and explore therapeutic vulnerabilities. The group is developing a drug repurposing pipeline that leverages AI-based approaches, followed by experimental validation and clinical application in individual patients. The work is distinctly integrated with the Center for Precision Medicine at University Hospital Brno, which is the only center of its kind in the Czech Republic. The team operates as a joint research group of the Faculty of Medicine (Department of Biology, CREATIC) and CEITEC at Masaryk University.

Specialized Expertise & Technology

Medical genomics techniques including next-generation and long-read sequencing (including rapid trio setting), RNA sequencing, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and methylome profiling.
Functional genomics and genome modifications (CRISPR/Cas9).
Processing of challenging biological material for genomic analyses (liquid biopsy, FFPE tissue samples).

Research Group Leader

prof. RNDr. Ondřej Slabý, Ph.D.

Role

Senior Research Group Leader, Ondřej Slabý Research Group

Contact Information

Office:

Bldg. B06/209, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno

Phone:

+420 549 491 331

Email:

oslaby@med.muni.cz

Selected Publications

Vychytilova-Faltejskova P, Merhautova J, Machackova T, Gutierrez-Garcia I, Garcia-Solano J, Radova L, Brchnelova D, Slaba K, Svoboda M, Halamkova J, Demlova R, Kiss I, Vyzula R, Conesa-Zamora P, Slaby O. MiR-215-5p is a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer targeting EGFR ligand epiregulin and its transcriptional inducer HOXB9. Oncogenesis. 2017;6(11):399. DOI: 10.1038/s41389-017-0006-6
Chen B, Dragomir MP, Fabris L, Bayraktar R, Knutsen E, Liu X, Tang C, Li Y, Shimura T, Ivkovic TC, De Los Santos MC, Anfossi S, Shimizu M, Shah MY, Ling H, Shen P, Multani AS, Pardini B, Burks JK, Katayama H, Reineke LC, Huo L, Syed M, Song S, Ferracin M, Oki E, Fromm B, Ivan C, Bhuvaneshwar K, Gusev Y, Mimori K, Menter D, Sen S, Matsuyama T, Uetake H, Vasilescu C, Kopetz S, Parker-Thornburg J, Taguchi A, Hanash SM, Girnita L, Slaby O, Goel A, Varani G, Gagea M, Li C, Ajani JA, Calin GA. The Long Noncoding RNA CCAT2 Induces Chromosomal Instability Through BOP1-AURKB Signaling. Gastroenterology. 2020;159(6):2146-2162.e33. DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.08.018
Liu I, Jiang L, Samuelsson ER, Marco Salas S, Beck A, Hack OA, Jeong D, Shaw ML, Englinger B, LaBelle J, Mire HM, Madlener S, Mayr L, Quezada MA, Trissal M, Panditharatna E, Ernst KJ, Vogelzang J, Gatesman TA, Halbert ME, Palova H, Pokorna P, Sterba J, Slaby O, Geyeregger R, Diaz A, Findlay IJ, Dun MD, Resnick A, Suvà ML, Jones DTW, Agnihotri S, Svedlund J, Koschmann C, Haberler C, Czech T, Slavc I, Cotter JA, Ligon KL, Alexandrescu S, Yung WKA, Arrillaga-Romany I, Gojo J, Monje M, Nilsson M, Filbin MG. The landscape of tumor cell states and spatial organization in H3-K27M mutant diffuse midline glioma across age and location. Nat Genet. 2022;54(12):1881-1894. DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01236-3
Palova H, Das A, Pokorna P, Bajciova V, Pavelka Z, Jezova M, Pal K, Dimayacyac JR, Negm L, Stengs L, Bianchi V, Vejmelkova K, Noskova K, Jarosova M, Mejstrikova S, Mudry P, Kyr M, Merta T, Tinka P, Drabova K, Aulicka S, Jugas R, Tabori U, Slaby O, Sterba J. Precision immuno-oncology approach for four malignant tumors in siblings with constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2024;8(1):110. DOI: 10.1038/s41698-024-00597-8
Pokorna P, Palova H, Adamcova S, Jugas R, Al Tukmachi D, Kyr M, Knoflickova D, Kozelkova K, Bystry V, Mejstrikova S, Merta T, Trachtova K, Podlipna E, Mudry P, Pavelka Z, Bajciova V, Tinka P, Jarosova M, Ivkovic TC, Madlener S, Pal K, Stepien N, Mayr L, Tichy B, Drabova K, Jezova M, Kozakova S, Vanackova J, Radova L, Steininger K, Haberler C, Gojo J, Sterba J, Slaby O. Real-world performance of integrative clinical genomics in pediatric precision oncology. Lab Invest. 2024:102161. DOI: 10.1016/j.labinv.2024.102161

Patents

Method of diagnosis of colorectal cancer (Patent No: EP3431609B1) | Inventor: Ondřej Slabý, Petra Vychytilová, and Marek Svoboda | Patent Agency: European Patent Office
大腸癌の診断方法 (Patent No: JP6989863B2) | Inventor: Ondřej Slabý, Petra Vychytilová, Marek Svoboda, and Milana Šachlová | Patent Agency: Japanese Patent Office
Methods for treating degenerative disc disease and chronic lower back pain (Patent No: US 10,966,997 B2) | Inventor: Ondrej Slaby and Manu Capoor | Patent Agency: US Patent and Trademark Office
Non-invasive successfulness test of in-vitro fertilization process (Patent No: US20230257809A1) | Inventor: Miroslava Rabajdova, Ondrej Slaby, Katarina Soltys, Maria Marekova, Silvia Toporcerova | Patent Agency: US Patent and Trademark Office
Methods for detecting and treating of low-virulence infections (Patent No: EP3325624B1) | Inventor: Ondrej Slaby and Manu Capoor | Patent Agency: European Patent Office

Grant Projects

Scanning the liquids Of pediatric brain tUmor patients to Personalize treatment (144430) | prof. MUDr. Jaroslav Štěrba, Ph.D., Faculty of Medicine | Project Period: 1/2025 — 12/2028 | Investor: Ostatní - foreign / Other foreign funds
Identifikace biomarkerů umožňujících odhad rizika a individualizaci léčby dětských pacientů s juvenilní a adolescentní idiopatickou skoliózou pomocí analýzy časových změn biochemických a molekulárních ukazatelů (NU21-08-00521) | prof. MUDr. Martin Repko, Ph.D., Faculty of Medicine | Project Period: 5/2021 — 12/2025 | Investor: Ministry of Health of the CR / Ministry of Health Research Programme 2020 - 2026
Study on microbial dysbiosis and microRNA deregulation as a basis of the therapy individualization in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (NU21-07-00285) | doc. MUDr. Petr Jabandžiev, Ph.D., Faculty of Medicine | Project Period: 5/2021 — 12/2024 | Investor: Ministry of Health of the CR / Ministry of Health Research Programme 2020 - 2026
Excellence in research and development of non-coding RNA DIAGnostics in ONcology (824036) | prof. RNDr. Ondřej Slabý, Ph.D., Central European Institute of Technology | Project Period: 2/2019 — 7/2024 | Investor: European Union / Horizon 2020

Collaboration

MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, Texas, US) - prof. George A. Calin, MD, PhD
University of Ferrara (Italy) - prof. Massimo Negrini, PhD
Medical University of Graz (Austria) - Assoc. Prof. Martin Pichler, MD, PhD
Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope (California, US) - prof. Ajay Goel, PhD, AGAF
Charité University Hospital (Berlin, Germany) - prof. Klaus Jung, PhD
Laboratory of Bacterial Pahogenesis and Immunology, Rockefeller University (NY, US) - prof. Vincent Fischetti, PhD
Collaboration with Czech and ESFRI infrastructures - National Institute for Cancer Research (project funded from program EXCELES), collaboration within NICR

Alumni

Nithyananda Thorenoor, postdoc 2014‐2015 (Next position: Postdoc, Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine, United States)
Hana Mlčochová, PhD student 2012‐2016 (Next position: Postdoc, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford, UK)
Andrej Bešše, Master's degree program, 2012‐2013 (Next position: PhD student, University of Zurich (UZH), Switzerland)
Renata Kleinová, Master's degree program, 2015‐2016 (Next position: PhD student, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Vienna)
Dominika Brchnelová, Bachelor's and Master's degree program, 2016‐2019 (Next position: PhD student, Lubor Borsig's Lab, University of Zurich (UZH), Switzerland)
Tina Catela Ivkovic, postdoc, 2019-2022 (Next position: Associate Researcher, Centre for Translational Genomics, Lund University, Sweden)