Kateřina is a PhD candidate in Biomedicine at ZeClinics, SL and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, specialising in heart regeneration using zebrafish as a model organism. During her PhD, she developed a novel, automated platform for studying heart regeneration, with a focus on the role of primary cilia in the regenerative process. She has also contributed to understanding the mode of action of a novel drug target and first-in-class drug for heart regeneration both in vitro and in vivo. She has gained multidisciplinary expertise in advanced imaging, genetic manipulation, proteomics, and drug discovery. Passionate about science dissemination and communication, Kateřina has presented her research at numerous conferences and meetings during her PhD, and participated in flash talk competitions.

I will deposit my thesis September 30 2024, and expect to obtain my PhD degree in Biomedicine from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, by the end of November 2024. I am excited to be nearing the completion of my PhD, and I am actively seeking postdoctoral positions that allow me to continue exploring the fields of regeneration or cilia biology, with a preference for research involving zebrafish.

What does Katka say about our program?
My experience as an MSCA fellow in the SCilS consortium was brilliant. The science within the consortium was of exceptional quality, and I truly valued the collaborative environment, with frequent opportunities to engage with other fellows during secondments, meetings, and conferences. The experience has been invaluable for my career, helping me develop as an independent scientist and as a person. I also formed lasting friendships along the way. I would highly recommend applying to the program to anyone who is considering it - it has been a significant and rewarding part of my professional journey.

Abstract
The zebrafish, in combination with state-of-the-art genetic tools such as CRIPSR/Cas9, has emerged  recently as an extremely powerful model that allows for high-throughput research leading to the  understanding of complex diseases in the context of the entire organism. As the zebrafish is a  vertebrate model, possessing functional orthologs of roughly 80% of human disease-causing genes,  human disease modelling and drug discovery can be performed in the zebrafish with advantage.  

In this research project, CRISPR/Cas9 will be used to generate ciliopathy disease models in the  zebrafish, based on human multi-omics data provided by both the human genetics partners of the  ITN project and published literature. These models will then be characterized phenotypically in the  context of heart, central nervous system, eye, and kidney physiology, as these are the tissues most  often associated with ciliopathies. A special emphasis will be put on untangling the relationship  between primary cilia and cardiac regeneration, as this is a yet insufficiently explored field with major  implications for human regenerative medicine.

We want you to understand!

Layman abstract:

Fixing a broken heart

I am setting up an automated platform for evaluating heart regeneration in fish. Fish and humans share a lot of our genes, but unlike humans, fish can repair their heart muscle after a heart attack. With this platform, I will be able to identify genes that improve or impair heart repair. The information I gather will allow me to look for drugs that target these genes, opening the doors for developing drugs that enhance heart regeneration in humans.

You can also watch a 55-sec video which Katka created to describe her research here: YOUTUBE or with others on our website here.