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PROGRAMME AND ABSTRACT BOOK
I NV I T ED GUE S T S
Petra Hamerlik, Ph.D.
Petra Hamerlik obtained her M.Sc. degree in molecular biology from the Komensky
University in Bratislava (2005), and a Ph.D. degree in medical biology from the Palacky
University in Olomouc (2008). After her postdoctoral studies in Genome Integrity Unit
headed by prof. Bartek at the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen, Denmark (2008–2012);
she has been appointed a junior group leader in 2012 at the same institution. The research in
Brain Tumor Biology Group headed by Dr. Hamerlik is primarily focused on the biology and
therapeutic resistance of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM; WHO grade IV astrocytoma), which
remains one of the most lethal tumors with median patient survival of only approximately
15 months. So far, Dr. Hamerlik’s research led to identification of autocrine VEGFR2 signaling
as a factor in GBM radioresistance (Cell Cycle, 2008) and confirmed the key function of
VEGFR2/NRP1 complex in glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) maintenance and GBM progression
(JEM, 2012). Recently, dr. Hamerlik’s collaborative efforts have shown that therapeutic
targeting of constitutive PARP activation compromises GSC’s phenotype and survival (Cell
Death and Diff., 2013), thereby opening new revenue for treatment of this deadly disease.
Zuzana Kolkova, M.D., Ph.D.
Zuzana works as a resident fellow at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Skåne
University Hospital in Lund. Supervised by Prof. Casslén and Prof. Hansson, she has recently
received her Ph.D. degree from the Institute of Clinical Sciences at Lund University. Her thesis
focuses on a novel estrogen receptor, GPER, and its expression as well as distribution across
tissues of the female genital tract. In parallel to the preclinical research she is interested
in developing her skills in gynecologic surgery. In upcoming studies she will investigate
biomarkers for ovarian and endometrial cancer.
