Materials for Diagnostics and Biotechnological Processes

Ing. Daniel Horák, CSc. — Project head

About us

Within the program of materials for diagnostics and biotechnology processes, we focus on the design, synthesis and characterization of regular spherical polymer materials, such as composite particles, combining a synthetic or a natural polymer and an inorganic component.

Our interest shifts to magnetic and/or upconverting nanoparticles, which are recently much in demand. Using a magnet, such particles are easily separated from media containing various heterogeneous components or targeted to the desired place, where they release a payload (drug). Preferably, they are used in biochemistry for isolation of enzymes, proteins and cells, labeling of cells and their monitoring by magnetic resonance imaging after transplantation, as well as for removal of toxic inorganic ions from waste water. Magnetic components, such as iron oxides (magnetite, maghemite, ferrites), are completely encapsulated by polymers to avoid adverse interactions.

Moreover, for separation or drug delivery purposes, polymer composite particles containing chemical functional groups are prepared. Upconverting particles then emit UV-vis light after near infrared irradiation to activate a photosensitizer and produce singlet oxygen to kill cancer cells in so called photodynamic therapy. If the particles are radiolabeled, they are suitable for multimodal PET or SPECT/CT imaging of living tissues. We are also engaged in the development of bidodegradable 3-D scaffolds for cell cultures.

Publications

2018

Zasońska B.A., Hlídková H., Petrovský E., Myronovskij S., Nehrych T., Negrych N., Shorobura M., Antonyuk V., Stoika R., Kit Y., Horák D., Monodisperse magnetic poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microspheres for isolation and determination of blood serum immunoglobulins with affinity to short form of unconventional Myo1C, Microchim. Acta 185, 262 (2018).

Šálek P., Horák D., Hromádková J., Novel preparation of monodisperse poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) microspheres by controlled dispersion polymerization, Polym. Sci., Ser. B 60, 9–15 (2018).

W. X. Siow, Y.-T. Chang, M. Babič, Y.-C. Lu, D. Horák, Y.-H. Ma, Interaction of poly-L-lysine coating and heparan sulfate proteoglycan on magnetic nanoparticle uptake by tumor cells, International Journal of Nanomedicine. 13, 1693-1706 (2018)

M. Moskvin, M. Babič, S. Reis, M. M. Cruz, L. P. Ferreira, M. Deus Carvalho, S. A. Costa Lima, D. Horák, Biological evaluation of surface-modified magnetic nanoparticles as a platform for colon cancer cell theranostics, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces. 161, 35-41 (2018).

2017

Horák D., Hlídková H., Klyuchivska O., Grytsyna I., Stoika R., PEGylation controls attachment and engulfment of monodisperse magnetic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) microspheres by murine J774.2 macrophages, Appl. Surf. Sci. 426, 315–324 (2017).

Horák D., Beneš M., Procházková Z., Trchová M., Borysov A., Pastukhov A., Paliienko K., Borisova T., Effect of O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin-modified nanoparticles on the uptake and extracellular level of L-glutamate in brain nerve terminals, Colloids Surf. B: Biointerfaces 149, 64–71 (2017).

2016

Zasonska B.A., Bober P., Jošt P., Petrovský E., Boštík P., Horák D., Magnetoconductive maghemite core/polyaniline shell nanoparticles as promising tools for biomedical applications, Colloids Surf. B Biointerfaces 141, 382-389 (2016).

Moskvin M., Horák D., Carbohydrate-modified magnetic nanoparticles for radical scavenging, Physiological Res. 65 Suppl. 2, S243-S252 (2016).

Macková H., Kubinová Š., Plichta Z., Proks V., Kotelnikov I., Jiráková K., Kučka J., Hlídková H., Horák D., RGDS- and SIKVAVS-modified superporous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) scaffolds for tissue engineering applications, Macromol. Biosci. 16, 1621−1631 (2016).

Patsula V., Kosinová L., Lovrić M., Ferhatovic L., Rabyk M., Konefal R., Paruzel A., Šlouf M., Herynek V., Gajovič S., Horák D., Superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles: Synthesis by thermal decomposition of iron(III) glucuronate and application in magnetic resonance imaging, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 8, 7238-47 (2016).

2015

Zasonská B., Čadková M., Kovářová A., Bílková Z., Korecká L., Horák D., Thionin-modified poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanospheres as label of antibodies for biosensing applications, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 7, 24926–24931 (2015).

Koubková J., Macková H., Proks V., Trchová M., Brus J., Horák D., RAFT of sulfobetaine for modification of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microspheres to reduce nonspecific protein adsorption, J. Polym. Sci. A: Polym. Chem. 53, 2273–2284 (2015).