24. 11. 2025
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Molecular biologist Martin Andrš has been awarded the prestigious five-year GAČR JUNIOR STAR grant (provided by the Czech Science Foundation) for a project focused on the study of R-loops and replication stress – processes that arise during conflicts between DNA reading (transcription) and copying (replication) and which may play a significant role in the onset and development of cancer. At the same time, he is establishing a new Department of Genome Biology at the IEM CAS and will lead his own research group.
His research will focus on answering the following questions:
- What role does oxidative stress play in the emergence of conflicts between DNA transcription and replication?
- How do R-loops arise, and why can they stop DNA replication?
- How does a cell respond to a problem during DNA replication?
- How do these processes affect tumour behaviour, especially in a hypoxic (low oxygen) environment?
The research is based on state-of-the-art methodologies, including next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS), multi-omic analyses, and advanced microscopic techniques.
Why is this important? A better understanding of these phenomena may reveal new weaknesses in cancer cells, which could lead to the development of more effective and gentler anticancer therapies in the future.
Department of Genome Biology
The newly established department will focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms that ensure genome integrity, i.e., the DNA stability necessary for proper cell function and disease prevention. The primary research objective is to explain how unscheduled conflicts between DNA replication and transcription, associated with R-loop formation, act as major sources of DNA replication stress in both cancerous and non-cancerous cellular environments, and how cells defend against such events. The research team will use 2D and 3D cellular models and a wide range of methods, from classical molecular biology to specialised techniques for measuring replication dynamics and DNA damage (e.g., DNA fibre spreading and high-throughput microscopy).