Prof. Bozdech, Zbynek
My research involves systems biology approaches to infectious diseases with a special focus on the human malaria parasites, Plasmodium species. Over the last two decades, we have explored various features of Plasmodium transcriptomics, including its complex life cycle, as well as transcriptional responses and variations in response to external stresses, including drug resistance. The latter involves studies of malaria resistance to current frontline chemotherapy, artemisinin, which is now compromising all worldwide malaria control strategies and, as such, posing a major threat to global health. Responding to this challenge, we also contribute to international efforts in novel antimalarial drug discovery, utilizing our expertise in malaria parasite system biology. Here, we explore advanced techniques of transcriptomics and proteomics for identifications of antimalarial drug targets and other aspects of their modes of action (MOA). The latter involves techniques of Thermal Protein Profiling (TPP), which we were the first to apply to malaria as one of the most advanced methods in microbial drug target discoveries. With our expertise in omics approaches, we interrogate a multitude of key clinical aspects of malaria and other infectious pathogens, including drug resistance, immune evasion, and zoonosis, that are driven by the unique patterns of the pathogen’s evolution.
Research Areas
Malaria, Systems biology, Transcriptomics, Proteomics, Plasmodium falciparum
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- Tripathi, J., Stoklasa, M., Nayak, S., En Low, K., Lee, E.Q.H., Duong Tien, Q.H., Renia, L., Malleret, B., and Bozdech, Z. “The Artemisinin‑Induced Dormant Stages of Plasmodium falciparum Exhibit Hallmarks of Cellular Quiescence/Senescence and Drug Resilience.” Nature Communications 15 (2024): 7485. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51846-0
- Nayak, S., Peto, T.J., Kucharski, M., Tripura, R., Callery, J.J., Quang Huy, D.T., Gendrot, M., Lek, D., Nghia, H.D.T., van der Pluijm, R.W., Dong, N., Long, L.T., Vongpromek, R., Rekol, H., Hoang Chau, N., Miotto, O., Mukaka, M., Dhorda, M., von Seidlein, L., Imwong, M., Roca, X., Day, N.P.J., White, N.J., Dondorp, A.M., and Bozdech, Z. “Population Genomics and Transcriptomics of Plasmodium falciparum in Cambodia and Vietnam Uncover Key Components of the Artemisinin Resistance Genetic Background.” Nature Communications 15 (2024): 10625. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54915-6
- Tripathi, J., Zhu, L., Nayak, S., Stoklasa, M., and Bozdech, Z. “Stochastic Expression of Invasion Genes in Plasmodium falciparum Schizonts.” Nature Communications 13 (2022): 3004. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30605-z
- Dziekan, J.M., Yu, H., Chen, D., Dai, L., Wirjanata, G., Larsson, A., Prabhu, N., Sobota, R.M., Bozdech, Z., and Nordlund, P. “Identifying Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase as the Target of Quinine Using Cellular Thermal Shift Assay.” Science Translational Medicine 11 (2019): eaau3174. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aau3174
- Mok, S., Ashley, E.A., Ferreira, P.E., Zhu, L., Lin, Z., Yeo, T., Chotivanich, K., Imwong, M., Pukrittayakamee, S., Dhorda, M., Nguon, C., Lim, P., Amaratunga, C., Suon, S., Hien, T.T., Htut, Y., Faiz, M.A., Onyamboko, M.A., Mayxay, M., Newton, P.N., Tripura, R., Woodrow, C.J., Miotto, O., Kwiatkowski, D.P., Nosten, F., Day, N.P., Preiser, P.R., White, N.J., Dondorp, A.M., Fairhurst, R.M., and Bozdech, Z. “Drug Resistance. Population Transcriptomics of Human Malaria Parasites Reveals the Mechanism of Artemisinin Resistance.” Science 347 (2015): 431–435. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260403