معرفی
Jiri Bartek is a Senior Professor at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, where he leads a research group focused on DNA damage response (DDR) mechanisms and genome integrity. His work bridges basic molecular biology with translational cancer research, investigating how cells maintain genomic stability under genotoxic stress and how dysregulation of these processes contributes to cancer development and treatment resistance.
His research interests span DNA repair pathways, replication stress, chromosomal instability, cellular senescence, and ribosome biogenesis. Bartek's laboratory has made significant contributions to understanding how the cell cycle checkpoints, particularly those involving p53 and related pathways, respond to DNA damage. His work has revealed novel mechanisms connecting ribosome biogenesis stress to p53 activation and cancer vulnerability, with implications for developing new therapeutic strategies.
Analysis of his recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a strong focus on the intersection of DNA damage response, chromosomal instability, and cancer therapy. His group is particularly investigating how ribosomal DNA damage triggers specific cellular responses, the role of replication stress in tumor evolution, and identifying novel therapeutic targets based on DNA repair deficiencies in cancer cells. A notable theme is the exploration of drug repurposing opportunities, particularly with compounds like disulfiram that target specific vulnerabilities in cancer cells.
- Fernström Foundation's Great Nordic Prize (2016)
- Silver Medal of Merits from the Czech Senate (2013)
- Elected member of the Danish Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts (2012)
- Novo Nordisk Prize (2003)
- Elected member of EMBO (2000)
Bartek has mentored numerous researchers who have gone on to establish independent careers, including Jirina Bartkova, Bennie Lemmens, and Mikael Lindstrom. His group has secured substantial funding for research on DNA damage response mechanisms and their implications for cancer therapy, including several clinical trials investigating repurposed drugs like disulfiram for glioblastoma treatment. The DIRECT trial (Disulfiram Repurposing In Combination with copper for recurrent glioblastoma Treatment) represents a significant translational effort from his laboratory.
His research group maintains strong collaborations with clinical departments at Karolinska University Hospital and international research institutions, facilitating the translation of basic discoveries into clinical applications. The laboratory combines advanced molecular biology techniques with high-throughput screening approaches to identify novel targets and therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.
