Patrick Hrdlicka

Patrick Hrdlicka is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry within the College of Science at the University of Idaho, with additional affiliations in the Initiative for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, and Office of Research and Economic Development.

His educational background includes a BSc (2000), MSc (2004), and PhD (2006) in Chemistry from the University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.

Professor Hrdlicka's research centers on nucleic acid chemistry, specializing in oligonucleotide-based probes for DNA/RNA targeting. His work pioneers Locked Nucleic Acids (LNA) and Invader probes for sequence-specific double-stranded DNA recognition, with applications in molecular diagnostics, therapeutics, and metabolomics. Key innovations include chemiluminescent assays, UV damage analysis in melanoma, and RNAi enhancement through modified siRNAs.

Analysis of his 2020-2025 publications reveals consistent focus on overcoming dsDNA targeting challenges through probe engineering (chimeric LNA-Invader systems, nicked probes, γPNA hybrids), metabolomic profiling, and elucidating DNA damage mechanisms in cancer. His work bridges fundamental biochemistry with diagnostic applications.

He directs the Hrdlicka Laboratory at the University of Idaho, which develops nucleic acid technologies for biomedical applications including SNP detection, pathogen identification, and gene silencing therapeutics.