Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Vision Research

Tomas Barta lab

26 Feb

Unraveling the Impact of High Glucose on the Retina: Insights from Human Retinal Organoids

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains a leading cause of vision loss worldwide, yet despite significant advancements in ophthalmology and diabetes research, there is still much to uncover about its early onset and progression. Traditionally viewed as a vascular disease, recent studies—including ours—suggest that neurodegeneration may occur even before vascular damage. But what exactly happens at a cellular and molecular level when the retina is exposed to high glucose?

5 Dec 2023

We attended ISSCR meeting "Elucidating Principles of Development with Stem Cells" in Vienna

Tereza Krivska, my bachelor (!!!) student presenting her data. And my PhD student Francisco Molina Gambin, presenting his BBS syndrome story at ISSCR meeting "Elucidating Principles of Development with Stem Cells" in Vienna in Hofburg

30 Nov 2023

Illuminating the mechanism and allosteric behavior of NanoLuc luciferase

Grateful to see our small contribution to the big story "Illuminating the mechanism and allosteric behavior of NanoLuc luciferase" published in Nature Communications today! @Science_MEDMUNI @sci_muni. Congrats to Loschmidt Laboratories and all the authors!

18 Oct 2023

We attended Organoids: modelling organ development and disease in 3D culture organized by EMBO

On our way to #EESOrgan Check posters from my group #74, #94, and #174. Canan (poster #74) will have a flash talk on 19th Oct

@ 16:30

Modelling Vision in a Dish

Research interests

Our research is primarily focused on human pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells have the unique capability to differentiate into the three primary germ cell layers and therefore potentially to produce any cell or tissue of the body. Like all stem cells, pluripotent stem cells are able to self-renew, representing a theoretically unlimited source of cells. Our group uses induced pluripotent stem cells derived from skin fibroblasts cells. We use commercially available fibroblasts and reprogram them into pluripotent state.

What do we study:

Molecular mechanisms underlying cell fate switch during reprogramming with special focus on non-coding microRNA molecules.
Molecular mechanisms of differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into retinal tissues.
How light irradiation regulates development of human retina
How light irradiation regulates circadian rhythms/molecular clock pathways

State-of-the-art Methods

In our research group, we employ cutting-edge techniques such as light sheet microscopy, advanced imaging systems (in collaboration with The Core Facility Cellular Imaging (CELLIM) CEITEC), and single-cell RNA sequencing (in collaboration with The Core Facility Genomics (CFG) CEITEC) to study the complexities of cellular biology. Light sheet microscopy allows us to image living cells in 3D with minimal damage, providing dynamic insights into cellular processes. Single-cell RNA sequencing offers unparalleled resolution in understanding gene expression at the individual cell level, revealing the heterogeneity and interactions within cellular populations. Together, these advanced methods enable us to push the boundaries of biological research, uncovering new facets of cell behavior and function.