Jan Vacek

Curriculum vitae

Jan VACEK, Prof. Ing. Ph.D. FRSC

  • born: 12/07/1981 in Dacice, Jindrichuv Hradec (Czech Republic)
  • permanent address: I.P. Pavlova 24, Olomouc CZ-779 00
  • e-mail: jan.vacek@upol.cz, tel: +420 585 632 303

 

Education Activities and Position:

J.V. is a professor of medical chemistry and biochemistry, and a lecturer and supervisor for undergraduate and Ph.D. students at the Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Palacky University, Czech Republic. He started his academic carrier 15 years ago.

 

Research Topics:

  • redox biochemistry, bioelectrochemistry and biophysical methods for nucleic acids and protein research
  • sensors and microelectronics for the study of DNA- and protein-drug interactions
  • functional polymers and the development of new microelectrode-based approaches

 

Main Discoveries and Technological Improvements:

  • In 2007-2009, J.V. constructed new types of hybrid extractors, which were subsequently used for the screening of bioactive constituents in cyanobacterial and algal biomass. Using newly developed extraction approaches, J.V and his colleagues for the first time identified simple phenolics and hydroxybenzaldehydes, important precursors for many more complex bioactive constituents, in cyanobacteria and algae (J. Chromatogr. A, 1216, 763 –771, 2009).
  • In 2011-2013, J.V’s group for the first time reported a protocol for measuring the intrinsic electroactivity of membrane proteins, which opened up new methodological possibilities in the research of structural changes and biomolecular interactions of poorly water-soluble proteins in general (Electrochem. Commun., 27, 104–107, 2013).
  • In 2012-2015, J.V. coordinated a development team that constructed a new type of electrochemical LabFlow® instrument and software equipment for advanced microfluidic and microanalytical applications. The technology is based on carbon-fibre microsensors (RSC Adv. 5, 31245–31249, 2015) and has been patented and introduced to the market together with a broad spectrum of commercial partners (http://www.microdialysis.eu).
  • In 2012-2018, J.V’s group prepared advanced functional components, i.e. polymers and semi-conductive thin layers, for applications in biosensing platforms and organic molecular electronics (Chem. Eur. J. 21, 2343-2347, 2015).
  • From 2018, J.V. is focused on the study of electrophilic fatty acids and their physico-chemical characterisation (Redox Biol. 24, 101213, 2019). The research on nanostructured lipid systems was also established together with pre/clinical testing of cannabinoid preparations.
  • Recent papers, 2024: P. Jirasek et al. Phytocannabinoids and gingival inflammation: Preclinical findings and a placebo-controlled double-blind randomized clinical trial with cannabidiol, J. Periodontol. Res. DOI: 10.1111/jre.13234 (in press); F. Fadaei et al., Local and cooperative structural transitions of double-stranded DNA in choline-based deep eutectic solvents, Int. J. Biol. Macromol., 256, 128443, 2024

 

History:

  • 1997-2001 – secondary school (Secondary technical school of chemistry in Brno)
  • 2001-2005 – undergraduate study (Mendel university in Brno)
  • 2005-2009 – Ph.D. study (Masaryk university in Brno)
  • 2005-2009 – research position (Institute of Biophysics ASCR in Brno)
  • 2009-2013 – assistant professor (Palacky University in Olomouc)
  • 2013-2018 – associate professor (Palacky University in Olomouc)
  • from 2018 – full professor (Palacky University in Olomouc)
  • from 2023 – deputy head, at the Dep. Med. Chem. Biochem. (Palacky University in Olomouc)

 

Membership:

J.V. is a member of the International Society of Electrochemistry, Bioelectrochemical Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Society for Redox Biology & Medicine, Czech Chemical Society, Czech Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Czech Society of Clinical Biochemistry.

Research Fellowships:

University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, 2008, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China, 2011, University in Limoges, France, 2012; and short-term scientific missions in (2013-2024): Israel, Turky, Serbia, Poland, France and USA.


Publications:

  • J.V. is the author or co-author of 155 regular papers,
  • with more than 4,000 citations (Scopus),
  • more than 150 presentations at scientific conferences,
  • H-index 36.

 

Books:

  • J. Storch, J. Žádný, V. Církva, M. Jakubec, J. Hrbáč, J. Vacek: The Photochemical Approach to Helicenes: Helicenes: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications (Ed. by Jeanne Crassous), Wiley, 2022, DOI:10.1002/9783527829415
  • J. Vacek, B. Klejdus: Chromatography in the Research of Phenolic Secondary Metabolites, In: Chromatography Types, Techniques and Methods (Ed.: T. J. Quintin), p. 323-345, Nova science Publishers, Inc. (ISBN: 978-1-60876-316-0), New York, 2010
  • N. Cibicek, J. Vacek (Eds.): Principles and Applications of Analytical Methods in Laboratory Medicine, Palacky University (ISBN: 978-80-244-3951-8), Olomouc, 2014 (reedition 2020); in Czech.
  • J. Vacek, V. Ostatná: Bioelectrochemistry, Palacky University (ISBN: 978-80-244-5763-5), Olomouc, 2020; in Czech.

 

Grant Projects (J.V. as principal investigator):

  • Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, No. 1468/2007
  • The Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, No. P503/11/P312
  • Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, No. FR-TI4/457
  • The Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, No. 14-08032S
  • European Cooperation in Science and Technology, EU COST Action BM1203 EU-ROS,  COST Action CM1206 EXIL and COST Action CA15135 MuTaLig (J.V. as MC member)
  • Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, project No. LD14033
  • OPPIK III Aplikace (2018-2020), CZ.01.1.02/0.0/0.0/16_084/0010374

 

Actual COST Interanational Cooperation (J.V. as MC member):

  • COST Action CA15135, Multi-target paradigm for innovative ligand identification in the drug discovery process (MuTaLig), http://www.mutalig.eu
  • COST Action CA16113, CliniMARK: ‘good biomarker practice’ to increase the number of clinically validated biomarkers, http://www.cost.eu
 

Current International Collaborations:

Milos Mojovic, Univ. Belgrade (Serbia): EPR techniques

Bruce Freeman, Univ. Pittsburgh (USA): Biochemistry of electrophiles

Renata Bilewicz, Univ. Warsaw (Poland): Electrochemistry of lipidic systems

Patrick Trouillas, Univ. Limoges (France): DFT calculations, lipid membrane dynamics

Jeanne Crassous, Univ. Rennes 1 (France): CD spectroscopy in solid state

Lukasz Loltorak, Univ. Lodz (Poland):  ITIES electrochemistry

Barbara Rossi, Elettra - Sincrotrone (Italy): UVRR spectroscopy

Ana Brett, Univ. Coimbra (Portugal): Electrochemistry, anodic reactions

Andreas Tzakosz, Univ. Ioannina (Greece): Protein NMR

Soner Dogan, Univ. Yeditepe (Turky): Biochemistry in vivo

Slawek Sek, Univ. Warsaw (Poland): Lipid membranes imaging, peptides

 

Awards:

Elsevier award for most cited paper – top 10 (JPBA) 2012. Participation Award of the 63rd Meeting of Nobel Prize Winners in Chemistry, Lindau, 2013. Palacky University Career Award, 2013. Early Career Analytical Electrochemistry Prize of the International Society of Electrochemistry, 2014. Best Educational Material Prize, Czech Society of Clinical Biochemistry, 2015. Metrohm Prize 2016 for young electroanalytical chemists, 2016. Palacky University Career Award, 2019. Rector's Certificate of Merit for Publications, 2021.

 

Teaching Activities:

J.V. is the guarantor and lecturer of Medical Chemistry for Czech and international dentistry students, and tutorial lecturer of Biochemistry for international general medicine students. From 2015, J.V. is also member of the doctoral committee for Ph.D.s in Medicinal chemistry and clinical biochemistry at Palacky University. J.V. is a supervisor for Ph.D. student and bachelor’s students.

 

Patents:

PV 2012-266, 2012-222, 2014-30507, 2015-249, 2021-369. Recently applied patents: PV 2021-114.

 

Last Invited Presentations:

  • J.V. was invited as speaker to 23rd Joint meeting of Biophysical Chemists and Electrochemists 2023, J. Heyrovský Institute, Prague, Czech Republic.
  • J.V. was invited as keynote speaker to 4th European BioSensor Symposium 2023, Aachen, Germany.
  • J.V. was invited as keynote speaker to 18th International Conference on Electroanalysis ESEAC 2020/2022, Vilnius, Lithuania.
  • J.V. was invited as speaker to XXVI. Annual Congress of Czech and Slovak Societies for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with cooperation of Austrian and German Biochemical Section Supported by the FEBS3+ Meeting programme, České Budějovice, Czech Republic, August 29th-September 1st, 2021.
  • J.V. was invited as plenary speaker to the XVII. Workshop of Physical Chemists and Electrochemists 2017 (Czech Republic) and as invited speaker to the XXV. Annual Meeting of the Czech Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2016).
  • J.V. was invited as invaited and keynote speaker to the 8th Annual World Protein & Peptide Conference 2015 (China) and to the 66th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry (Taiwan), respectively.
  • J.V. was also invited as a chairman to the Bioelectrochemistry 2013 ISE meeting in Bochum (Germany) and the 66th Annual Meeting of ISE 2015 (Taiwan).