Jiri Adamec, PhD


 

Jiri Adamec, PhD  Jiri Adamec, PhD
Department of Biochemistry
N151 Beadle Center
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-0664

Email:
jadamec2@unl.edu
Office: (402) 472-7369
Lab: (402) 472-7342
Fax: (402) 472-7842

 

Research Interest

Our current research interests are equally distributed between:

  1. Developing cutting edge technologies that focus on proteomic and metabolomic approaches to Systems Biology 
     
  2. Applying developed technologies to biological problems involving recognition and identification of molecular entities leading the response of cells and organs to stress from the environment and disease.

A major component of these activities is the identification of oxidative stress and cancer biomarkers and their use in elucidating cellular and organ response mechanisms. Although biological markers of oxidative stress have been described in disorders ranging from Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson disease, and Friedreich ataxia to cancer and diabetes mellitus, the molecular mechanism of stress propagation and stage(s) at which the phenomenon is most relevant remain unclear. The majority of current studies focus on post-activation stages and overlook initial steps that lead to this process. We have hypothesized that at early stages of response a small number of "stressor specific" molecules are altered in either concentration or structure, resulting in activation of a specific stress defense response that prevents irreversible damage and cellular malfunction. If molecular damage reaches this "no return" point at which the cell cannot defend itself, injury is exponentially extended into a large number of biomolecules. This in turn triggers a general apoptotic pathway leading to the cell death. To test this hypothesis we have developed an integrated "OMICS"approaches that allow us to identify specific molecular pathways and establish a temporal and spatial model of cellular response to various forms of oxidative stress as a function of time of exposure.