Dr. Petr Cejka

Biography

Petr Cejka received his Master's degree in 2000 from Charles University in Prague and completed his PhD in 2004 at the University of Zurich, where he studied with Prof. Josef Jiricny. His research focuses on the DNA mismatch repair system in human cells, which plays a critical role in mediating sensitivity to DNA methylating agents used in anti-cancer therapy. Following his doctoral studies, he undertook a postdoctoral fellowship with the Swiss National Science Foundation in the laboratory of Prof. Stephen Kowalczykowski at the University of California, Davis, which provided him with extensive training in protein biochemistry and contributed to the understanding of homologous recombination. In 2011, he was awarded an Assistant Professorship and returned to the University of Zurich as an independent researcher, later moving to the Institute of Research in Biomedicine at USI in 2016 as an Associate Professor. His laboratory investigates how cells repair broken DNA, with a specific focus on the homologous recombination pathway, which is fundamental in maintaining genomic stability. Throughout his career, Prof. Cejka has been recognized with prestigious awards including the Dr. Ernst Th. Jucker Award in 2015 and the Friedrich Miescher Award in 2017. His research has advanced understanding of DNA repair mechanisms and their implications in cancer biology, and he has received grants from the European Research Council for his pioneering work in this area.

Research Interests