Helena Fulková

Helena Fulková. Ph.D. graduated from the Faculty of Science, Charles University, and completed internships at leading scientific institutions (Clinical Sciences Research Institute, Great Britain; Tokyo University, Japan; RIKEN BioResource Center, Japan). Since 2020, she has been the head of the Department of Cell Nucleus Plasticity at the Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, which focuses on early embryogenesis and the developmental transition from the oocyte to the embryo.

Our team is dedicated to researching early mammalian embryogenesis and changes in cell nuclear plasticity, i.e., processes that accompany differentiation and dedifferentiation. These cellular transitions are associated with a significant change in nuclear morphology and epigenetic chromatin remodeling. Our research aims to clarify the role of individual nuclear components and the function of specific subnuclear structures in these processes. Currently, the department focuses, among other things, on the mechanisms of parental genome remodeling after fertilization and the effect of single-stranded DNA damage on embryonic development.

As part of the Future ART project, the department is involved in research on nuclear and epigenetic mechanisms that influence the developmental potential of female germ cells and early embryos during in vitro culture. Specifically, it is involved in the development of new micromanipulation methods for the transfer of genetic material and in improving laboratory conditions for the culture of oocytes and embryos. The aim is to increase the likelihood that cells develop correctly after these procedures, without DNA damage or chromosome disorders, and thus support the creation of viable embryos in assisted reproduction.