ABOUT ME
In vitro methods currently provide great promise for rapid screening of toxicity of chemicals and in the field of regulatory toxicity are already the new toxicology standard for testing skin corrosion, irritation, phototoxicity and sensitisation.
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Main goal of my work is to reduce and replace animal-based methods used in toxicology and pharmacology by innovative, more reliable techniques and tools that modern science is offering these days.
RESEARCH INTEREST
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Tissue engineering for applied research
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In vitro assay development, optimization and validation​
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Topical toxicity testing in vitro - skin and eye toxicity, phototoxicity and skin sensitisation
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Risk and safety assessment of cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals
Hobbies: Music (piano and violin), painting, web-pages development
good music including classic, jazz, and oldies from '60-'70s
Click here to see papers
related to research projects
ACADEMIC DEGREES aND EDUCATION
2003 - 2006
FU Berlin, Germany
Dr.rer.nat (PhD)
Magna Cum Laude
PhD thesis supervised by Prof. Monika Schaefer-Korting (FU-Berlin) and
Dr. Manfred Liebsch (ZEBET at the BfR, Berlin).
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2001 - 2003
STU Bratislava, Slovakia
PhD Candidate
Alternative methods for safety evaluation of cosmetics
PhD thesis supervised by Assoc. Professor Jarmila Hojerova, PhD (FCHPT, STU Bratislava) and Assoc. Professor Sona Jantova, PhD (FCHPT, STU Bratislava).
PhD project defended with excellent evaluation, Final thesis not finished due to the relocation to Germany and start of new PhD at FU Berlin.
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1999 - 2001
STU Bratislava, Slovakia
MSc.
Stability of cosmetic emulsions containing UV filters.
Supervisor Assoc. Professor Jarmila Hojerova, PhD (FCHPT, STU Bratislava)
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1996 - 1999
STU Bratislava, Slovakia
BSc.
Alternative methods for the safety evaluation of cosmetics
Supervisor Assoc. Professor Jarmila Hojerova, PhD (FCHPT, STU Bratislava)
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PROFFESIONAL DEGREES
Academic Qualification Degree (IIA) - equivalent to Associate professor
Slovak Academy of Science [ 2019 – Current ]
Address: Dubravska cesta 9, 841 04 Bratislava (Slovakia)
http://cem.sav.sk/index.php/en/cem/
European Registered Toxicologist (ERT)
EUROTOX, Hellenic Society of Toxicology [ 2017 – Current ]
http://www.eurotox.com/
EMPLOYMENT
Since 2019
Centre for Experimental Medicine (CEM), Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
Senior Scientist IIa, member of Executive Board of CEM (2022 - current)
Manager of the Slovak GLP-compliant NETVAL laboratories for in vitro validation trials,
Grants holder (APVV, VEGA, ONTOX)
Supervision PhD students at CEM
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Since 2019
Institute of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bratislava, Slovakia
Assistant professor
Course: Cell and tissue culture engineering (Lectures and lab excercises)
Supervision of bachelor and master students at IBM
Since 2019
InVitroTox Consulting, s.r.o., Bratislava, Slovakia
Executive officer, owner
2008 - 2018
MatTek In Vitro Life Science Laboratories, s.r.o., Bratislava, Slovakia
Executive Director
• Established and built up the EU subsidiary of MatTek Corporation in Slovakia
• Hired, trained and coached the key personnel of the EU facility
• Met and exceeded the annual business goals set by the corporation
• Assured sustainable business growth as demonstrated by annual growth in revenues of > 20%
• Achieved profitability of the EU site since the start of the commercial production.
• Increased the market share in the EU by 120 %
• Assured ISO 9001 certification of all the facility processes
• Represented company at scientific committees, international conferences and business meetings​
• Led and supervised scientific projects that aimed at implementation of the technology into the regulatory frameworks (ICH, ISO and OECD).
2007 - 2018
MatTek Corporation. Ashland, MA, USA
Senior Scientist and Acting General Manager for EU
• Optimised testing protocols for topical toxicity testing (skin and eye)
• Managed international validation project on the EpiDerm Skin Irritation Test ( OECD TG 439)
• Lead scientist in the EpiDerm Medical Devices protocol development and validation
• Scientific consultant and test method co-developer in the EpiOcular validation study for Eye Irritation Testing (OECD TG 432)
• Manager and business advisor for the EU related activities of MatTek Corporation
• Establisher of the training programs for the clients and scientists interested in 3Rs
• Participant and lead scientist on several international grants and grant applications
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2003 - 2006
ZEBET at the BfR, Berlin, Germany
Research associate
• Development, evaluation and validation of alternative methods for topical toxicity testing using wide range of commercially and non-commercially available reconstructed human tissue models.
• Involvement in ECVAM validation projects on Skin Irritation and Phototoicity.
• Conductance of PhD thesis at BfR under the supervision of Dr. Manfred Liebsch and Prof. Monika Schaefer-Korting.
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