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Zuzana Lickova
MScR, BSc (Hons)
Research Assistant GO-PRECISE
My research focuses on understanding the very early stages of cancer development, before it becomes invasive, with the goal of preventing it through vaccination. This work is crucial because preventing cancer from ever forming could save countless lives and significantly reduce the burden of cancer globally. I specifically investigate pre-cancer biology by working with human tumour samples, growing them as 3D organoid cultures in the lab, and then conducting detailed immune profiling and molecular characterisation. This helps us understand cancer at a fundamental level, supporting the development of a preventative cancer vaccine. My work is part of the GO-PRECISE Alliance, a collaboration between the University of Oxford and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), directly aiming to translate our findings into clinical applications for cancer prevention.
Zuzana Lickova is a Research Assistant within the GO-PRECISE Cancer Immuno-Prevention Programme, a collaboration between the University of Oxford and GlaxoSmithKline. Zuzana is based at the Old Road Campus Research Building and the John Radcliffe Hospital. Zuzana holds an MScR in Translational Health Sciences and a BSc (Hons) in Cancer Biology and Immunology from the University of Bristol. During her MScR, Zuzana undertook an 18-month research project investigating aggressive triple-negative breast cancer, where Zuzana developed a novel single-cell imaging assay to monitor cell fate and drug response in real time. Her BSc included a 5-month research project exploring the role of WT1/BASP1 in stemness and differentiation using proteomics and gene expression analysis.
Prior to joining NDS, Zuzana worked in the cell and gene therapy sector at exmoor Pharma Concepts Ltd, where Zuzana led analytical development for iPSC-based therapeutics and contributed to regulatory-compliant assay design. Zuzana has a growing interest in computational biology and has completed certifications in data analytics and machine learning, keen to expand her skills through interdisciplinary collaboration.