Research infrastructure

Summary

At the Csillebérc campus of the Institute of Evolution, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research (CER), a laboratory for eco-epidemiology and tumor evolution was established in 2024 and is now operating at full capacity. The laboratory is equipped to perform molecular biological analyses on both field-collected and laboratory-generated biological samples. Such a capability has become indispensable for modern research within an evolutionary ecological research institute, as these studies often require the detailed genetic analysis of different species, the assessment of population-level genetic diversity, or even the precise identification of genetic relationships among individual organisms.One of the main research profiles of our laboratory is the detection and identification of tick-borne pathogens, directly from the vector organisms themselves. However, to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the ecological characteristics of these pathogens, the laboratory also examines the hosts of ticks. Therefore, tissue and blood samples from domestic and wild living animals are also processed in the laboratory, with the primary goal of detecting and characterising pathogens in these hosts as well. The laboratory workflow takes place across four separate rooms. The preparatory work (comprising the processing of animal and tissue samples and the isolation of DNA from them) occurs in a room equipped with a Class II biosafety cabinet, minimizing the risk of potential exposure to pathogens. In the second Pre-PCR room, DNA samples are cleaned, processed, and quantified. The prepared samples are then transferred to the third room, where they are placed in PCR thermocyclers for the enzymatic amplification of nucleic acids, increasing the DNA quantity of pathogen-containing samples to detectable levels. Finally, the processed samples are moved to the Post-PCR room, where they undergo size-based separation (gel electrophoresis) and are subsequently visualized under UV light.

The laboratory has a dual function: we also conduct research shedding light on the evolutionary aspects of cancer. In the DNA laboratory, our researchers apply and develop various methods of molecular cloning, ultimately combining CRISPR genome engineering and DNA barcoding technologies to map the progression landscape (or adaptative landscape, in evolutionary jargon) of various cancer-causing mutations in unprecedented detail. A laboratory suitable for mammalian cell culture is currently being set up, where we will be able to grow human and mouse cancer cell lines in two and three dimensions, thereby measuring the spread rate of different malignant genotypes in experimental tumor models in-house.