Accreditation valid until: 23. 10. 2029
Chairman of the Subject Area Board:
doc. RNDr. Dana HOLÁ, Ph.D.
Coordinator for the Second Faculty of Medicine:
prof. MUDr. Eva Froňková, Ph.D.
Characteristics of the study programme
The purpose of the study programme is to provide the students with advanced theoretical and practical knowledge in various areas of molecular and cell biology, genetics and virology, as well as to familiarize them with modern methodical and technical approaches utilized in these scientific fields and with the possibilities of such approaches for problem-solving in current biological and biomedical science (including interdisciplinary research). The main scope of the program can be characterized as the study of biological processes at molecular and cell level, focusing particularly on complex interactions between cells and environment or between various information macromolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins) and using the most modern approaches of molecular biology and bioinformatics.
Admission procedure requirement specific to the study programme
The conditions and course of the admission procedure for the part-time of study are the same as the conditions for the full-time form.
We recommend to contact your potential supervisor in advance and consult the suitable form of preparation for the interview. Each study programme has its own specifics, so the supervisor can help you to prepare for the specialized entrance examination (the interview).
Topics of dissertation thesis
The candidate chooses the preliminary topic individually and contacts a potential supervisor or they may consult the topics listed below. The choice is not, however, limited to the listed topics only. The student consults with the supervisor on the chosen topic and agrees on its more precise specification. In case of any ambiguity, we recommend contacting the chairman of the SAB. If necessary, they may recommend a consultation on the topic the topic with another specialist according to the focus of the intended project.
If the candidate does not know which topic/supervisor to choose, they will contact the chairman of the SAB, with whom they will consult on a suitable topic and a potential supervisor.
This choice is preliminary, the admissions board may, after consultation with the candidate, nominate another supervisor.
Dissertation topics offered
MUDr. Ludmila Boublíková, Ph.D., Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Methylation profiling in colorectal cancer and its relation to other molecular and clinical characteristics
Mgr. Jana Drábová, Ph.D., Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Genetic disorders in patients with developmental disabilities and/or intellectual disability with focus on consanguineous and minority ethnic and national families
RNDr. Petra Dušátková, Ph.D., Department of Pediatrics, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Monogenic forms of diabetes and hyperinsulinism
- Novel genetic variations causing monogenic diabetes and hyperinsulinism
doc. MUDr. Eva Froňková, Ph.D., Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Development of new methods for monitoring treatment response in hematopoietic malignancies
- Immune dysregulation in hematopoietic and immune system disorders
Ing. Kateřina Hložková, Ph.D., Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Glutamine metabolism in acute leukemias
MUDr. Alice Krebsová, Ph.D., Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Cardiogenetics and sudden cardiac death syndromes
MUDr. Radka Kremlíková Pourová, Ph.D., Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Genetics of hearing disorders
MUDr. Anna Křepelová, CSc., Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Molecular genetics diagnostics
RNDr. Júlia Starková, Ph.D., Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Targeting vulnerabilities in amino acid metabolism in acute leukaemias
- Metabolic reprogramming in development of resistance in leukaemia treatment
doc. MUDr. Dana Šafka Brožková, Ph.D., Department of Paediatric Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Expanding the genetic diagnostics of patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia
- Rare forms of hereditary neuropathy and their extended genetic diagnostics
RNDr. Karolina Škvárová, Ph.D., Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Validation of newly identified mutations in rare diseases affecting hematopoiesis
- Development of new therapeutic procedures for the treatment of patients with rare genetically determined syndromes
MUDr. Dana Thomasová, Ph.D., Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Nefrogenetics
MUDr. Markéta Vlčková, Ph.D., Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders and in epileptology
doc. MUDr. Michal Zápotocký, Ph.D., Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- Molecular biology of childhood brain tumors
- Brain tumor predisposition syndromes
prof. MUDr. Jan Zuna, Ph.D., Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Second Faculty of Medicine, CUNI and Motol and Homolka University Hospital
- topics from the field of paediatric leukaemias
Supervisors of the study programme
Each supervisor must be approved by the SAB. The criteria for admitting new supervisors are determined by the SAB. If the proposed supervisor has not yet been approved by the SAB, this must be done no later than the enrollment of the applicant in the study (provided that the applicant is accepted). You can find a list of supervisors approved by the SAB here. After clicking, the supervisor's workplace and contact information will be displayed.
Requirements during the study
Study obligations for full-time and part-time forms of study are the same.
The student must complete at least one scientific lecture/course related to the topic of his/her dissertation thesis and selected from the lists of subjects taught by the Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University (including the lectures/courses organized by the co-operating institutions, e.g., the Czech Academy of Sciences). The selection of this lecture/course depends on the scientific/technical needs of the student and is made by him/her together with his/her supervisor. The successful completion of this lecture/course is a necessary condition prior to submitting an application for the state doctoral examination (SDE)/pre-defence.
Further study requirements can be stipulated by the internal rules of the respective faculty the student is registered in. In case it is explicitly stated in these rules, the successful completion of such study requirements can be an additional condition necessary to fulfil before submitting an application for the SDE/pre-defence (e.g., the English language certificate at a certain level, Motol Scientific conference DS002, etc.). The SAB board does not require an English language examination. The Dean's Provision no. 2/2024 states that all students should attend the faculty Scientific conference in the 4th year (and also again in the 6th and 8th if the student extends their studies).
Requirements for internships
During their study, doctoral students should undertake a research internship abroad (with a total duration of at least one month). Its inclusion in the individual study plan is decided primarily by the supervisor, and its implementation depends on the possibilities of the respective research institution. If an internship cannot be arranged, doctoral students should engage in international collaboration in another manner in accordance with the Standards of Study Programmes at Charles University.
Doctoral students are also encouraged to take an active part in the preparation of grant projects at their supervising Laboratory. It is also highly recommended that they prepare and submit their own project proposals in the annual competition for grant allocation at Charles University (Charles University Grant Agency).
Participation in conferences
All students should attend the faculty Scientific conference (DS002) in the 4th year (and also again in the 6th and 8th if the student extends their studies).
The Subject Area Board requires doctoral students to take an active part (i.e., by presenting a poster or giving a lecture) in national and, in particular, international scientific conferences in order to gain important and highly useful experience for further scientific work. Such active participation in at least one national/international conference during doctoral study is a mandatory component of the Individual Study Plan (ISP), and the doctoral student must provide evidence of it (by submitting a copy of the confirmation of active participation in the conference and the abstract as an attachment uploaded to SIS during the relevant annual ISP evaluation). Doctoral students should also attend various types of regular doctoral conferences organized by their faculty or supervisory institution; participation in this type of conference may form another part of the ISP if required by the internal regulations of the faculty. However, these „internal“ conferences do not count towards fulfilling the above-mentioned requirement of an active participation of doctoral student in a „standard“ national/international scientific conference.
Requirements for the SDE/PhD thesis pre-defence
Students enrolled in the academic year 2025/2026 onwards are obliged to pass the PhD thesis pre-defence by the end of the second year of studies (in the winter semester of the third year only in justified cases). Students in the combined form of study may also pass the pre-defence in the third year of study. Students enrolled before the AR 2025/2026 are sitting the State Doctoral Examination.
Students must apply for their SDE in the third year of studies at the latest. Students applying for the pre-defence must do so during the second year of their studies at the latest. In case the first attempt to pass this examination is not successful, the second attempt must be made during the academic year following the first SDE/pre-defence attempt at the latest (only two attempts at passing the SDE are allowed).
The application deadlines for the current year can be found here.
Before submitting the application form for the SDE/pre-defence (it must be oficially submitted in the printed and signed form to the respective administrative department dealing with studies!), the student has to successfully pass at least one study requirement included in the ISP as required by the SAB (other duties included in the ISP must be fulfilled before the end of the study, i.e. before submitting dissertation thesis and the application for its defence). However, the SAB does not require students to be authors or co-authors of any IF papers prior to their SDE/pre-defence.
The course of the SDE – for students enrolled before the academic year 2025/2026
The SDE consists of an oral examination focused on student’s knowledge on two subjects which are personalized in accordance with the respective topic of the dissertation.
The first subject of the SDE is selected fully by the student and should be related to the topic of the dissertation. This subject must be approved by the respective faculty co-ordinator (see below) prior to the student application for the SDE/pre-defence (i.e., the co-ordinator must be contacted and must approve of the subject proposed by the student prior to any official submission of the application form!). It is best if the student proposes to the co-ordinator 2-3 such subjects (in the order of preference by the student); however, the subject cannot be the direct title of dissertation and should not be focused on a too specific topic! (i.e., it is not acceptable to call your subject, e.g., “The role of modifications of the protein AAA occurring at amino acid BBB in the regulation of the signalling pathway CCC in relation to DNA damage reparation in the kidneys of naked mole-rats”. However, it is quite acceptable for your subject to be, e.g., “Cell signalling and its regulation”, “DNA damage and reparation”, “Protein modifications”, etc. See the end of this file for some suggestions).
The second subject of the SDE is partly obligatory: the student must choose either Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, Genetics or Virology.
The length of the SDE is usually approximately one hour. At its beginning the student gives a short presentation about his/her doctoral project (it is usual to prepare and present a ppt, pptx, pdf file). This presentation must include an information on the current theoretical knowledge of the respective scientific topic including its more general context (it should be evident that the student has already read at least some relevant papers on his/her topic and has a good theoretical background), a main goal of the project (and its partial goals, if any), hypotheses that are being tested, brief information on the methodical approaches that the student utilizes or wants to utilize in the future, and it is also possible to briefly present the most important results already obtained. However, the length of the whole presentation should not exceed 15 min (maximum – only in exceptional cases – 18 min)!
After this presentation, the SDE/pre-defence continues with the questions by the examination committee pertaining to the first, fully elective subject; this is the most important part of the SDE/pre-defence (and it usually takes the majority of the time set for the SDE). The questions can be related directly to the student´s presentation, to his/her publications on the respective topic (if some are already published), to information available to the SAB during yearly assessments of the ISP, and they ofter extend to the full/wider scope of the selected subject (although most members of the committee will usually try to ask about something more-or-less related to the doctoral project). During this part of the SDE/pre-defence, the student must display advanced and detailed knowledge on the current state of scientific topics directly related to his/her area of specialisation, including knowledge on various methodical approaches related to their research (their principles, various advantages and disadvantages) and topics reaching into associated research areas. It is expected that students will demonstrate their ability to comprehend the essence of any scientific problem, to place it in a broader context and particularly to propose their own creative solutions.
Regarding the second, partly obligatory subject of the SDE/pre-defence, students should have a good general theoretical background in the selected subject, at least at the level of the M.Sc. graduates of the Faculty of Science, Charles University (the Master's Programme Genetics, Molecular Biology and Virology). The required knowledge can be found within the syllabi of the specific lectures (recommended study literature is given for these lectures directly in the SIS; however, it mostly comprises of the main, most common university textbooks for the respective scientific field, pdfs of lecture presentations, etc.).
In case of Molecular Biology this knowledge is covered by lectures Essentials in Molecular Biology, Molecular Biology, Progress in Molecular Biology a Molecular and Cell Biology Methods.
In case of Cellular Biology this knowledge is covered by lectures Biology of the Cell, Physiology of the Cell a Structure and Function of Biological Membranes.
In case of Genetics this knowledge is covered by lectures Genetics, Human Genetics ( https://www.is.cuni.cz/studium/predmety/eng/index.php?do=predmet&kod=MB… ), Methods in Genomics a Epigenetics.
In case of Virology this knowledge is covered by lectures Virology – Systems on Molecular Level, Viruses and the Immunity System of the Host, Progress in Molecular Virology, Viruses and Tumours, and either Patogenesis, Epidemiologiy and Diagnostics of Selected Human and Animal Diseases or Medical Virology and Viral Pathogenesis
The course of the PhD thesis pre-defence – for students enrolled in the academic year 2025/2026 onwards
Doctoral students studying in the full-time form of doctoral study must register for this course at such a time that the Discussion takes place either during the second year or (in justified cases) in the winter semester of the third year of their study. Doctoral students studying in the part-time form of doctoral study may complete the course also in the summer semester of their third year. Each academic year, the Discussion will be held during one of the following three periods: January/February, June, and September. The doctoral students will be notified about the exact time and place well in advance of the relevant period.
The doctoral students will have to give a presentation about their doctoral project, followed by a discussion with a committee. For this purpose, students must prepare a PowerPoint or PDF presentation including, in particular, the project’s objectives and rationale, a brief overview of methodological approaches and main results already achieved, future prospects, current state of their publication activity, etc., which they will present to the committee. The presentation of the current state of work on the doctoral project should last approx. 15, at most 20 minutes. The presentation must be in English and the subsequent discussion between the students and the committee will also be conducted in English.
Students must demonstrate in their interaction with the committee a detailed and up-to-date knowledge and understanding of various issues directly related to their doctoral project, including associated topics, and an awareness of the principles, possibilities, and limitations of the methodological approaches relevant to their research. They are expected to clearly demonstrate the ability to grasp the essence of the problem, place it in a broader context, and, above all, show critical and creative thinking. During this discussion, the committee will also provide feedback on the project. A summary of the questions, comments, recommendations, and suggestions arising from the discussion will subsequently be sent in writing (by e-mail) to the students and their supervisors. It is strongly recommended that either the supervisor or another representative of the supervising Laboratory attend the Discussion in person.
In the event of serious objections of the committee to the progress of the project, or findings of significant gaps in the students’ knowledge based on this discussion, the Subject Area Board reserves the right to request that it be repeated within a defined timeframe.
Publication activity requirements
The main requirement for creative work is the independent execution of original, high-quality scientific work, the outcome of which should be at least one original scientific publication related to the topic of the doctoral project and published or accepted for publication during the doctoral study. This publication must appear in a peer-reviewed journal indexed in databases generally recognized by the international scientific community (Web of Science, i.e. journals with an impact factor). It should be an „original paper“, and the doctoral student must be the first author and must make a significant contribution to its creation (specified both in the publication itself, if the journal allows this, and in the Ph.D. thesis - see below). For unpublished manuscripts, confirmation that the manuscript has been accepted for publication by the respective journal must be provided. Shared first authorship may be accepted as first authorship, but only with the prior approval of the programme guarantor. It is not desirable for the same shared-first-author publication to serve as the primary basis for several different Ph.D. theses.
Case reports are acceptable as first-author papers only when they represent a substantial scientific contribution (e.g., the description of a novel gene in the pathogenesis of a disease, a new biological mechanism explaining gene function, a new therapeutic approach, or a novel diagnostic method). In such cases, functional experiments should be included. A case report providing only a clinical description of symptoms and patient phenotype cannot be accepted as the required publication.
If the first-author publication has not yet been definitively accepted by a journal but is under peer review (and the journal is of a sufficiently high quality), doctoral students may request an exemption from the publication requirements described above. The same applies if the first-author publication is of a type other than an „original paper“; however, it must be based on experimental work by the doctoral student within the doctoral project (e.g., not a review article or a book chapter - these do not count as a first-author publication meeting the requirements; video publications are also not accepted unless accompanied by a full-text paper). The supervisor must approve such a request, which must be submitted at least one month before the thesis is due to be submitted for its defense. Further information about the proper form of such a request, its attachments and the required form of the Ph.D. thesis in these cases will be provided to students by the programme guarantor, to whom the request should then be sent by e-mail. The Subject Area Board will review the request and may, but is not obliged to, grant it. Such exemptions are expected to be rare and well-justified. If the Subject Area Board does not approve the request, doctoral students must wait to submit the thesis until the publication is accepted by the respective journal.
Before submitting the thesis for defense, doctoral students must send the programme guarantor by e-mail a link to their first-author publication and (if applicable) a list of other publications intended to serve as the basis for the thesis, so that the guarantor can check that the publication requirements set by the Subject Area Board have been met.
Defence requirements
Prior to submission of the dissertation thesis for its defence, all study requirements stated in the ISP must be successfully passed and the same applies for the SDE/pre-defence. In addition to this, the student must be an author of at least two original scientific publications relevant to the topic of the dissertation thesis and published during the course of doctoral studies (see Creative Work and Publication Activity requirements).
The dates of the defences for the current academic year can be found here.
The thesis should be the doctoral student’s own original text, enabling the reviewers and the defense committee to assess the student’s ability to conduct independent scientific work in the relevant field. In the thesis, students should be able to present the scientific problem comprehensively and formulate independent opinions and questions arising from the results of their experiments.
The SAB does not require a summary of the dissertation. The dissertation is submitted electronically via the IS only (not need to print it).
Dissertation defence
Besides the sections required by the university rules and the internal rules of the respective faculty (the title page, the signed declaration of the author, abstracts in Czech and English, etc.) and the supporting parts (the content, the reference list, the abbreviations list if appropriate), the dissertation thesis must contain these sections: 1) Introduction and Literary Overview (the summary of the current knowledge on the topic of the dissertation thesis based on the information available in the scientific literature); 2) clearly defined Aims of the Thesis; 3) Experimental Part (description of the original hypotheses and experiments performed in order to test these hypotheses, i.e., the general conception of experiments, the description of the experimental material and methodical approaches, as well as adequately described results documented in tables and/or figures); 4) Discussion; 5) Summary/Conclusions. These sections of the dissertation thesis can be further divided and appropriately named according to the general character of the doctoral project and the internal rules of the respective faculty (some modality in the general structure of the dissertation thesis is possible, e.g., the merging of the Experimental part and Discussion in case of theses from the bioinformatics field, however, this must be consulted in advance with the chairman of the subject area board).
The experimental part can include (and can be partially replaced by) the original research papers of the student that are relevant to the topic of the dissertation thesis and were published, accepted for publication or are accepted for review in some IF journal during the course of the doctoral studies. However, it is recommended to include only such papers that the student significantly participated in. These papers can be either incorporated directly into the text or can be presented as supplementary sections of the dissertation thesis. They should be linked by the original explanatory text written by the student, which should emphasise the related nature of the respective publications in the context of the doctoral project and summarize the main results and conclusions presented in these papers. This text must also contain an unambiguous and detailed verbal specification of the contribution of the student to both obtaining the experimental data and the preparation/writing of the respective manuscript(s). The student is fully responsible for the presentation of publications in such form that complies with the licencing rights of the respective publisher. However, the student must also be aware that the eventual incorporation of their publications into his/her dissertation thesis certainly cannot replace either the Introduction and Literary overview or the Discussion sections (the text in these sections of the dissertation thesis cannot be simply copied or only slightly re-formulated from the respective publications). The Experimental Part should also include all yet unpublished experiments performed by the student that are relevant to the topic of the dissertation thesis (such experiments and their results should be fully described).
The dissertation thesis can be written in Czech, in Slovak or in English (English is recommended).
More information about the dissertation
In addition to the parts required by the faculty (title page, author’s declaration, abstracts in Czech and English, etc.) and accompanying sections such as Table of contents, Reference list, and possibly a List of abbreviations, the thesis must include: 1) Theoretical introduction (a review of the current state of knowledge in the literature related to the project topic); 2) clearly defined Objectives of the Project; 3) Experimental section (a description of the initial hypotheses and the experiments used to test them, i.e., the overall concept of the experiments, materials, methodological approaches, and results, including relevant figures and tables); 4) Discussion; 5) Summary/Conclusions. These parts may be titled and subdivided appropriately according to the nature of the doctoral project and in accordance with faculty regulations. Certain modifications to the structure (e.g., combining the Experimental section and Discussion in the case of bioinformatics theses) are allowed but must be consulted in advance with the programme guarantor.
The thesis may be written as a traditional monograph, or original scientific publications by the doctoral student (related to the topic of the doctoral project, produced during the doctoral study, and by the time of submission already published, accepted for publication, or under peer review in an impact-factor journal with proof of acceptance or ongoing review) may be incorporated into the Experimental section (thus replacing parts of the results and materials/methodological approaches). Only publications in which the doctoral student made a substantial contribution should be included. For each included publication, the student must provide a concise (1-2 pages) summary of the results and conclusions presented in the paper and explain how it relates to the main topic of the doctoral project. This summary must also contain a clear and detailed statement of the student’s contribution to obtaining the results and preparing the manuscript.
If multiple publications are included, they must form a logical sequence and be linked by the student’s original text, explaining their interrelations and placing them in the overall context of the doctoral project. It is not acceptable simply to insert publications without such explanatory or connecting text. Nor is it appropriate to include publications that are only marginally related to the project and with each other, giving the thesis an incoherent character.
All as-yet unpublished experiments by the doctoral student relevant to the research problem and their results should be described in full in the Experimental section.
If doctoral students choose to incorporate their publication(s) into the thesis, this must be done either directly within the main text of the thesis or as the Supplementary section (with the full publication(s) attached). Merely citing links to websites where the publication(s) can be found is not allowed. Students are also responsible for ensuring that the publication(s) or their manuscripts are presented in the thesis in a manner consistent with the license terms of the relevant publisher or the journal where the manuscript is under review.
Including publications in the thesis can never substitute for the Theoretical introduction or the overall Discussion of the results. The text in these sections must not be copied (or translated) directly from the student’s publications or other sources; it must be an original text by the student. In the Discussion, it is not sufficient merely to summarize results - the students must provide a full-fledged discussion of the topic in an appropriately broad context, offering their own possible explanations of observed phenomena and comparing their findings with relevant publications, including both supporting and potentially contradictory results.
Profile of a graduate of the study programme
The graduate shows deep theoretical knowledge in molecular and cell biology, genetics and virology, with focus on some specific branch of these scientific fields. He/she is able to propose an optimum solution of a given scientific problem, to choose suitable methodical approaches and to correctly evaluate and interpret the obtained data. He/she shows practical ability to apply modern methods and techniques of molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, bioinformatics and biostatistics, and can independently solve complex research problems using the knowledge acquired during the doctoral studies. He/she can be employed particularly in the reseach/development sector with focus on biology and biomedicine (both fundamental and applied research).
Information about graduate employment
The graduate is prepared to apply mainly in scientific and teaching positions at domestic and foreign universities, scientific institutes engaged in basic and applied research, in research and technology centres. In the non-academic sphere, they will find employment in specialised clinical, diagnostic and forensic laboratories and in laboratories of the pharmaceutical and food industry, in environmental protection or in breeding.
