ORCID No.: 0000-0002-8527-286X
URL for web site:  http://ucb.af.mendelu.cz/

SCIENTIFIC PROFILE

Both my bachelor’s and master’s theses were undertaken at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, in the field of Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry, respectively. To broaden my horizons, I changed my research field from Analytical Chemistry to Cellular and Molecular Biology. During my Ph.D. studied, I was awarded to the position of Assistant at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, which gave me the opportunity building up my own research team. After gaining my PhD, I was appointed as an Assistant Professor. As an independent researcher, I have mentored 15 PhD students and am currently leading 7 PhD students.

From the point of view of scientometry, I am author or co-author of 550 original scientific papers in ISI-indexed journals with more than 11 000 citations, h-index = 49 according to Web of Science, 20 book chapters and 1 book.

Antimicrobials Advanced Nanomaterials

Vojtech Adam^1,2
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
²Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkynova 123, CZ-612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Keywords: Antimicrobial Nanomaterials; Metals; Bacteria; Toxicity

Abstract

More and more bacterial strains have developed resistance to antibiotics and these resistant microorganisms are able to withstand the activity of antimicrobial drugs in a way that standard treatment becomes ineffective and infections persist, which increases the risk of their spread. It is not therefore surprising that numerous researchers have been looking for new way to kill bacteria. We aim our research at development, characterization and modification of nanomaterials based on selenium and other metals and semi-metals having wide-spectrum antimicrobial effects on the one hand, but no or only minor cytotoxic effect on eukaryotic cells on the other. In here, we tested nearly one hundred types of nanoparticles composed of Selenium, Zinc or Copper and their couples with graphene/graphene oxide. The prepared nanoparticles were further modified to increase the effects or to prevent negative effects by targeting ligands that are tailored to the particular application. Their antimicrobial effects were studied on both non-resistant (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli) and resistant strains (e.g. methicillin resistant S. aureus). We also tested wild strains obtained from patients having hard-to-heal wounds.