{"id":10015,"date":"2019-05-20T20:05:19","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T20:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sci.muni.cz\/ofiz\/?page_id=10015"},"modified":"2026-06-08T17:57:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:57:17","slug":"harnos-lab-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ueb1.sci.muni.cz\/ofiz\/en\/harnos-lab-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Harnos Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"
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——–<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we work with?<\/strong>
We study early Xenopus<\/em> frog embryos: a powerful model for developmental biology. \ud83d\udc38<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why frogs?<\/strong>
Their embryos are large, develop outside the body, and are ideal for live imaging and experimental manipulation. \ud83d\udd2c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Xenopus<\/em>?<\/strong>
Xenopus<\/em> was the first reliable model used for human fertility testing (the Hogben test) and later became the most widely used amphibian model in biomedical research. \ud83e\uddea<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we study?<\/strong>
Neural tube formation, neural crest cell migration, and the signaling mechanisms that shape developing tissues.
And more. \ud83e\udde0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n—————-\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to discover more? Click the link to our short reportages on <\/strong>Czech Radio<\/strong><\/a> or <\/strong>Czech TV<\/strong><\/a> broadcasts (both in Czech), and the popular biology blog, <\/strong>The Node<\/strong><\/a> (in English). <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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————-<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LAB HEAD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name:<\/strong><\/td>\nAssist. Prof. Jakub “James” Harnos, Ph.D.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n
Office:<\/strong><\/td>\nCampus Bohunice, bldg. D36, rm 1S16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n
E-mail:<\/strong><\/td>\nharnos@sci.muni.cz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n
Telephone:<\/strong><\/td>\n+420 549 49 4465<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n
ORCID ID:<\/strong><\/td>\n0000-0002-0752-9260<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n

————-<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scientific autobiography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My research explores how cells signal, move, and organize tissues during development.
After PhD training in Germany<\/strong> and postdoctoral work in New York<\/strong> on WNT\/PCP signaling in Xenopus<\/em>, I now run an independent lab at Masaryk University<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We use live embryos, advanced imaging, and molecular tools<\/strong> to address fundamental questions in developmental and disease biology. \ud83d\udd2c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\uddec Field:<\/strong> cellular signaling <\/p>\n\n\n\n


\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddff\/\ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea PhD:<\/strong> Brno\/Wurzburg (molecular signaling)
\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Postdoc:<\/strong> New York (Xenopus<\/em>, PCP)
\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddff PI:<\/strong> Masaryk University since 2020 (Xenopus<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd2c Approach:<\/strong> live imaging, biosensors, proteomics, Xenopus<\/em> \ud83d\udc38<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fellowships, Grants, and Awards\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/strong>2026 \u2013 2028: MUNI<\/strong> Junior Star<\/strong> (#MUNI\/JS\/1952\/2025<\/em>), Grant Agency of Masaryk University, Czechia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/strong>2025 \u2013 2026: MSCAfellow5_MUNI<\/strong> (#22_010\/0003229<\/em>), Czech MEYS, Czechia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*<\/strong>2024 \u2013 2026: Grant in the Standard\/Senior category<\/strong> (#24-10622S<\/em>), Czech Science Foundation, Czechia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023: Hemsley Fellowship (#203103<\/em>), Xenopus<\/em> course, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, NY, USA (declined due to family reasons)<\/sup><\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022 \u2013 2024: Grant in the Standard\/Senior category (#22-06405S<\/em>), Czech Science Foundation, Czechia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022 \u2013 2024: Science & Humanities Award Junior (#MUNI\/J\/0004\/2021<\/em>), Grant Agency of Masaryk University, Czechia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020: \u201cSeal of Excellence\u201d in MSCA-IF-2020 (#101028952<\/em>), European Commission, Brussels<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018 \u2013 2019: \u201cExcellent Results\u201d Grant (#MUNI\/E\/0533\/2018<\/em>), Grant Agency of Masaryk University, Czechia <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2017 \u2013 2017: EMBO Short-term Fellowship (#ASTF 687-2016<\/em>), University of Wurzburg, Germany<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2016 \u2013 2016: Mobility program \u201cFree mover\u201d, University of Wurzburg, Germany<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Current funding<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

————-<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OUR RESEARCH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cells need to know where they are and where to go<\/strong>.
We study planar cell polarity (PCP)<\/strong> \u2014 the way cells align and coordinate their behavior across a tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polarity is usually seen as a simple directional guide<\/em>. \ud83e\udded We think it does much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A)<\/strong> Our research shows that polarity proteins can actively start major developmental events<\/strong>, such as neural tube formation<\/strong>, an early step in building the brain and spinal cord.<\/p>\n\n\n

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B)<\/strong> We are also interested in cell movement<\/strong>. Cells need extra energy to move, but what tells them to start producing it?
We propose that cell polarity works like a switch<\/strong>, turning on the energy and structural changes needed for migration.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In short:<\/strong> we study how polarity proteins actively drive cell behavior, using Xenopus<\/em> embryos and cell models to watch these processes in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keywords<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planar polarity, neural tube formation, cell migration, bioenergetics, Xenopus<\/em> embryos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OUR PAPERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n