Past and ongoing research projects related to:

I. Tick Innate Immunity
1997-1999 Immune system of a tick: Identification and characterization of proteins involved in clotting and melanization of tick hemolymph (A6022701, Grant Agency, Academy Sciences CR, P.I. -P. Kopáček)
2000-2002 Humoral factors and cellular events involved in pathogen transmission by ticks (206/00/266 Grant Agency CR, P.I. - P. Kopáček)
2003-2005 Immune reactions within the gut of the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata (A6022307 Grant Agency, Academy Sciences CR, P.I. - P. Kopáček)
2005-2008 The role of ?2-macroglobulin in pathogen transmission by the tick Ixodes ricinus (IAA600220603, Grant Agency, Academy Sciences CR, P.I. - P. Kopáček).
2010-2012 Functional genomics of the complement-like molecules in the tick Ixodes ricinus (P506/10/2136 Grant Agency CR, P.I. - P. Kopáček)

II. Tick gut and blood digestion

2005-2008 Peptidases in the gut of the hard tick Ixodes ricinus: characterization and potential for vector-control (206/060/865, Grant Agency CR, P.I. – P. Kopáček)
2009-2011 Hemoglobinolytic aspartic peptidase IrCD - a member of the gut-associated digestive enzyme complex in the tick I. ricinus (KJB600960911, Grant Agency, Academy Sciences CR, P.I. - D. Sojka)
2009-2012 The digestive system of ticks – the target for rational development of vaccine against tick and tick-borne pathogens (IAA600960910 Grant Agency, Academy Sciences CR, P.I. –P. Kopáček)
2010-2013 Structural Proteomics of proteolytic system in ticks (P207/10/2183, Grant Agency CR, P.I. –M. Mareš, IOCB, ASCR, Prague; co-P.I. – P. Kopáček)

III. Iron metabolism in ticks
This project started within the project BRAVO!, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ and further continued as a side-project linked to the Innate immunity and Blood digestion projects from Czech Grant Agencies.

US patent:
United States Patent  Patent No.: US 8,168,763 B2  .  Date of Patent: May 1, 2012

FERRITIN 2 FOR THE HOST IMMUNIZATION AGAINST TICKS
 
Inventors:
Petr Kopacek,  Ondrej Hajdusek