Kateřina Jeřábková-Roda on tracking cancer’s aggression and the future of early diagnostics

Growing as a scientist in constant motion between countries and disciplines, Kateřina Jeřábková-Roda follows a research path shaped by international experience and driven by questions with clear clinical relevance. At its core is cancer research that links microscopic cellular changes to the hope of earlier diagnosis and better patient outcomes. Beyond the laboratory, she highlights how her scientific work is intertwined with teaching and public engagement that transcends borders.

Could you please briefly introduce yourself, where you come from, where you are at now, and what your current role is?

“I'm Kateřina. I work as a postdoctoral researcher in the tumor biomechanics lab, which is located in Strasbourg at the CRBS Institute. And I myself am a cancer biologist, and I study how cells adapt during cancer progression and what makes them aggressive.”

Has this focus and interest of yours in this particular subject shifted at all from when you first started getting into biology and into research?

“I'm initially a chemist by education. So I have studied clinical and toxicological analysis at Charles University. I got interested in human physiology, and that influenced the choice of my PhD subject, where I finally studied cell division. Cell division is really close to cancer because cancer is uncontrolled cell division. So during my postdoc, I became interested in the mechanisms that regulate the division and that keep it in check.”

For you personally, what are some of the findings of your research that you are most proud of?

“I'm really excited about my recent study about melanoma aggressiveness, where I have discovered that the lysosomes are really repositioning, and the reason for that is that I really see the potential for this to become a diagnostic marker, and if that were to come to practice, I would be really proud.”

You also lead collaborations with clinicians who translate your research into patient studies. How close do you think your line-of-study is to having diagnostic or therapeutic applications?

“I would love to say close, but the truth is that we have just started a collaboration with Professor Lipsker from the Oncodermatology Clinic in the hospital in Strasbourg. And we envision looking at the lysosome positioning in different patient samples. What I would like to do is to follow the patients in time, because when we speak about diagnostics, we need to have a tool that can be used in the earlier stages of cancer. So we would need to follow up with the patients in time, and the envisioned follow-up is about three years from now. And then we will need to analyze the data, put everything together, and then we can even start thinking about putting this into clinics. So it's years from now.”

Now, outside of the lab, you have also volunteered to teach science in India and in Nepal. How did that come about, and what did those experiences teach you?

“I think science is really beautiful, and I like to share this vision with others, especially with younger students. And when I saw the advertisement, that they are looking for volunteer teachers who would lead scientific workshops in the Himalayas, I didn't hesitate at all, because those are the two passions I have: mountains and science popularization.”

Watch the video for the full interview.

This interview was produced within a joint project by Radio Prague International, the Czech Centre in Paris, and the Czexpats in Science initiative. The Science Without Borders series with young successful Czech scientists working in various fields in France was recorded in Paris. It is a follow-up to the first series of ten interviews from Vienna.