Soňa Gurská: The search for biologically active substances is toilsome

Finding a needle in a haystack—this is how Soňa Gurská compares high-capacity chemical screening as the first step in drug development. Using robotics and miniaturization, researchers look for biologically active substances that could be effective for a specific disease. For 11 years, the biochemist Soňa Gurská from CATRIN-IMTM has been working in this area of research, with a special focus on cancer treatment.

Soňa Gurská embarked on research immediately after studying biochemistry in Bratislava. She first worked at the Institute of Experimental Oncology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, where she earned her doctorate. “I was driven to science by the need to learn new things, to gain profound knowledge and to self-develop. And, of course, there was also the dream of finding a cure for cancer. Now I know that one person cannot do it alone, and only multidisciplinary cooperation within a large team can achieve success,” said Gurská.

She came to Olomouc with her family at a time when a laboratory for high-capacity testing was being built at the IMTM. Since then, a huge number of substances have passed through her hands. “Our main task is to test chemical libraries against various biological targets and to find active candidates, so-called hits. Their identification and validation are a crucial first step in the early phase of drug development,” she said, describing her work as a scientist.

Hits are candidates that have the potential to become leading compounds in further drug development. They exhibit biological activity that is statistically significant and relevant to the pursued target. They then undergo further testing and optimization to develop effective and safe drugs.