Name:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Heinrich Kovar

Centre:

Children´s Cancer Research Institute

St. Anna Children´s Hospital

Laboratory for Molecular Biology

Kinderspitalgasse 6, A-1090 Vienna - Austria

Tel: +43-1-40470-409     Fax: +43-1-4087230

e-mail: kovar@ccri.univie.ac.at

Founder and head of the Molecular Biology Laboratory at the CCRI with 19 years of professional scientific experience. Habilitated at the Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Medical faculty of the University of Vienna, chairman of the Molecular Biology Subcommittee of the EURO E.W.I.N.G study. He has significantly contributed to the discovery of the main genetic and immunohistochemical markers of Ewing´s sarcoma family tumors (EWS-FLI1 gene rearrangement, CD99 expression) as well as to the investigation of the role of primary and secondary genetic alterations in this disease.

The Children´s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI) is a non-profit private organization primarily based on charity. It is located within the St. Anna Children´s Hospital to enable maximum interaction between clinics and basic research. As the primary pediatric oncology centre, St. Anna Children´s Hospital is treating the majority of children with cancer in Austria. The Molecular Biology Lab has been focusing on the investigation of Ewing´s sarcoma family tumors since 10 years. It serves as a reference laboratory for EU funded international trials (EICESS, Euro  E.W.I.N.G) and has significantly contributed to the understanding of genetic alterations in this disease. It tightly cooperates with other departments of the CCRI, specifically with the cytogenetic lab, and the clinics and is involved in several national and international collaborations. More than 30 cell lines, part of which have been established at the CCRI, are available for the study of Ewing´s sarcoma family tumors in this lab. The laboratory is well equipped with cell culture facilities and all necessary instruments to perform DNA, RNA and protein based studies, and has access to a flow cytometer.

Personnel involved in studies related to PROTHET's:

Dave Aryee, PhD: Staff scientist, graduated in biochemistry. Lately, he has studied gene expression profiles of Ewing´s sarcoma cell lines of different EWS-FLI1 fusiontype by representational difference analysis. Within the proposed project, he will be responsible for the generation of intracellular single strand antibodies to EWS-FLI1.

Jozef Ban, PhD: Biochemist with 15 years of professional experience in the molecular biology of viruses and apoptosis. Lately, he has significantly contributed to the characterization of a non-coding RNA species in Ewing´s sarcoma. Within the project he will be involved into the RNA interference experiments.

Christine Siligan: PhD student with expertise in gene identification using chromatin immune precipitation.

Radostina Bachmaier: PhD student with expertise in protein biochemistry

Gunhild Jug: Technician with more than 20 years of professional experience in all kinds of molecular biologic techniques. She will contribute 20 working hours  per week to the project being involved in the gene expression studies using DNA-micro arrays.

Karin Mühlbacher: Technician with several years of experience in protein work. She will be involved in the generation of recombinant single chain antibodies.

Recent Publications relevant to the project:

Kovar H, Pospisilova S, Jug G,  Printz D, Gadner H (2003). Response of Ewing tumor cells to forced and activated p53 expression. Oncogene 22/20, in press.

Kovar H  (2003). Potentials for RNAi in sarcoma research and therapy: Ewing´s sarcoma as a model. (2003). Seminars in Cancer Biology, in press.

Kovar H, Jug G, Hattinger C, Spahn L, Aryee DNT, Ambros PF, Zoubek A, Gadner H (2001). The EWS protein is dispensable for Ewing Tumor growth. Cancer Res. 61, 5992-5997.

Spahn L, Petermann R, Siligan C, Schmid JA, Aryee DNT, Kovar H (2002). Interaction of the EWS Amino Terminus with BARD1 Links the Ewing's Sarcoma Gene to a Common Tumor Suppressor Pathway. Cancer Res. 62, 4583-4587.

Aryee DNT, Sommergruber W, Muehlbacher K, Dockhorn-Dworniczak B, Zoubek A, Kovar H (2000). Variability in gene expression patterns of Ewing tumor cell lines differing in EWS-FLI1 fusion type. Lab. Invest. 80,1833-1844.