From PhD to Strategic Consultant for Biology and Head of Alliance Management at CasInvent (CZE)

With Pavlina Janovska, PhD and Tomas Prat, PhD 

Pavlina Janovska, PhD is a molecular biologist with expertise in cancer research, cell signalling, and immunology. She earned her PhD at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, where her work focused on the Wnt signalling pathway and its role in hematological malignancies, particularly chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Her research has significantly contributed to understanding how casein kinase 1 (CK1) regulates tumor biology and how its inhibition may open new avenues for cancer therapy.

As one of the founders of CasInvent, a biotech spin-off from Masaryk University, Pavlina helped transform fundamental discoveries into drug development programs. From 2020 to 2025, she served as the company’s Head of Biology, leading preclinical studies and guiding CasInvent’s scientific vision.

Today, she continues to support the company as Strategic Consultant for Biology, bringing her deep expertise in cancer biology and drug discovery to advance CasInvent’s mission of developing next-generation therapies.

Tomas Prat, Ph.D., is Head of Alliance Management at CasInvent Pharma, a Masaryk University spin-off developing highly potent casein kinase 1 (CK1) inhibitors as oncology drug candidates. In this role, he works across preclinical development and early clinical planning, interfaces with CROs, supports grant applications, and communicates results to scientific, investor, and partner audiences, drawing on his technology-transfer experience.

Previously, Tomas worked in R&D at Contipro, focusing on medical devices linked to stem-cell applications for regenerative medicine, where he helped execute research projects, mentored junior researchers, and ensured regulatory alignment. Earlier, he served as R&D Manager at GeneProof, an in vitro diagnostics manufacturer, ensuring smooth progress in the development of commercial products.

Tomas earned his Ph.D. at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (Friml Group), contributing to high-impact publications—including articles in Science and Nature Communications—that advanced understanding of auxin transport and cell polarity. In addition to fundamental research, he is an inventor on a patent application.

Beyond research, he lectures in Molecular Biotechnology (FCH VUT Brno) and supervised master’s students in Biotechnology and in Molecular Biology & Genetics at Masaryk University, reflecting his commitment to training and knowledge transfer.