Keynote
Speakers
Tomasz Bączek
(Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland)
Advances in sustainable sample preparation for neuro-relevant bioanalysis: endocannabinoids as a case study
Prof. Tomasz Bączek, PhD, DSc, is a specialist in pharmacy and pharmaceutical analysis. At the Medical University of Gdańsk, he has served as Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry since 2009. His research focuses on analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, with particular emphasis on modern separation techniques, proteomics, targeted metabolomics, and the analysis of clinical biomarkers. His scientific output includes publications on LC–MS, capillary electrophoresis, microextraction techniques, and QSAR/QSRR modelling. He is a co-creator of innovative solutions for the analysis of biological samples, including sorbents and analytical devices developed using 3D printing technologies. He collaborates with numerous scientific and medical teams on projects related to the diagnosis, therapy, and monitoring of health conditions.
František Foret
(Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia)
Epitachophoresis – principles and applications for DNA and protein concentration.
František Foret is the director of the Institute of Analytical Chemistry in Brno. In 1991, he received a CSc (PhD) degree and, in 2017, a DSc degree from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. After a postdoctoral fellowship (1991) at the Barnett Institute of Northeastern University in Boston, he spent nine years there as a research group leader (1992-2001). After returning to Brno, he founded and headed the Department of Bioanalytical Instrumentation until 2022. His main research interests include capillary separation, laser detection, miniaturization, and coupling with mass spectrometry. He serves as "senior deputy editor" of Electrophoresis and is a member of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic. Dr. Foret has authored and co-authored over 200 WoS-listed publications, including a monograph on capillary zone electrophoresis, 16 book chapters, and dozens of invited and plenary lectures, as well as 25 patents.
András Guttman
(University of Debrecen, Hungary)
Capillary gel electrophoresis analysis of the forced degradation study products of a therapeutic monoclonal antibody
András Guttman is heading the Horváth Csaba Memorial Laboratory of Bioseparation Sciences in University of Debrecen (Hungary) and the Translational Glycomics Research Group in University of Pannonia (Veszprem, Hungary). His work mainly focuses on capillary gel electrophoresis and its hyphenation to mass spectrometry for glycomics and glycoproteomics applications of biomedical and biopharmaceutical interests. Dr Guttman has published more than 400 scientific papers, and 38 book chapters, authored 1 and edited 4 textbooks, and holds 26 patents. He is a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, recognized by numerous international awards, Editor in Chief for Current Molecular Medicine, and serves as an editorial board member for a dozen scientific journals.
Kevin A. Schug
(University of Texas at Arlington, TX, USA)
Multimodal Liquid Chromatography for Characterizing Advanced Drug Formulations
Kevin A. Schug, Ph.D. is the Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Virginia Tech under the direction of Professor Harold M. McNair. He performed post-doctoral research with Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Lindner at the University of Vienna. Since 2005, his research has focused on developing novel applications of various sample preparation, chromatography, mass spectrometry, and spectroscopy techniques. He has published more than 230 articles, presented more than 190 invited talks, and graduated 24 Ph.D. and 19 M.S. students. In 2024, he was presented with the Silver Jubilee Medal from The Chromatographic Society (UK) and he was a Fulbright – Palacky University Distinguished Scholar at Palacky University in Olomouc, CZ.
Ľudovít Škultéty
(Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia)
When antibiotics are not enough: Resistance and persistence in obligate intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii
Ľudovít Škultéty is a leading scientist and Head of the the research group of Rickettsiology at the Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on obligate intracellular bacteria, particularly Coxiella burnetii, with emphasis on host–pathogen interactions, antibiotic resistance, and biomarker discovery using advanced proteomic and mass spectrometry approaches. He is a key member of the National Reference Centre for the surveillance and laboratory diagnosis of rickettsioses in Slovakia and has coordinated numerous national and international research projects. His work bridges fundamental microbiology with translational applications, including diagnostics, vaccine-related antigens, and alternative therapeutic strategies. He is the recipient of multiple awards from the Slovak Academy of Sciences for international collaboration, infrastructure development, and outstanding scientific contributions.
