Dear Visitor,

You can find out here the main topics of my research. I think that synthetic and systems biology promise to develop novel approaches for analysis of complex gene expression control networks and engineering living cells with many practical applications to the pharmaceutical industry and nanobiotechnology. I employ various computational and experimental methods of molecular modeling in order to develop novel analytical and therapeutical approaches. The research in my laboratory is all about making innovations that have both theoretical and practical impacts on science and technology (see our research on LinkedIn). For instance, recently we have filed two patent applications in the field of drug development. Our research was noticed and commented in journals such as Nature Biotechnology, Nature Methods, ACS Synthetic Biology, and RSC Chemistry World.

Robert's presentation at the Sofia Science Festival was discussed in an interview given to the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) by Prof. Robert Penchovsky, broadcasted on 04/05/2023. You can listen to it below in Bulgarian only.

Our lab members gave an interview about our recent awards and research for the journal Science_BG on April 28, 2023. You can see the video 1 of the interview below (in Bulgarian only).

Our recent paper is an editors' choice of the American Chemical Society!

Our research and experience was discussed in an interview given to the magazin of Bulgarian Science by Prof. Robert Penchovsky, broadcasted on 04/21/2022. You can listen to it below in Bulgarian only.

Our research was discussed in an interview given to the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) by Prof. Robert Penchovsky, broadcasted on 3/24/2022. You can listen to it below in Bulgarian only.

Recently, the research in the Robert Penchovsky laboratory was supported by a grant DN13/14/20.12.2017, completed with 20 publications with IF of 84 points and Q1-4 of 274 points, entitled "Design and experimental validation of chimeric antisense oligonucleotides as antibacterial agents", featured on the website of Sofia University (see the image above) and is currently supported by grants KP-06-H31/18/13.12.2019 entitled "Engineering functional nucleic acids for synthetic control of gene expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes" and KP-06-H63/1/13.12.2022,entitled "Comparative analysis of the effectiveness of new antibacterial agents based on different types of antisense oligonucleotides using different molecular mechanisms of RNA inhibition " awarded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF). You can see a presentation of the results of the first half of the project DN13/14/20.12.2017 on the video 2 below (in Bulgarian only).

Our research is acknowledged in several News and Views papers, including publications in Nature Biotechnology, Nature Methods, and others (see the publication page). Our research was praised by Prof. Dr. Draga Toncheva, the national consultant on Medical genetics, in an interview given to the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) on 09/09/2017. You can listen to it below in Bulgarian only.

My research was acknowledged by an award from the Bulgarian national contest for scientific excellence for researchers of all areas over 35 years old organized by the Union of the Scientists in Bulgaria. My research was awarded for scientific excellence achieved in the fields of synthetic biology, bioinformatics and molecular evolution. The ceremony was held in the aula of Sofia University on November 2^nd, 2015 (see the photo below).

Since 2010, the research in Robert Penchovsky's laboratory was supported by 18 different grants, 13 of which Dr. Penchovsky has been a project leader. Prof. Robert Penchovsky has won grants for over 470 000 EUR as a project leader, including grant:DDVU02/5/2010, entitled "Design and applications of RNA biosensors in vitro and in vivo" awarded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund. This grant was very successfully completed with 9 research publications with a common impact factor of 34 for only 42 400 EUR in July 2014.
Prof. Robert Penchovsky also received an outstanding scientist award from the 7^th Edition of International Research Awards on SENSING TECHNOLOGY on August 5^th, 2023! The news wsa presented on the website of Sofia University (see the photo below).

Four young scientists working under my supervision on my projects have won 4 awards from 3 national science contests, 1 start-up award, and 2 teacher awards since 2021 - aggregated 7 awards (see each of the awards - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7)!

Dr. Martina Traykovska, assistant professor in the laboratory, won an award for first place for the work of a young microbiologist in a national contest by the Foundation in the name of Acad. Prof. Stephan Angeloff on March 7, 2023, for our paper Engineering antisense oligonucleotides as antibacterial agents that target FMN riboswitches and inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli (see the image below). Bravo Martina!

Dr. Nikolet Pavlova, assistant professor in the laboratory, won an award for second place for the work of a young microbiologist in a national contest by the Foundation in the name of Acad. Prof. Stephan Angeloff on March 7, 2023, for our paper Bioinformatics and Genomic Analyses of the Suitability of Eight Riboswitches for Antibacterial Drug Targets (see the image below). Bravo Nikolet!

Two of my Ph.D. students, Georgi and Antoniya, working in the laboratory.

Bravo Antoniya Georgieva, a doctoral student of main, won a second place in the of the EWA 2022 Start-up Competition in Bulgaria organized by the Regional Agency for Entrepreneurship and Innovations – Varna (RAPIV) Pitching competition for the start-ups, participating in EIT Food EWA Programme. The event took place in Varna, Bulgaria on 26^th November 2022 (see the image below). Bravo Antoniya!

Bravo Antoniya, a doctoral student of main - the first prize winner in the national contest "Young and Energetic Scientists" in Ph.D. category, 2021 at the ceremony with Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth (for more information click here).

Our highly respectable rector (at that time) Prof. Anastas Gerdzhikov together with my doctoral student Georgi Miloshev, the winner of the prize "doctoral student of the year 2022" of Sofia University, in the Aula of the SU, after the ceremony, May 26, 2022. Georgi works on several research projects, including DN13/14/20.12.2017, KP-06-H31/18/13.12.2019, and KP-06-M33/5/18.12.2019 awarded by the BNSF (for more information click here).

Here you can see a poster of awarded best research project RD-22-838/2020 of Dr.Martina Traykovska (see the image below) with supervisor Prof. Robert Penchovsky by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science for young scientists in biology, Sofia Science Festival, May 15-16, 2021 (for more information click here).



The members of Penchovsky laboratory Dr. Katya Popova, Dr. Nikolet Pavlova, Dr. Martina Traykovska, and Dr. Lozena Otcheva (from left to right-hand) in front of their 2^nd place award winning posters at 14^th Congress of Microbiologists in Bulgaria with International Participation, October 10-13, 2018 (see the image below -for more information click here).


We have all essential pieces of equipment in my laboratory of Synthetic Biology (see the images below).

Essential pieces of equipment in my laboratory of Synthetic Biology

Robert's research keywords: ribozymes, riboswitches, bioinformatics, biosensors, microfluidics, DNA/RNA computing, RNA synthetic biology, and rational drug design.

In synthetic biology, my research is developing novel universal strategies for exogenous control of gene expression, re-programming the cell fate, and anticancer therapies. I am engineering complex gene expression control networks (our plasmid pRS414ge - sequence) that apply allosteric ribozymes, called designer riboswitches. The riboswitches function as Boolean logic gates both in vitro and in vivo by sensing the presence of predefined oligonucleotides (short DNAs and RNAs). All designer riboswitches are obtained by on novel and efficient computational procedure that is subject to a pending patent application. This engineering approach has a significant scientific impact not only on synthetic biology but also will have many useful applications to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Pipeting Robot	Parallel Computing	RNA Autoradiographies	E. coli Bacterium	Plasmid DNA

In computational biology, I have applied a novel strategy for computational high-throughput screening of key RNAs or proteins with known 3D-structures for drug discovery. The approach employs highly parallel computing platforms and can rapidly test millions of chemical compounds significantly reducing the resources spent for drug lead discovery.

In RNA biology - riboswitches, I have been experimentally verifying the putative function of non-coding RNAs. In addition, I have been involved in developing high-throughput screening arrays for antibacterial drug discovery using RNA targets.

In microfluidics, I have designed fully programmable and automated microfluidic chips for parallel biochemical analytical arrays under isothermal conditions. For this aim, I have developed novel chemical procedures for    nucleic acids and protein immobilization and DNA selection.

In biosensor engineering and nanobio- technology, I have built biosensors using my designer riboswitches for molecular diagnostics and computing. Such biosensors function as nanodevices that sense the presence of predefined molecular signals and execute complex logical circuits. The integration of those biosensors with microflow reactors is a very promising approach with my analytical applications to nanobiotechnology.

In bioinformatics, we have designed 15 essential and very useful bioinformatics applets, bioinformatics database and programs for computational design of allosteric ribozymes (see the application page).

In drug development, we have designed and tested many ASO-based drug candidates. You can see an interview on this subject with Dr. Martina Traykovska (see the image above) here (in Bulgarian only).