Markéta Dudková

Full Citation: Dudkova M, Petrackova A, Radvansky M, et al. Blood gene expression of Toll-like receptors in SLE patients with lupus nephritis or neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.Arthritis Res Ther. 2025;27(1):41.

As a university hospital employee, I consider research to be a part of my daily work, alongside patient care and teaching students. Combining these activities provides a different perspective on the issue. My job also involves meeting people who have fallen ill but are now able to live fast normal lives thanks to scientific and medical advances.

Markéta Dudková, MD, PhD, works at the Department of Internal Medicine III, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc and University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic. 

She specializes in internal medicine and has a strong clinical and research focus on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Alongside patient care, she is actively involved in teaching medical students and other healthcare professionals, contributing to the education of the next generation of clinicians.

In 2025, she completed her postdoctoral education with a focus on systemic lupus erythematosus. She is actively involved in rheumatology research through ongoing collaboration with her home institution. Her work reflects a close integration of clinical practice, academic research and education, with a particular emphasis on complex autoimmune diseases.

Uncovering Immune Pathways in Severe Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The awarded research addresses a major challenge in the management of systemic lupus erythematosus: understanding why the disease manifests so differently across organs and identifying reliable biomarkers of severe organ involvement. Lupus nephritis and neuropsychiatric SLE are among the most serious manifestations of the disease and are associated with increased morbidity and long-term complications.

In this study, blood gene expression levels of the entire family of Toll-like receptors (TLR1–10) were analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with SLE, including those with active lupus nephritis, neuropsychiatric involvement, SLE patients without these severe manifestations and healthy controls. The results demonstrated distinct expression patterns associated with specific organ involvement. Compared with healthy controls, TLR4 expression was increased and TLR10 expression was decreased in SLE patients overall. Patients with active lupus nephritis showed higher expression of TLR2 and TLR5, while those with neuropsychiatric SLE exhibited increased expression of TLR1, TLR4 and TLR6 compared with patients without central nervous system involvement.

By applying high-throughput RT-qPCR and multivariate analysis, the study revealed multiple correlations among TLR expression levels and provided mechanistic insight into the role of innate immunity in SLE. Importantly, it is the first work to simultaneously evaluate the full TLR family across different organ-specific SLE manifestations, identifying TLR1 and TLR2 as potential diagnostic markers of active lupus nephritis.

These findings suggest that Toll-like receptors may serve as clinically relevant biomarkers for disease activity and severity and point toward TLR pathways as promising future diagnostic or therapeutic targets. By improving the understanding of immune activation in severe SLE manifestations, this research supports more precise risk stratification and, ultimately, more targeted and personalized treatment strategies.

Commitment to Meaningful Medicine and Teamwork

Dr. Dudková chose medicine as a career because she sought meaningful work that combines scientific knowledge with humanity and empathy. She views medicine as a profession of great responsibility, one that requires not only technical expertise but also ambition, curiosity and a willingness to look beyond small goals. Every patient is unique and the diversity of clinical challenges continues to motivate her professional growth.

As a physician working in a university hospital, she considers research to be an integral part of daily practice, alongside patient care and teaching. Combining these roles offers broader perspectives and reinforces the value of scientific progress, particularly when she encounters patients whose quality of life has improved thanks to advances in medical research. She emphasizes the importance of teamwork and multidisciplinary collaboration, recognizing that meaningful progress is achieved through joint effort.

Currently on maternity leave, most of her time is devoted to caring for her children. Nevertheless, she continues to value activities that help her recharge, including sports, gardening and spending time with close friends. Being selected as a finalist for the International Medis Awards is a deeply appreciated recognition. For her, it represents not only personal motivation but also acknowledgment of the collective work of her entire team, reaffirming the power of collaboration in advancing patient care and scientific discovery.