CECE CONFERENCE 2026

CECE started in 2004 as a friendly meeting of colleagues from Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Brno. The name CECE initially reflected the presentations by Bob Gas, Dusan Kaniansky, and Ernst Kenndler on capillary electrophoresis. The scope of the meeting has expanded since then, and the name CECE (pronounce "che, che") now doesn't imply any particular technique. Today, CECE aims at bringing in distinguished analytical scientists to present the newest trends in their research fields.​

Since 2012 a one-day section CECE Junior has been added to the program with oral presentations of young scientists. While the primary target audiences are the graduate students and young scientists, it is never too late to learn something new, and we encourage all our colleagues to come and see the presentations. The CECE and CECE Junior share a poster section open to all participants.​

More about CECE history can be found at: https://www.ce-ce.org/history

Organising Committee

Katarína Maráková | Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia

Jana Havlíková | Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia

Ivana Čižmárová | Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia

Petra Chaľová | University of Turku, Finland

Jana Lavická | Czech Academy of Sciences Brno, Czechia

František Foret | Czech Academy of Sciences Brno, Czechia

Scientific Committee

Katarína Maráková | Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia

​Jana Lavická | Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia)

András Guttman | University of Debrecen, Hungary)

Tomasz Bączek | Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland)

​Kevin Schug | University of Texas at Arlington, TX, USA

Vladimír Havlíček | Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia

Ľudovít Škultéty | Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia

The scientific program will cover advances and applications in:​

This list is not exhaustive - all areas of bioanalysis are welcome. 

The registration fee includes attendance to all lectures, coffee breaks, lunch (22nd and 23rd October 2026) and welcome event on 21st October 2026.

Abstract submission guidelines​

The official language of the conference is English.​

Deadline for abstract submission is 6th September 2026.​

Abstract must be submitted in the Word document template provided here (.docx file). You may apply for an oral or poster presentation (please specify in the document title). ​

Document in Word must be sent to cece.bratislava@uniba.sk. ​

Subject line: “Abstract submission to CECE 2026”​

File name: abstract_oral_surname_name.docx OR abstract_poster_surname_name.docx​

​

PROGRAM (PDF)

ABSTRACT BOOK (PDF)

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Dominika Fričová

Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia

Title:
Cell-Type-Specific Response to Alpha-Synuclein Overexpression Reveal Divergent Post-Translational Mechanism Relevant to Parkinson’s Disease 

Bio:
Dominika Fričová, MD. PhD., is the Head of the Laboratory of Translational Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the Second Department of Neurology, Comenius University in Bratislava. Her research group focuses on unravelling cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease, with a particular emphasis on cellular senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction, and alpha-synuclein pathology. Her team works with various cellular models, including patient-derived cells, aiming to uncover novel therapeutic strategies and develop approaches for early diagnosis. A significant part of the group’s recent work investigates the role of extracellular vesicles as messengers in cell-to-cell communication, as well as their potential as early biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease.​

Vladimír Havlíček

Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia

Title:
Noninvasive diagnosis of invasive infectious diseases. ​

Bio:
Vladimír Havlíček is an analytical chemist and mass spectrometrist who heads the Laboratory of Molecular Structure Characterization at the Institute of Microbiology (Prague, Czech Republic), bringing together microbiology, mass spectrometry, NMR, and electron microscopy. He investigates how microbial virulence factors and host immune defenses compete for metals and shape pathogen adaptation. His group demonstrated neutrophil lipocalin-2 capture of the siderophore enterobactin, showed copper detoxification through yersiniabactin complexes, and evaluates immune-evasive metallophores. He translates fungal siderophores into diagnostics for invasive mixed infections and pairs them with host markers such as pentraxin-3, which binds fungal galactosaminogalactan. Havlíček pioneered “infection metallomics,” a mass-spectrometry toolkit for 3D molecular profiling of soft tissues, and applies native MS/NMR to noncovalent complexes. After a 2022 sabbatical with K.A. Schug and D.A. Stevens and strategy building with Stanford clinicians, he focuses on lung, CNS, and urogenital infections, while teaching as a professor, publishing, and mentoring across international teams.​

Cari Sänger - van de Griend

Kantisto BV, Netherlands

Title:
Beyond the Expert: Translating Capillary Electrophoresis innovation into robust, patient-centric pharmaceutical Quality Control

Bio:
Prof. Dr. Cari E. Sänger – van de Griend is founder and principal scientific consultant at Kantisto in The Netherlands, Scientific Director at BioQC, and she is extraordinary professor Industrial Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy at Uppsala Universitet in Sweden.
In her daily work, Cari supports industry and institutes in the field of patient-centric pharmaceutical analytical chemistry, with Analytical Quality by Design (AQbD), an holistic method development and troubleshooting approach, and with the Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) technologies. The handouts of her yearly “Advanced CE method development, validation, and troubleshooting course” are considered the CE bible for method development. She works for scientific knowledge sharing as scientific director for BioQC.
Cari received her MSc from Universiteit Leiden and her PhD (DPharm) and habilitation from Uppsala Universitet. She previously worked for TNO (the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), Astra Pain Control, AstraZeneca, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, and Abbott Healthcare Products.
In her spare time, Cari lectures and supervises students currently in Sweden, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland. She is chair of the EDQM CE working party and member of the EDQM AQbD working party, Associate Director at CASSS, and on the CASSS organizing committees of CASSS Europe and The Netherlands Area Biotech Discussion Group.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Tomasz Bączek

Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

Topic:
TOWARDS PRECISION MEDICINE THROUGH MINIMALLY INVASIVE BIOANALYSIS

Bio:
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

Topic:
EPITACHOPHORESIS – FROM CONCEPT TO COMMERCIALIZATION

Bio:
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

Topic:
CAPILLARY GEL ELECTROPHORESIS: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Bio:
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

Topic:
CHARACTERIZATION OF ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS USING MULTIMODAL LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Bio:
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

Topic:
When antibiotics are not enough: Resistance and persistence in obligate intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii​

Bio:
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.​

Michal Greguš

Northeastern University, Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Boston, MA, USA

Topic:
ENABLING LOW-INPUT PROTEOMICS USING ORTHOGONAL NANOFLOW LIQUID PHASE SEPARATION TECHNIQUES COUPLED TO MASS SPECTROMETRY

Bio:
Michal Greguš is a Research Scientist at the Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Northeastern University (Boston, USA). Following his Ph.D. at Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic), he completed a four-year postdoctoral fellowship at Northeastern before transitioning to his current role. His research advances proteomic profiling of amount-limited clinical and biological samples, including single cells and extracellular vesicles, through the development of ultrasensitive nanoflow liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry. Dr. Greguš has authored ~30 publications (600+ citations), a book chapter, and has delivered several oral presentations. His work has been recognized with several honors, including the Barnett Institute's Collaborative Award, the International Symposium on Microscale Separations and Bioanalysis (MSB) Young Scientist Award, and a European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Grants Scholarship. He is a co-founder of MixedLCmediA LLC, an academic spinout from Northeastern University.

Lucie Nováková

Charles University, Faculty OF Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Czechia

Topic:
Matrix Effects in LC-MS: Why the Evaluation Strategy Matters? 

Bio:
Lucie Nováková is a Full Professor in Analytical Chemistry at the Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. Her research is focused on separation techniques, including UHPLC, SFC and their coupling to mass spectrometry. She is involved in a wide scope of research projects in pharmaceutical analysis, doping control, plant analysis, and bioanalytical methods. She authored the book on HPLC theory and practice in Czech and in English (https://czechhplcbook.com) and ten book chapters. She published almost 180 peer-reviewed scientific articles with more than 6900 citations and an h-index of 44. She is also widely involved in teaching and education activities.

Andrea Vojs-Staňová

Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia

Topic:
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Identifying Novel Bioactive Pollutants in Water

Bio:
Andrea Vojs Staňová is an Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry and the Head of the Mass Spectrometry Laboratory. She completetd postdoctoral research under supervision of Assoc. prof. Dr. Roman Grabic at the University of South Bohemia. For more than 15 years, her research has focused on the development of comprehensive analytical methods based on liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry for analysis of complex samples. Special attention is given to targeted - quantitative- analysis of micropollutants in environmental samples, including their identification of potential harmful degradation and transformation products using high-resolution mass spectrometry by suspect screening and advanced non-targeted analysis.
She has presented 4 invited lectures and more than 150 contributions at international and domestic conferences. She published 70 peer reviewed international papers and book chapter. She is a member of Slovak Chemical Society.

HOTEL TATRA ****
Námestie 1. mája 5, 811 06, Bratislava

ACCOMODATION
Hotel Tatra is located directly in Bratislava city centre. Hotels in the old town are within 10 - 15 min walking distance or a short public transport ride (closest bus stops Hodžovo námestie and Kollárovo námestie).

PUBLIC TRANSPORT DIRECTIONS

From the Airport
Bus 61 -> change at Bajkalská or Zimný štadión to bus 39 -> stop Kollárovo námestie 

From the Main Train Station
Bus 93 -> stop Hodžovo námestie (5-minute walk) 
or
Tram 1 -> stop Úrad vlády (10-minute walk)

From Bus Station Mlynské Nivy
Bus 42 -> stio Hodžovo námestie