What are our scientists' projects about?
- The project prepared by Dr Marek Konop from the Department of Experimental Physiology and Pathophysiology aims to develop and comprehensively assess the effectiveness of keratin and sericin biomaterials and their modification in the treatment of diabetic wounds.
The project received PLN 3,950,734.00.
According to the project application, diabetes affects over 500 million people worldwide, and the number of patients is constantly growing. Chronic wounds which are difficult to heal constitute one of the most severe complications and a serious clinical problem that may lead to limb amputation. As part of the project, the researcher would like to develop a new, effective and cheap biomaterial that would support the treatment of chronic diabetic wounds.
The results obtained may be of high clinical significance, contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of patients with diabetes and reducing healthcare costs. - Thanks to the funding from the National Science Centre, Dr Marcin Równicki from the "Microbiota Lab" Research Laboratory will seek natural, better targeted therapies for inflammatory skin diseases.
The project received PLN 1,938,379.00.
The researcher will examine strains of the fungus Taphrina betulina – growths of "witches' broom" (birch) to indicate groups of compounds that may be responsible for the mitigating effect. He will also examine how the extracts affect model skin cells and the accompanying microbes, focusing on key “messengers” of inflammation. As part of the project, an interaction between birch trees and the fungus will be recreated under laboratory conditions in order to understand when and why beneficial substances are produced and whether the "culture" material corresponds to that collected in the field.
In the long term, the project may contribute to the development of new, more precise therapies to relieve skin inflammation. - The aim of the project of Dr Katarzyna Głuchowska from the Chair and Department of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology is to learn the role of BRMS1L protein in the development of clear cell renal cell carcinoma and to assess its usefulness as a prognostic and predictive marker.
The project received PLN 2,153,769.00.
As stated in the project application, clear cell renal cell carcinoma is the most commonly diagnosed form of kidney cancer. It often develops asymptomatically, leading to late diagnosis and limiting treatment options. It is characterized by rapid growth, high ability to form metastases and resistance to therapies. Despite advances in understanding the molecular basis of kidney cancer and the development of new treatment methods, surgical tumor removal remains the main modality. Systemic therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, are used for advanced or metastatic cancer. However, their effectiveness is limited by the increasing resistance to treatment and the heterogeneity of the tumor. In clinical practice, there is a lack of routinely determined factors that would allow for the precise selection of therapy and prediction of the course of the disease.
The project could contribute to the discovery of new markers that, introduced as routine clinical markers, would enable more personalized treatment, reduce the use of ineffective therapies, and improve patient prognoses.
WUM as a consortium member
WUM is a consortium member in the project entitled “Hybrid bioprocess engineering strategy: Intensification of paclitaxel production in transgenic yew roots through elicitation and in situ adsorption", which received PLN 1,978,840.00.
The leader of the project is the Warsaw University of Technology with Prof. Katarzyna Sykłowska-Baranek from the Department of Pharmaceutical Biology acting on the part of WUM. The consortium also includes the University of Warsaw.
Today, the core of oncological treatment is based on cytostatic secondary plant metabolites, i.e., taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel), vincristine, vinblastine, etoposide or topotecan. The project aims to develop and study a bioprocess system for the efficient production of valuable, pharmaceutically useful secondary plany metabolites, such as paclitaxel, using in vitro cultures of transgenic yew roots (Taxus x media). The project will lay foundations for an innovative research topic, establishing an effective and fully controlled application of aerogels in plant biotechnology and bioprocess engineering for the intensification of in vitro plant biomass cultivation.