Mrs. Wiktoria Szwalec, conducting research on subepithelial fibrosis in asthma for her master's thesis under the supervision of Dr. Dawid Wnuk, and Mr. Marcin Ostoja-Hełczyński, conducting his research under the supervision of Prof. Ewa Zuba-Surma, have been selected as laureates of the BioLAB program. The BioLAB program is a year-long internship for students of biological-chemical, biophysical, medical, and related sciences in four American scientific institutions. Mrs. Wiktoria will undertake her internship in the research group of Dr. Ira G. Schulman at the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Virginia, focusing on studying fibrotic processes in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease linked to metabolic disorders (NAFLD). Mr. Marcin will conduct his research under the guidance of Dr. Jake Kirkland at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, investigating the impact of chromatin regulators on the development of heart cells and the maintenance of the heart stem cell population in mice. Congratulations!!!

Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Dawid Wnuk and the students organizing the Genomica conference, Dr. Krzysztof Chyliński - co-discoverer of the CRISPR-Cas system and protagonist of Walter Isaacson's book "The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race" - will once again be a guest at our Alma Mater. Last year, he gave a lecture at the invitation of employees from ZBK. We invite all interested parties to participate in the conference, which will take place on 17-19.05.2024 at the Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research. It is also worth mentioning that thanks to Dr. Wnuk's involvement during his last stay in Krakow, Dr. Chyliński gave two interviews: for Radio RMF FM, which can be listened to (or read) here (in PL), and for the TVN24 portal - the interview can be found here (in PL).

Interdisciplinary research by a team of young scientists from our Department, led by Dr. Sylwia Bobis-Wozowicz, proves that in the future it will be possible to treat organ fibrosis using the forces of nature. Extracellular vesicles, nanostructures secreted by cells of various organisms, are expected to help in this. Scientists have discovered an important property of these structures and conducted research that proves that vesicles could potentially be used in therapy. The research team includes: Dr. Sylwia Bobis-Wozowicz, Dr. Milena Paw, Dr. Paweł Ferdek, Dr. Dawid Wnuk, Dr. Marcin Piejko, Ms. Agnieszka Kusiak, Mr. Jacek Litewka, Ms. Kinga Nit, Ms. Kinga Stopa. The studies focus on micro RNA molecules responsible for the anti-fibrotic properties of extracellular vesicles. The team has already identified them and confirmed that they act as inhibitors of fibrotic processes effectively in the treatment of fibrosis in various organs – heart, lungs, pancreas, and liver. Congratulations!

The team led by Prof. Ewa Zuba-Surma has published an article in the "Journal of Nanobiotechnology" (IF2023=10.2). The work was a result of Polish-French collaboration between teams from WBBiB UJ and INSERM.

The first authors of the publication entitled "Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles exert pro-angiogenic and pro-lymphangiogenic effects in ischemic tissues by transferring various microRNAs and proteins including ITGa5 and NRP1" are Dr. Anna Łabędź-Masłowska and Dr. Luisa Vergori. The research involved Anna Łabędź-Masłowska, Elżbieta Karnas, Sylwia Bobis-Wozowicz and Ewa Zuba-Surma from the Department of Cell Biology, as well as Syliwa Kędracka-Krok from the Department of Physical Biochemistry and Michał Sarna from the Department of Biophysics at WBBiB. The article can be accessed on the publisher's website. The publication of the article in open access mode was made possible thanks to funding from WBBiB UJ as part of the Strategic Excellence Initiative at Jagiellonian University.

Congratulations!!!

Dear Sir/Madam,

May the upcoming New Year 2024 bring you a lot of inspiration to act, interesting ideas, and success in every activity you undertake, both in the field of science, education, and organization. Happy and fruitful New Year 2024!

ZBK Website Editorial Team

The interdisciplinary team of the BioMiStem Project under the direction of Prof. Ewa Zuby-Surma, consisting of scientists from the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and researchers from the Galen-Orthopedics Clinic in Bierun, has developed a new "cell therapy" called MesoCellA-Ortho. This is an innovative advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP), with its active substance being human autologous mesenchymal cells prepared under GMP conditions. The product is dedicated for use in orthopedics, in the treatment of cartilage and bone defects in patients with degenerative joint disease, which is a global civilizational problem. Congratulations and best wishes for further success!

An interdisciplinary team led by Dr. Sylwia Bobis-Wozowicz composed of employees from our Department, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research at the Jagiellonian University, and the Malopolska Center of Biotechnology, in international cooperation with scientists from the University of Freiburg in Germany, has provided new experimental data on the anti-fibrotic properties of extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) that were cultured at different oxygen concentrations. In vitro and in vivo studies confirmed that a reduced oxygen concentration (5%) enhances the anti-fibrotic properties of hiPSC EVs, which may have a huge potential for application in heart regeneration therapies. The results were published in the prestigious medical journal Springer Nature BMC Medicine with a high impact factor (IF=9.3). Congratulations to all the co-authors! Read More o

Dr. Milena Paw and Dr. Dawid Wnuk invite you to co-create a special issue of Biomecidices entitled: "Fibroblasts: Observations from a Molecular and Pathophysiological Perspective." This special issue is dedicated to fibroblasts - connective tissue cells, both in terms of developing new in vitro research models, differentiation (especially into myofibroblasts) and dedifferentiation of fibroblasts (for regenerative medicine purposes), as well as the role of fibroblasts in physiological, pathological, and tumor conditions. The deadline for submissions is July 15, 2024. Attractive discounts on publication fees are available for all interested parties (please contact us via email). Read More o