Department of Cell Biology

room no. C122
tel. no. (12) 664 6183
e-mail: monika.rak@uj.edu.pl
 

assistant professor

2008 – MSc
2014 – PhD
degrees awarded by the Jagiellonian University

Internships:
1. July 2015 –February 2016 – post-doctoral internship - Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, USA
2. June 2012 – scientific internship – Department of Lipid Biochemistry and Biophysics, the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw

The most important prizes and awards:
1. 2015 – First place in the competition for the best conference presentation for the speech titled “Application of cationic polyprenyl derivatives as nucleic acids carriers in lipofection”, First Annual Symposium of Association for Post-Doctoral Scientists (APoDS) at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, USA
2. 2015 – Prize of the Vice Chancellor of the Jagiellonian University for doctoral thesis.
3. 2014/2015 Award for high quality of teaching for the employees of the Jagiellonian University who obtained the highest evaluation.
4. Award for high quality of teaching for the employees of the Jagiellonian University who obtained the highest evaluation.
5. 2011 – First prize in the competition for the best scientific communication lectured in the Section of Biological and Life Sciences for the speech titled Kation derivatives of plant polyisoprenoids as DNA carriers, Fifth Copernicus Doctoral Seminar, Toruń
6. 2009-2012 – Grant of the project “Doctus- Małopolska Region grant fund for doctoral students” co-financed with the European Union Funds within the European Social Fund – Operational Program Human Capital

• Transfection of healthy and malignant cells
• Mechanism and optimization of in vitro and in vivo lipofection.
• Development of new lipofectants
• Application of polyprenols and their impact on cells

1.    Stachyra A*, Rak M*, Redkiewicz P, Madeja Z, Gawarecka K, Chojnacki T, Świeżewska E, Masnyk M, Chmielewski M, Sirko A, Góra-Sochacka A. Effective usage of cationic derivatives of polyprenols as carriers of DNA vaccines against influenza virus. Virol J. 2017 Sep 2;14(1):168. * równy wkład

2.    Rak M, Ochałek A, Bielecka E, Latasiewicz J, Gawarecka K, Sroka J, Czyż J, Piwowarczyk K, Masnyk M, Chmielewski M, Chojnacki T, Swiezewska E, Madeja Z. Efficient and non-toxic gene delivery by anionic lipoplexes based on polyprenyl ammonium salts and their effects on cell physiology. J Gene Med. 2016;18:331–342.

3.    Sroka J, Krecioch I, Zimolag E, Lasota S, Rak M, Kedracka-Krok S, Borowicz P, Gajek M, Madeja Z. Lamellipodia and Membrane Blebs Drive Efficient Electrotactic Migration of Rat Walker Carcinosarcoma Cells WC 256. PLoS One. 2016 Feb 10;11(2).

4.    Ryszawy D, Sarna M, Rak M, Szpak K, Kedracka-Krok S, Michalik M, Siedlar M, Zuba-Surma E, Burda K, Korohoda W, Madeja Z, Czyz J. Functional links between Snail-1 and Cx43 account for the recruitment of Cx43-positive cells into the invasive front of prostate cancer. Carcinogenesis 2014 Sep;35(9):1920-30.

5.    Michalik M, Soczek E, Kosińska M, Rak M, Wójcik KA, Lasota S, Pierzchalska M, Czyż J, Madeja Z. Lovastatin-induced decrease of intracellular cholesterol level attenuates fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition in bronchial fibroblasts derived from asthmatic patients. Eur J Pharmacol 2013; Mar 15; 704(1-3):23-32.

6.    Szpak K, Wybieralska E, Niedziałkowska E, Rak M, Bechyne I, Michalik M, Madeja Z, Czyż J. DU-145 prostate carcinoma cells that selectively transmigrate narrow obstacles express elevated levels of Cx43. Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2011; 16(4):625-3.

7.    Sroka J, Łączna E, Rak M, Madeja M. Metody badania aktywności migracyjnej i inwazyjnej komórek glejaków. Rozdział w Skrypcie z XXVIII Szkoły Zimowej Instytutu Farmakologii PAN w Krakowie ("Zaawansowne metody badania mózgu" Kraków 11-18 lutego 2011).

8.    Madeja Z, Rak M, Wybieralska E, Różański I, Masnyk M, Chmielewski M, Łysek R, Chojnacki T, Jankowski W, Ciepichal E, Swiezewska E, Tekle M, Dallner G. New cationic polyprenyl derivative proposed as a lipofecting agent. Acta Biochim Pol 2007; 54(4): 873-6.

PATENT:
Chojnacki T, Ciepichał E, Jankowski W, Kula-Świeżewska E, Chmielewski M, Masnyk M, Łysek R, Madeja Z, Rak M. Trimetyloaminowe pochodne poli-cis i poli-trans liniowych oligomerów izoprenowych, sposób ich wytwarzania oraz ich zastosowanie (Trimethylamine derivatives of poly-cis and poly-trans line isoprene oligomers, method for their production and use) Biuletyn Urzędu Patentowego Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, Nr: PL382448 (A1) Data: 2008-11-24, Nr: PL211824 (B1) Data: 2012-06-29.