What's new at Łukasiewicz – PORT?
- Reading time: 3 min.
The fourth call of the Virtual Research Institute (WIB) has been resolved. An international panel of experts awarded the highest score to the project “Personalized antibody-drug conjugates activated by matrix metalloproteinases for solid tumors (PACMAN)”, submitted by a consortium of scientific institutions from Wrocław and Warsaw. An amount of PLN 72,854,995 from the Polish Science Fund has been allocated for its implementation.
- Reading time: 3 min.
Dr. Heng-Chang Chen, leader of the Quantitative Virology Research Group at Łukasiewicz – PORT, has been selected for the prestigious New Voices in Virology program by the Journal of Virology. The initiative showcases researchers who bring fresh perspectives and innovative methods to modern virology.
- Reading time: 3 min.
Stress triggers a cascade of complex biochemical reactions in the body. One of its consequences may be the disruption of autophagy, the cellular “self-cleaning” process. Dr. Viorica Raluca Contu, leader of the AutoHealth project, investigates how stress influences this mechanism and how the interplay between the body’s metabolism and the brain shapes our mental health.
- Reading time: 5 min.
Kacper Prokop has been awarded the Max Born Scholarship in the field of physical and chemical sciences. Weronika Zając received a distinction in the same category. Both work in the Advanced Materials Synthesis Research Group and are pursuing industrial doctorates.
- Reading time: 3 min.
A full-color, high-resolution X-ray image of the human body, combined with precise information about its chemical composition; imaging with unprecedented spatial resolution, faster, more accurate, and safer than ever before—scientists at Łukasiewicz – PORT are working on a technology that could make this possible.
- Reading time: 6 min.
Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed malignant tumor among women worldwide and in Poland. According to estimates from the World Health Organization and the National Cancer Registry, more than 25,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in Poland, and the lifetime risk of developing the disease is approximately 12.5%.
- Reading time: 3 min.
Researchers from the Wrocław-based research institute have uncovered biological links between women’s adverse childhood experiences and the composition of their breast milk after childbirth.
- Reading time: 5 min.
Beginning in October, Prof. Andrzej Białowiec joins the scientific community of Łukasiewicz – PORT, where he will lead and develop the Biomaterials Engineering and Environmental Technologies Research Group. This strategic decision enables the institute to expand into new, priority research areas within the Łukasiewicz Research Network.
- Reading time: 3 min.
Psychiatric diagnostics still relies primarily on conversations with a physician—but this may soon change. As part of the SAME-NeuroID project, researchers have developed unified research protocols (SOPs) that enable modeling of mental disorders at both the cellular and behavioral levels. This is a step toward objective diagnostic tests that could transform the treatment of depression, schizophrenia, or PTSD.
- Reading time: 3 min.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most serious challenges in modern psychiatry. It affects approximately 4% of the global population, and its prevalence continues to rise due to ongoing worldwide conflicts. Trauma profoundly reduces quality of life for those affected. Developing effective therapies is the focus of Dr. Mykhailo Batiuk, a neurobiologist and molecular biologist and recipient of a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grant, who has chosen to carry out his project at Łukasiewicz – PORT.
