R&D Centers
P4Health Center
P4Health Center of Excellence for Precise Phenotyping and BioDataBanking is an independent department and innovative R&D unit within the structure of Łukasiewicz – PORT. The center’s mission is to accelerate the development and implementation of personalized medicine in Poland and Europe, bringing together research, clinical practice and industry into a collaborative environment where innovation directly translates into improved patient care.
P4Health operates with funding raised from the Teaming for Excellence project (Horizon Europe), the International Research Agenda (Foundation for Polish Science) and funding from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The center’s scientific activities focus on two research areas: translational neuroscience and psychiatry, and oncology and neurooncology.
The center’s work is headed by Professor Bastian Hengerer, a neuroscientist with more than 30 years of experience in the global pharmaceutical industry.
Dyrektor Centrum P4Health,
prof. Bastian Hengerer
Research Groups
Immunotherapy Research Group
We study how environmental exposures shape vulnerability to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders across the lifespan and generations. Our research is supported by ERA-Net, the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND), and the National Science Centre in Poland (NCN). We use a multimodal approach, combining immortalized neuronal and microglial cell lines, microglia derived from iPS cells, brain organoids, transgenic and wild-type rodent models, and diverse human cohorts. Our work focuses on elucidating the roles of non-coding RNAs and metabolic dysregulation in the intergenerational transmission of trauma-induced disease risk.
Translational Neuropsychiatry Research Group
We study how environmental exposures shape vulnerability to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders across the lifespan and generations. Our research is supported by ERA-Net, the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND), and the National Science Centre in Poland (NCN).
We use a multimodal approach, combining immortalized neuronal and microglial cell lines, microglia derived from iPS cells, brain organoids, transgenic and wild-type rodent models, and diverse human cohorts. Our work focuses on elucidating the roles of non-coding RNAs and metabolic dysregulation in the intergenerational transmission of trauma-induced disease risk.
Synaptogenesis Research Group
We conduct multidisciplinary research aimed at understanding the mechanisms that regulate the formation and organization of synapses in the central nervous system and in skeletal muscles. Our studies are carried out using purified proteins, primary and immortalized cell cultures, animals with induced deletion of the genes of interest (Cre-LoxP system), and transgenic models.
Biology of Astrocytes Research Group
In our research, we aim to understand the functions of astrocytes in regulating physiological processes in the brain and the consequences of their dysfunction. In recent years, our group has discovered a new mechanism linking abnormalities in the expression of astrocyte-specific genes with neurobiological disorders typical of conditions such as depression.
Neurodegeneration Mechanisms Research Group
We study the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, we aim to understand how quality control of proteins fails in aging cells, making them vulnerable to neurodegenerative disorders. Our goal is to identify new strategies to counteract these deadly diseases based on the knowledge gained from our research.
Cancer Neurophysiology Research Group
Our aim is to understand the neurogenic regulation of tumorigenesis and the pain associated with it. Using state-of-the-art techniques (including in vivo optical imaging, electrophysiology, and optogenetics), we selectively monitor and modulate the activity of genetically defined neuronal populations to investigate their influence on tumor biology.