The third call of the Virtual Research Institute has been concluded
The results of the Call No. 3 of the Virtual Research Institute, the aim of which is to co-finance research in the field of medical biotechnology, have already been announced. Of the five submitted projects, the international panel of experts rated two projects the highest. They will receive funding with a total value of nearly PLN 119 million for research in the field of cancer therapies.
As part of the third WIB call, announced in 2023, researchers from seven research centers from various parts of Poland join the group of scientists whose work and research activities are financed by the Polish Science Fund. The funds received will ensure stability of project financing for the next five years.
The first WIB competition was announced in 2020. At that time, one winner was selected – the project “Horizon for Excellence in messenger RNA applications in immunoOncology [HERO]”, the authors of which received nearly PLN 70 million for research on new methods of cancer therapy. Since 2022, the project has been successfully implemented by four significant Warsaw scientific units (you can read more about it here: https://port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl/en/wib-2/the-first-wib-competition/).
“The growing number of institutions and scientists financed under WIB is proof that the importance of the Program is growing, and information about a new possible source of financing for innovative ideas for research projects reaches a constantly growing group of scientists from many cities and various scientific units”, says Paweł Kurant, Deputy Director of Łukasiewicz – PORT.
Introduction to the development of cellular interceptive medicine
The first project awarded in the current call is titled: “Targeted single-cell technology for cancer diagnostics – towards cell-oriented interceptive medicine”. The project has been submitted and will be implemented by a research team from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań, led by Prof. Marek Figlerowicz, PhD. The main goal of the project is to revolutionize cancer diagnostics by developing a technology independent of microfluidic systems and based on nucleic acids enabling the examination of single cells, which will then be used to create targeted diagnostic tests. The tests are intended to be used in the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The main idea of the project is to introduce highly advanced single-cell analysis technologies into clinical practice by reducing their technical complexity and costs and improving overall clinical utility. The project received a grant in the amount of PLN 40,216,289.50.
Towards modern vasculo-oncology
The second project, entitled: “Personalized endothelial diagnostics in anticancer treatment; towards modern vasculooncology”, was submitted by a consortium consisting of a team of researchers representing: Jagiellonian University, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy os Sciences in Olsztyn, Medical University of Gdańsk, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology (Gliwice branch) and the Warsaw University of Technology.
The leader of the research team is Prof. Stefan Chłopicki, PhD, from the Jagiellonian University. The aim of the research team’s scientific activity is to develop a new electrochemical aptase sensor technology using aptamers and original methodological solutions based on polymer nanobrushes and a dedicated POCT device with flow microcircuits. This completely new technology will be a tool helpful in early diagnosis of cardiovascular complications associated with oncological therapies. The amount of funds allocated to finance the project is PLN 78,578,024.95.
What is the WIB program?
The Virtual Research Institute is an innovative program for financing research with high commercialization potential in one of the key areas for society – medical biotechnology. The institute was established on the basis of the Law of April 4, 2019 on supporting scientific activities from the Polish Science Fund. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education allocated a record amount of PLN 450 million for this purpose. The program is addressed to the most outstanding and talented Polish scientists conducting activities at the highest world level – representatives of universities and scientific and research institutes. The aim of research teams selected in calls is to develop a new technology or group of technologies, in accordance with appropriate procedures and standards necessary for their commercialization and implementation, within a maximum of five years from the commencement of work.
The Łukasiewicz Research Network – PORT Polish Center for Technology Development from Wrocław acts as the Managing Entity for the Virtual Research Institute.
More information: https://wib.port.org.pl/.