We would like to inform you that Monday, 10 November 2025, will be a day off at our Institute.
We’re heading into a few days of rest as we celebrate Poland’s Independence Day, which falls on Tuesday, 11 November. The Institute will reopen on Wednesday, 12 November.
We wish everyone taking this time off a peaceful break and plenty of good energy for the days ahead.
How is modern medicine coping with skin disease treatments? What opportunities do grafts and photodynamic therapies offer in treating hidradenitis suppurativa and other dermatological conditions?
Scientists will discuss these groundbreaking methods during the upcoming session of the University of the Polish Academy of Sciences Branch in Olsztyn and Białystok, which will take place on November 4, 2025.
The autumn series of popular science lectures explores fascinating topics within the theme “Human–Environment–Food–Health.” The lectures will be delivered by outstanding Polish researchers.
A dialogue on methods of treating skin diseases
1. Use of Co-Graft (ADM + WPSPG) Transplants in the Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
Dr. habil. Wojciech Łabuś, MD, PhD
Dr. habil. Marcin Gierek, MD, PhD
Burn Treatment Center, Siemianowice Śląskie
2. Photodynamic Therapy of the Skin
Prof. Agnieszka Owczarczyk-Saczonek, MD, PhD
Faculty of Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
The meeting will be held online via Microsoft Teams.
Information about upcoming lectures can be found on the poster.
At the end of September, our Institute hosted the inauguration ceremony of the 2025/2026 academic year of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Agricultural Sciences. The event, led by the Institute’s Director Prof. Monika Kaczmarek, was an opportunity to welcome new PhD candidates, who were officially introduced to the academic community by the students’ representative, Maciej Cieślik.
During the ceremony, five doctoral students took the official oath and received their student index books and welcome gifts from Prof. Kaczmarek and Dr hab. Wiesław Wiczkowski, Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs, thus symbolically beginning their research journey at our Institute.
The event was highlighted by an inspiring inaugural lecture by Dr hab. Radosław Kowalski, titled “Why animal welfare matters to scientists”, which perfectly reflected the Institute’s mission, connecting animal welfare, human health, and sustainable development.
A speech was also delivered by Prof. Aneta Andronowska, Director of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Agricultural Sciences: “Every new PhD student is not only a future scientist but also someone who brings fresh perspectives and energy to our Institute. The doctoral school is a place of learning, but it is also a space for discovering oneself, both as a researcher and as a person.”
The new doctoral candidates will conduct their research within the leading scientific teams of the Institute, under the supervision of experienced mentors:
The Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Agricultural Sciences is run jointly by the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn (serving as the Lead Institution), the Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences in Lublin, and the National Veterinary Research Institute in Puławy.
The School began its activity on October 1, 2020, and educates PhD candidates in four scientific disciplines: animal science and fisheries, food technology and nutrition, veterinary medicine, and agriculture and horticulture.
We warmly congratulate all newly admitted doctoral students and wish them inspiring discoveries and success on their scientific path!
The Embryo Biology Team, composed of Prof. Izabela Wocławek-Potocka, Dr Ilona Kowalczyk-Zięba, Dr Dorota Boruszewska, and Dr Agnieszka Jończyk, will develop an innovative FLICKandGO kit – a solution enabling safe and simple freezing and thawing of bovine embryos.
The project has received funding under the SMART path of the European Funds for a Modern Economy (FENG) programme, which supports the most innovative initiatives with strong implementation potential.
The aim of the project is to develop a technology that will allow field veterinarians to independently and effectively perform embryo transfers, without the need for specialised laboratories. This solution can increase the efficiency of cattle reproduction, reduce breeding costs, and improve animal welfare.
Embryo transfer makes it possible to obtain several calves from a single cow, accelerates genetic progress, supports the preservation of valuable cattle breeds, and facilitates the international exchange of genetic material. The development and implementation of the FLICKandGO kit aim to make this technology more accessible and widely used – both in Poland and across the European market.
The project “FLICKandGO – a unique kit for frozen embryo transfer”, with a total value exceeding PLN 5.18 million, is implemented under Priority I “Support for Entrepreneurs” of the FENG programme. It is an excellent example of effective cooperation between science and business, directly addressing the needs of the agricultural and biotechnological sectors.
The initiative will be carried out in a consortium with the Veterinary Clinic “ESKULAP”, led by Dr Kamil Kossakowski, who serves as the project leader.
Prof. Bożena Kamińska from the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology Polish Academy of Sciences, will be the guest of the upcoming Open Seminar organized within the WELCOME2 ERA Chair project.
Seminar Title: Dissecting brain tumor microenvironment at a single-cell resolution reveals new targets and immune biomarkers
Date & Time: 31 October, 10:00 AM
Place: Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS in Olsztyn, 18 Trylińskiego St., Conference Room “SKANDA”
We look forward to seeing you there!
The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays important role in tumor endurance and response to therapies. TME of malignant brain tumors (gliomas) is characterized by a large diversity of different cell types, including endothelial cells, neurons, astrocytes, and a variety of immune cells such as microglia, tumor-associated macrophages, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and various non-cellular components.
Advancements of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics provide powerful means to systemically profile the TME at a single-cell resolution, revealing the phenotypes and functionalities of disease-specific cell populations. Human tumors have different genetic alterations and consequences of those alterations on the immune TME and host immunity are poorly known. We used Cellular Indexing of Transcriptomes and Epitopes by Sequencing (CITE-seq) to identify cells/functionalities in experimental gliomas with various genetic alterations: the mutated NRAS or overexpression of PDGFB and different IDH1 status (wild type of mutated). IDH1 mutations are among the initial events in tumorigenesis and mutant IDH1 enzymes via the production of the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglatarate (2-HG) exert pronounced effects on the immune composition of TME. Computational analysis revealed the presence of 34 immune cell clusters in tumors and various abundance of specific cells/states in TME of gliomas with distinct genetic alterations. IDH1 mutant gliomas have less cytotoxic T lymphocytes than wild type gliomas, and we noticed the inhibition of cell cycle processes in T cells suggesting deeper immunosuppression in those gliomas. The observed differences were validated by flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry. The experimental tumor models revealed mechanisms of immune dysregulation and defined new targets for immunotherapies. We found that tumor-secreted SPP1 (secreted phosphoprotein 1) a ligand of integrins drives reprogramming of immune cells, formation of aberrant tumor vasculature and a “cold” TME. We had developed synthetic peptides that block SPP1-integrin interactions and reprogramming of myeloid cells. The 7aaRGD peptide efficiently blocked microglia-dependent invasion of glioma cells in vitro, prevented the emergence of protumoral myeloid cells and normalized peritumoral vasculature. Combining 7aaRGD with anti-PD-1 antibody reduced tumor growth, expanded proliferating, interferon-ɣ producing CD8+T cells and reduced T regulatory cells. Transcriptomic profiles of myeloid cells after the combined treatment suggested the emergence of the “hot” inflammatory TME and augmented immune responses. Intratumorally delivered 7aaRGD similarly modified the TME of human U87MG gliomas in immunocompromised mice. We developed a series of humanized SPP1-integrin blocking peptides that reduced invasion of glioma cells in vitro. The leading candidate I49 blocked glioma growth in vivo when delivered intratumorally. We propose that combining the integrin blockade with immune checkpoint inhibitors would improve immunotherapy outcomes in brain tumors and other cancers.
Prof. Bożena Kamińska is a distinguished neuroscientist and molecular biologist, internationally recognized for her research on brain tumors and immune responses in the central nervous system.
She is head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland. She obtained her PhD in biochemistry at the Nencki Institute in 1991 and after postdoctoral training at the Mc Gill University in Montreal, Canada, she become a full professor in 2003. From 2009 to 2023 she was the director of the Postgraduate School of Molecular Medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw. She was a visiting researcher at the Brain Research Institute at UCLA in Los Angeles, USA (2001-2002) and the Nanshan Scholar visiting professor at the Medical University of Guangzhou, China (2019-2022). She is an elected member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (since 2016) and European Molecular Biology Organization (since 2022).
She received a prestigious Foundation for Polish Science Award 2021 in life sciences, the Prime Minister Award for scientific achievements (2022) and was nominated by NCN for AcademiaNet – Expert Database for Outstanding Female Scientists and Scholars.
She specializes in molecular neurobiology, tumor immunology, neuro-oncology and neuroimmunology, with focus on functions of myeloid cells in pathological processes. Prof. Kaminska’s lab employs multidisciplinary approaches combining in vivo experiments in rodent models of human pathologies and in vitro experiments in primary cultures, brain slices and human induced pluripotent stem cell organoids. She has pioneered single-cell omics studies of brain tumor microenvironment in experimental gliomas. In recent years her group has been exploring transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms in microglia in response to environmental exposures and experience.
She promoted 38 PhD students and 15 Master students.
Laboratory management and animal testing were the topics discussed by experts from Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Estonia, creating a unique space for the exchange of valuable experiences and good practices. On September 23-24, our Institute hosted an international workshop organized as part of the CROSSPATHS project, which is a program focused on developing international cooperation between scientific units to make better use of investments financed by Regional Operational Programs and to create innovations in the fields of food, health, and bioeconomy.
On the first day, participants focused on the challenges facing laboratory managers. After visiting our laboratories, representatives from the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP), the Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU), and our Institute opened a discussion in which they sought to identify key problem areas faced by laboratory managers. The key challenges include limited budgets, staff shortages, and overuse of equipment. Strategies to address these challenges included strengthening cooperation, improving data management, and defining the unique characteristics of each institution’s offerings. The day concluded with a lecture by Inna Dimova (Innotrope), who introduced participants to the complexities of intellectual property rights in European research projects.
The second day was dedicated to animal welfare. Our experts, Prof. Jerzy Juśkiewicz, who conducts research involving animal testing, and Dr. Radosław Kowalski, Chairman of the Polish National Ethics Committee for Animal Experiments, discussed the ethical aspects of research, alternative methods of in vivo experiments, and the Polish legal framework. Representatives of Wageningen University (WUR) presented innovative projects in the field of sustainable agriculture. The second day was concluded with a study visit to the Institute’s animal facility.
The jointly identified laboratory challenges require joint solutions, based on standardization, training, and partnership between institutions. The workshop confirmed the need for participants to continue close cooperation and knowledge sharing, especially within European projects. The discussion on animal testing highlighted the key importance of transparency, ethics, and the application of the 3Rs principle (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) for obtaining reliable scientific results and social acceptance.
Read more about the CROSSPATHS project here.
Developed jointly by Stanford University and Elsevier, the list includes the top 2% of scientists worldwide based on standard citation metrics. This prestigious list recognizes the world’s leading scientists who have had a significant impact on their fields through their research and publications. Publications are an essential source of evidence-based information. They allow scientific excellence to be assessed and the latest scientific achievements to be tracked, which is particularly important in times of increasing misinformation.
Single Year Data: 2025 | Top SCINET – Top 2% Scientists:
prof. Carsten Carlberg
Main Field: Biomedical Research
Sub Field: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rank in the SubField: 154.0
H-index: 14, Hm-index: 10
prof. dr hab. Ryszard Amarowicz
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Food Science
Rank in the SubField: 97.0
H-index: 21, Hm-index: 9
dr Małgorzata Starowicz
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Food Science
Rank in the SubField: 586.0
H-index: 13, Hm-index: 6
prof. dr hab. Henryk Zieliński
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Food Science
Rank in the SubField: 1288.0
H-index: 12, Hm-index: 6
prof. dr hab. Andrzej Ciereszko
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Fisheries
Rank in the SubField: 861.0 H-index: 7, Hm-index: 4
Career Data: 2025 | Top SCINET – Top 2% Scientists:
prof. Carsten Carlberg
Main Field: Biomedical Research
Sub Field: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rank in the SubField: 454.0
H-index: 67, Hm-index: 42
Top 2% Listed Year(s): 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
prof. dr hab. Ryszard Amarowicz
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Food Science
Rank in the SubField: 85.0
H-index: 67, Hm-index: 32
Top 2% Listed Year(s): 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
prof. dr hab. Henryk Zieliński
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Food Science
Rank in the SubField: 626.0
H-index: 40, Hm-index: 19
Top 2% Listed Year(s): 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
prof. dr hab. Mariusz Piskuła
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Food Science
Rank in the SubField: 963.0
H-index: 40, Hm-index: 15
Top 2% Listed Year(s): 2025, 2023, 2022, 2021
prof. dr hab. Adam Zięcik, professor emeritus
Main Field: Clinical Medicine
Sub Field: Dairy & Animal Science
Rank in the SubField: 558.0
H-index: 32, Hm-index: 17
Top 2% Listed Year(s): 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
dr hab. inż. Magdalena Karamać
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Food Science
Rank in the SubField: 1307.0
H-index: 30, Hm-index: 14
Top 2% Listed Year(s): 2025, 2024, 2023
prof. dr hab. Andrzej Ciereszko
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Fisheries
Rank in the SubField: 811.0
H-index: 40, Hm-index: 22
Top 2% Listed Year(s): 2025, 2024
prof. dr hab. Zenon Zduńczyk, professor emeritus
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Dairy & Animal Science
Rank in the SubField: 900.0
H-index: 36, Hm-index: 19
Top 2% Listed Year(s): 2025, 2022, 2021
prof. dr hab. Jan Kotwica, professor emeritus
Main Field: Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Sub Field: Dairy & Animal Science
Rank in the SubField: 871.0
H-index: 29, Hm-index: 18
Top 2% Listed Year(s): 2025, 2022
Congratulations!
More information about the list of leading minds in science and the methodology used in the ranking can be found here.
We cordially invite PhD students, scientific supervisors and all employees of the Institute to the PhD students Oath ceremony of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Agricultural Sciences.
The inauguration of the academic year will be marked by a lecture from Dr. Radosław Kowalski:
The event will take place on September 30, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. in the SKANDA seminar room.
We are living in an era of a global obesity epidemic, closely tied to poor dietary choices and insufficient physical activity. Scientific studies show that regular exercise reduces both morbidity and mortality, and that physical fitness is one of the keys to longevity. For people who cannot be motivated to engage in physical activity, pharmacological support in the form of exercise mimetics may offer an alternative.
– Physical activity affects whole-body homeostasis and significantly contributes to the prevention of non-communicable diseases. It is also a key factor in supporting healthy aging, – emphasizes Prof. Carsten Carlberg from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, a researcher specializing in nutrigenomics – the study of interactions between genes, nutrition, and health.
He lists the wide-ranging effects of physical activity: starting with the brain (e.g. improved cognitive function and antidepressant effects), cardiovascular system (enhanced heart performance), immune system (increased immunocompetence), gastrointestinal tract (healthier gut microbiota balance and improved intestinal function), skeletal muscles (muscle strength), metabolism (improved glucose metabolism and influence on body weight), reproductive system (fertility), and even bones (greater bone strength).
As Prof. Carlberg explains, this is largely due to the increased production and release of myokines – proteins secreted by muscles in response to exercise, which affect other parts of the body.
Prof. Carlberg encourages incorporating physical activity into daily routines – and this doesn’t mean just going to the gym, but also everyday movements like walking or cycling. Ideally, these activities should last at least 10 minutes each time.
For those who cannot be persuaded to exercise, pharmacological support in the form of exercise mimetics may be a possible option.
– Mimetics are substances or molecules that mimic the action of natural molecules. In this case, these molecules can simulate the effects of exercise by acting as key components of muscle adaptation to physical exertion – such as mitochondrial remodeling and bioenergetics, – says Prof. Carlberg.
At the same time, he cautions that while the potential of exercise mimetics to prevent or treat obesity is promising, there is also a risk that these compounds could be misused as doping agents by endurance athletes.
Physical activity not only affects whole-body homeostasis – it also directly influences the epigenome (a collection of changes to our DNA that determine which genes are “switched on” or “off,” without altering the genetic code itself) of muscle cells. This has particular significance in the prevention of metabolic diseases, which involve disruptions in how the body processes energy and nutrients. Exercise increases energy expenditure by burning fat that would otherwise accumulate, thus helping to prevent conditions like type 1 and type 2 diabetes or obesity.
What’s more, physical activity reduces the presence of active compounds in the body that can trigger inflammation.
– In this way – primarily by reducing systemic chronic inflammation – physical activity also improves immunocompetence, i.e. the immune system’s ability to respond to pathogens, – the scientist points out.
Physical activity also has a positive effect on disorders not directly related to energy metabolism, such as cancer, mental health conditions, and neurodegenerative diseases.
– These examples show that physical activity-induced restoration or maintenance of whole-body metabolism and bioenergetics changes homeostatic signaling, influencing nutrient absorption and the availability of growth factors across various tissues – both in health and in disease, – says Prof. Carlberg.
The information in this article comes from the book “Aging. How Science Works”, published by Springer. The authors are researchers: Carsten Carlberg, Stine M. Ulven (University of Oslo, Norway), and Eunike Velleuer (University of Düsseldorf, Germany).
The article originally appeared on the science news portal Pulsar.
The preservation of human fertility and the protection of animal biodiversity were the two main topics of the 61st meeting of the Society for Low Temperature Biology (SLTB) – an international scientific society that studies the effects of low temperatures on living organisms. For the first time in its history, the event was held in Poland, with scientists from our Institute acting as organizers.
The meeting brought together researchers from around the world who specialize in cell, tissue and organ cryopreservation, biobanking, fertility preservation, protection of endangered species, and food preservation.
It was a valuable opportunity to share knowledge, build international collaborations, and explore innovative solutions in preserving human and animal fertility. The conference also highlighted the global importance of cryobiology and the leading role of the InLife Institute in developing this field to serve science, medicine, industry, and environmental protection.
Founded in 1964 in the United Kingdom, SLTB promotes research on the effects of cryopreservation – a method of long-term storage of living cells, tissues, and even entire organisms at ultra-low temperatures, usually below –150°C.
The outcomes of this research are widely used in biology, medicine, biotechnology, and biodiversity conservation.
The conference opened at the University of Warmia and Mazury (UWM) in Olsztyn with welcome addresses by Prof. Birgit Glasmacher, Chair of SLTB, and Dr. Taisiia Yurchuk, SLTB member, currently conducting research at our Institute.
On the first day, three major sessions were held, focusing on reproductive cryobiology, biobanking, and modern imaging, thawing, and whole-organ preservation techniques.
On the second day, the conference took place at the InLife Institute and was expanded with a session dedicated to the cryopreservation of aquatic organisms. This method involves freezing cells, tissues, and even entire embryos so that they can be safely stored for a long time, then thawed and reused – for example, in breeding, treatment, or the conservation of endangered species. A lecture on this topic was delivered by Dr. hab. Radosław Kowalski, professor at the institute. Meanwhile, Dr. Tomasz Jeliński spoke about the cryopreservation of plants, emphasizing the importance of this method for the food industry and sustainable development.
On the third day, the conference continued at the UWM. It began with a session on avian biodiversity conservation, including a keynote lecture by Dr. Mariola Słowińska. Dr. Ewa Sosin, Secretary of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP), presented on the preservation of animal genetic resources and building effective conservation systems.
A working meeting of the Board of the European Genebank Network (EUGENA) and the Working Group on ex situ Conservation of the European Regional Focal Point for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP) also took place during the conference. These expert groups focus on preserving the genetic diversity of farm animals.
Members of both networks actively participated in the scientific sessions, presenting challenges and strategies for biodiversity protection, with particular emphasis on cryopreservation. They also visited the Institute’s Gene Bank, laboratories, Research Station in Popielno, and learned about the work of our Biodiversity Conservation Team.
As part of the SLTB tradition, a scientific poster competition for early-career researchers was held. Winners of the Audrey Smith Travel Awards were also announced.
A special distinction – the SLTB Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cryobiology and the Society’s Development – was presented to Dr. Pavel Meřička, responsible for the tissue bank at the University Hospital in Hradec Králové.
The program also included a photo competition titled “Low temperatures through the lens”. One of the awards went to Karolina Łukasik from our Institute.
On behalf of the InLife Institute, the conference was organized by the Team of Reproductive Pathology and Translational Medicine. The key coordinators of the 61st Annual SLTB Meeting were: Prof. dr hab Dariusz Skarżyński, Dr. Taisiia Yurchuk, Karolina Łukasik, Dr. Paweł Likszo, and Dr. hab. Beenu M. Jalali.
The next SLTB meeting will be held in 2026 in Czech Republic.
Follow the information on the SLTB page.
