The Polpharma Scientific Foundation Awards granted

27.06.2022

For the twentieth time, the Polpharma Scientific Foundation (Naukowa Fundacja Polpharmy) awarded grants to finance two research projects with a total value of 1 104 720 PLN. The author of one of the winning projects is Dr. Habil. Anna Wardowska from the Department of Physiopathology of the Medical University of Gdańsk, appreciated for her thesis entitled Immune system of patients with the renal form of systemic lupus erythematosus after infection with SARS-CoV-2 (518 400 PLN). The winner of the second grant is Dr. Habil. Tomasz Skirecki from the Department of Clinical Cytology and the Laboratory of Flow Cytometry of the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education with the project Lung fibrosis in the course of COVID-19: development of a new in vivo model and understanding the role of the inflammasome-TGF-β1-pericytes axis in the pathomechanism of fibrosis. The awards were presented on 21st of June 2022 in Warsaw during a ceremonial gala attended by Prof. Michał Markuszewski, Vice-Rector for Science, who introduced the participants to the idea of ​​the competition and the Prof. Roman Kaliszan Award.

from the left: Chairman of Polpharma’s Supervisory Board Jerzy Starak, Dr. Habil. Anna Wardowska, Dr. Habil. Tomasz Skirecki and Prof. Janina Stępińska, Head of the Foundation’s Scientific Council

As the winner of the award explains, the aim of the project is to investigate how SARS-CoV-2 virus infection affects the immune system in patients with the renal form of systemic lupus.

– We are going to check how the behavior of the immune system cells changes after contact with the virus and whether such changes affect the course of the underlying disease – explains Dr. Habil. Anna Wardowska. – We assume that the data obtained by us will be a valuable source of information for both scientists of basic sciences and clinicians. Understanding the influence of SARS-CoV-2 virus on the immune system of patients with SLE will bring us closer to understanding its mechanisms of action, defining prognostic markers and creating an opportunity to draw up an effective therapeutic scheme in the case of existing autoimmune disorders.

The topic of the 20th edition of the competition, carried out in 2021, was COVID-19 – etiopathology, clinic, public health. 22 research project applications were submitted to the competition. The Scientific Council, on the basis of its own review and assessment of the author’s achievements to date, the originality and innovation of the project, established a ranking list and presented it to the Foundation’s management board, which decided to award 2 winning grants.

Event’s broadcast is available at the YouTube channel.

photo from press materials of the Polpharma Scientific Foundation