Three projects submitted by the MUG received funding as part of the ministerial programme ‘Students' Scientific Circles Create Innovations’

13.04.2025

Almost 200,000 zlotys of funding will be awarded to three student scientific circles: the SKN Oncology and Radiotherapy at the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, the Student Scientific Circle at the Department of Medical Immunology at the MUG and the English Division Scientific Circle of Neurosurgery in a competition organised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, which has just been resolved.

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education has announced the results of the competition as part of the 5th edition of the Students’ Scientific Circles Create Innovations programme. The Medical University of Gdańsk submitted 12 applications, of which 3 received funding totalling almost 200,000 zlotys. We invite you to read descriptions of the awarded projects.

1. The project Molecular basis of reprogramming of the cardiac conduction system under the influence of radiotherapy, developed by the SKN Oncology and Radiotherapy at the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy.

The SKN team consisting of: Anna Prus, Lena Grono, Helena Kamieniecka, Michał Dąbrowski, Franciszek Deresz operating at the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy supported by experts in the fields of cardiology and experimental oncology have prepared a project connecting medical science and technology. The work will be carried out as part of the newly established Centre for Experimental Cardiac Oncology under the supervision of Dr. Habil. Barbara Kutryb-Zając, Assoc. Prof., Klaudia Stawarska, M.A. and Bartłomiej Tomasik, Ph.D..

– Cancer and heart disease are major health adversaries around the world. While radiotherapy is one of the most important tools in the fight against cancer, it turns out that it can also affect heart rhythm. More and more patients being treated for thoracic cancer are experiencing heart rhythm disturbances, that is, arrhythmias – and much earlier than we might expect – explains Klaudia Stawarska, M.A. from the Department of Biochemistry at the MUG.

Members of the Circle will study how radiation affects the heart’s electrical system, the one responsible for its rhythmic beating. – Instead of the long-lasting process of fibrosis (i.e. scarring), which has so far been considered the main cause of heart problems after radiotherapy, we suspect that changes may appear much more quickly and may be linked to disorders in the functioning of mitochondria – the ‘power station’ of our cells – says Bartłomiej Tomasik, Ph.D. from the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy at the MUG. The project will use advanced models of heart tissue, the so-called ‘living heart slices’, which allow experimental research to be conducted outside the body, but under conditions that accurately imitate reality. The research team will analyse, among other things, the oxygen consumption of heart cells, their metabolism and changes in electrical conduction after exposure to radiation. – _We are conducting experiments on animal models, using specially selected rats that develop hypertension and are more prone to cardiac arrhythmias. This allows us to better understand how different factors such as radiation, oxidative stress and hypertension collectively affect the cardiac conduction system – adds Bartlomiej Tomasik, Ph.D..

The research could prove to be an important step towards developing therapies that use radiation not only as a weapon against cancer, but also as a precise tool in the treatment of heart disease. – _Our research may contribute to better planning of radiotherapy in order to protect the heart of cancer patients, as well as to the development of new treatments for dangerous arrhythmias, including the increasingly common radiotherapy aimed directly at the core of the arrhythmia – concludes Dr. Habil. Barbara Kutryb-Zając, Assoc. Prof..

2. The project Identification of Fatty Acid Oxidation Metabolites as Potential Biomarkers in Patients with Intracranial Aneurysms and Subarachnoid Haemorrhage prepared by the English Division Scientific Circle of Neurosurgery.

The aim of the project is to evaluate the concentrations of oxylipins, biologically active metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids, in the blood of patients with intracranial aneurysms and to investigate their association with the risk of complications, clinical picture and functional status of the patient after subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Intracranial aneurysms occur in approximately 3% of the population and their rupture leads to subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) with a high risk of neurological complications and mortality. Despite advances in diagnosis, predicting complications such as cerebral vasospasm or delayed cerebral ischaemia (DCI) remains challenging. – _Studies indicate that oxidative stress and biologically active metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids, may play a key role in the degeneration of the aneurysm wall and the development of complications following aSAH. Lipid metabolites reflecting oxidative stress, inflammation and cerebral vascular tone, may be potential biomarkers of risk for poor prognosis and complications after SAH. The aim of the project is to assess the concentrations of selected polyunsaturated fatty acid peroxidation metabolites in blood samples from patients with intracranial aneurysms and to investigate their association with the risk of complications, clinical picture and functional status of the patient after aSAH – explains Paulina Skrzypkowska, Chair of the Circle.

The research will be conducted by a team consisting of: Natalia Anna Koc, Maurycy Rakowski, Paulina Skrzypkowska and Samuel Pettersson, and the scientific supervisor of the project is Prof. Adriana Mika, Pharm.D. from the Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, the MUG.

3. The project GDF-15 and H-FABP as early markers of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients developed by the Students’ Scientific Circle of Medical Immunology.

The aim of the project is the early detection of cardiovascular complications associated with oncology treatment, which may contribute to more effective cardiovascular protection for patients. In addition, the analysis of polymorphisms of the genes encoding these proteins is planned, which may provide new information on patients’ individual susceptibility to cardiac damage.

– The project in the field of cardiooncology focuses on identifying biomarkers allowing earlier detection of cardiotoxicity in patients undergoing cancer therapy, compared to current methods. The biomarkers GDF-15 and H-FABP will be analysed and compared with standard biomarkers of cardiotoxicity (troponin, BNP/NT-proBNP) and changes in echocardiography – explains Dr. Habil. Bartosz Słomiński, supervisor of the Circle.

The project is being carried out by members of the Students’ Scientific Circle of Medical Immunology, including Wiktoria Michnowska and Jakub Jarczewski, with substantive support from Prof. Ewa Lewicka, M.D., Ph.D., from the 2nd Cardiology and Cardiac Electrotherapy Clinic of the University Clinical Centre, the MUG Hospital, and Dr. Habil. Bartosz Słomiński, from the Department of Medical Immunology of the MUG.

In the competition organised as part of the 5th edition of the Students’ Scientific Circles Create Innovations programme, the Minister of Science and Higher Education qualified 145 projects for funding, for a total amount of 8,234,750.96 PLN. The winning projects were selected from among 371 applications submitted for the competition.

Congratulations to the winners from the Medical University of Gdańsk!