Conference honouring Prof. Jerzy Popinigis held at the MUG

3.07.2025

One of the largest international scientific events in Central and Eastern Europe, the Free Radicals in Biology, Medicine, Sport and Nutrition conference, was held for the second time at Atheneum Gedanense Novum at the Medical University of Gdańsk on 27th – 28th 2025. The event brought together world-class researchers and scholars from countries including Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Poland. The conference featured four thematic sessions dedicated to the role of free radicals across diverse scientific domains: biology, medicine, sport and nutrition.

The event was organised by the academic successors and collaborators of the late Prof. Jerzy Popinigis, a pioneer of post-war biochemical research in Polish sport. The organising team included: Prof. Jędrzej Antosiewicz, Prof. Wiesław Ziółkowski, Prof. Jan Jacek Kaczor, Prof. Robert Olek, Prof. Michał Woźniak, and Prof. Zbigniew Śledziński.

The first day of the conference began with the scientific session Free Radicals in Biology. The session was chaired by Prof. Jędrzej Antosiewicz and Prof. Enrico Bertoli. Presentations were delivered by Dr. Andżelika Borkowska, Prof. Zsolt Radak, Prof. Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, Prof. Tiziana Bacchetti, and Prof. Mariusz Więckowski.

The second panel, titled Free Radicals in Medicine, was chaired by Prof. Wiesław Ziółkowski and Prof. Kent Sahlin. Speakers included Damian Flis, Ph.D., Anna Piotrowska, Ph.D., Agatha Stegemann, Ph.D., Konrad Kleszczyński, Ph.D., Prof. Katarzyna Koziak, and Prof. Konrad Kowalski.

After the presentations, a discussion panel titled Free Radicals in Medicine and Skin Ageing took place, moderated by Konrad Kleszczyński, Ph.D. and Prof. Anna Piotrowska. The first day concluded with a poster session, during which researchers presented the results of their studies. The authors of the best posters competed for the Prof. Jerzy Popinigis Award, as well as tablets and accessories to support their daily research work.

The scientific session Free Radicals in Sport, chaired by Prof. Robert Olek and Prof. Joanna Majerczak, opened the second day of the conference. Presenters included Dr. Sylwester Kujach, Prof. Antonio Paoli, Prof. David A. Hood, Prof. Scott Powers, Prof. Mark Tarnopolsky, and Prof. Tõnis Timmusk. Following the presentations, a discussion titled Oxidative Stress and Sports: Performance Optimizing was held, led by Prof. Christiaan Leeuwenburgh and Prof. Zsolt Radak.

The final panel, Free Radicals in Nutrition, was chaired by Prof. Jan Jacek Kaczor and Prof. Mark Tarnopolsky. Talks were given by Prof. Li Li Ji, Prof. Norihiro Imai, Prof. Jerzy Żołądź, Prof. Harald Sourij, and Prof. Giuseppe Fatati. The discussion panel following this session, titled New Way of Weight Control or Health Hazard?, was moderated by Prof. Michał Woźniak and Prof. Antonio Paoli. Winners of the poster competition were announced during the closing session of the event. First prize was awarded to Larissa C. Marques, second place went to Barbara Pakuła, and third place was awarded to Paweł Berezka.

The conference was held under the institutional patronage of the Medical University of Gdańsk. The organising committee included Prof. Jędrzej Antosiewicz, Head of the Department of Bioenergetics and Exercise Physiology at the MUG; Prof. Michał Woźniak from the Department of Medical Chemistry; Prof. Wiesław Ziółkowski from the Department and Clinic of Rehabilitation; Prof. Zbigniew Śledziński, retired faculty member of the Faculty of Medicine; Prof. Jan Jacek Kaczor from the University of Gdańsk; Prof. Robert Olek from the University of Physical Education in Poznań; Prof. Agnieszka Bartoszek from Gdańsk University of Technology; and Marian Popinigis, entrepreneur, investor, and brother of Prof. Jerzy Popinigis.

The event was organized in memory of Prof. Jerzy Popinigis, a pioneer of biochemical research in Polish sports after 1945. The first edition of the conference took place at the Medical University of Gdańsk in 2023.

Photo. Paweł Sudara, Zuzanna Zapisek