EMBO scholarship for UPWr PhD student

• The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is able to produce important substances for humans, which include polyols – a group of compounds used as sweeteners, among other things.
• The Short-Term Fellowship from the European Molecular Biology Organisation belongs to the group of renowned fellowships and is financially attractive. However, it is relatively difficult to obtain.
• The PhD student is planning further research internships in the future and will apply for a grant for his research.

Mateusz Szczepańczyk is a PhD student at the UPWr Doctoral School and an employee of the Laboratory for Sustainable Biodiversity, at the Institute of Environmental Biology, where he is currently carrying out research that forms part of his PhD thesis. He’s also a part of the scientific project OPUS 16, led by Prof. Aleksandra Mirończuk and funded by the National Centre for Science (NCN). It concerns the molecular mechanism of polyol assimilation in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. He is currently on a research internship at the Universität für Bodenkultur (BOKU) in Vienna.

Yarrowia lipolytica, polyols – what are they?

Yarrowia lipolytica, is a yeast. It uses fats rather than simple sugars as an energy source, like yeasts of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae family. The PhD student's dissertation examines the cellular response of the Yarrowia lipolytica yeast to osmotic stress, a condition in which there is a change in osmotic pressure relative to cellular conditions. It can be induced by a high concentration of compounds used by the cell (e.g. glucose, glycerol) or by the addition of salt to the medium. Changing these conditions triggers a response by the cell to defend itself against this stress.

– In the case of Y. lipolytica yeast, the production of osmoprotectants (which polyols are) occurs. This is an extremely interesting topic, as this yeast is able to produce important substances for humans, which include polyols. Polyols are a group of compounds used, among other things, as sweeteners. Erythritol, which belongs to this group, is an ideal substitute for sugar, as it has similar sweetness parameters with a low glycaemic index. In addition, the yeast also produces mannitol and arabitol. It is these other polyols, about which far less is known, that are currently the object of my research – explains the doctoral student, who won a Short-Term Fellowship from the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) of almost 7,500 euros for his research.

The scholarship is worth applying for

The Short-Term Fellowship from the European Molecular Biology Organisation is a renowned fellowship and is also very attractive in financial terms. This makes many people try their hand at winning it, but a positive opinion is given to only a dozen or so percent.

 As the doctoral student tells us, the Short-Term Fellowship can be applied for continuously. There are no deadlines to meet, but the number of applications means that the response time is between three and four months. It is therefore important to apply early enough to receive funding for the trip before your research begins.

– It is also very important to choose the right research centre that best suits the topic of your planned research. All this will not only increase the chance of receiving a scholarship, but will also allow the planned research to be carried out under the guidance of experts in the field – encourages Mateusz to get the scholarship. In order to receive the scholarship, the doctoral student had to prepare, among other things, a description of the planned research and previous experience. Confirmation of previous activities included proving authorship and co-authorship of publications, or internships and training. It was also necessary to provide letters of recommendation, confirming the experience and skills necessary to carry out the intended work.

Mateusz Szczepańczyk's internship in Vienna started on 15 November last year and will last until 4 February 2023. The PhD student is analysing, together with Prof. Sauer, the influence of different factors on the utilisation of polyols by the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica.

The yeast has the ability to utilise many unconventional carbon sources, such as waste glycerol. However, for some polyols, this process is not very efficient and requires genetic modification of the yeast, followed by the development of suitable conditions conducive to the utilisation of this compound.

The overarching aim of the research carried out during Mateusz’s trip is therefore to optimise this process and scale up the laboratory to bioreactors. This will allow the use of Y. lipolytica yeast to produce value-added compounds from mannitol, which can be extracted from waste matter, which includes brown algae rich in this compound. In simpler terms, Mateusz focuses on the production of mannitol fats from waste matter.

What's next?

In the near future, Mateusz would like to focus on finalising the research he has started and publishing the results in order to increase his scientific output. – This will allow me to increase my chances of receiving a research grant, which I would like to apply for next year. Finalising the research I have started will also enable me to set a direction for further work, and I would like to share the knowledge I have gained with the staff of the Laboratory for Sustainable Biodiversity when I return from my internship. I also don't rule out another trip to improve my competences and gain new experiences that I could use in my doctoral thesis – concludes the doctoral student.

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