Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska, PhD: Our research is the future of medicine

Dr Kornicka-Garbowska has been associated with the Department of Experimental Biology since writing her master's thesis, which was supervised by Prof. Krzysztof Marycz.

She achieved her first scientific successes as a student, winning the Rector's scholarship and the award for the best diploma of the year. – It was during my master's studies that I got involved with science. I gained the experience that later helped me start my doctoral studies. Prof. Marycz once again became my supervisor. Since my internship (which took place after my graduate studies), I have also been cooperating with UCL in London in the field of bioimaging, using confocal and multiphoton microscopy and quantitative analysis of the obtained images. This is one of the best universities in the world, so my dream of an ideal institution for cooperating with has also already come true – says Dr Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska, whose research focuses on the analysis of the molecular basis of insulin resistance in horses affected by equine metabolic syndrome (EMS).  

Dr Kornicka-Garbowska's team deals with stem cells and biomaterials. – I focus on the study of stem cells isolated from horses and their use in the treatment of chronic diseases, mainly endocrine diseases (EMS). As a team, we also study how the diseases of a given animal affect the potential of cells, and we look for answers to whether autologous therapy is always required and what we can do to improve cells so that they can serve as a therapeutic tool – says the scientist from the Department of Experimental Biology.

EMS is a model for research into type 2 diabetes in humans. The young scientist is also looking for innovative methods for treating this disease and developing methods of in vitro cell rejuvenation, including via therapeutic mitochondrial transfer.

– We have recently been hearing more and more about translational medicine, aimed at translating the results from research laboratories into clinical practice, both in the context of therapy and diagnostics – explains Dr Kornicka-Garbowska, adding that it is crucial to develop an appropriate and reliable animal model in order to conduct preclinical studies. The scientist explains that large animals, such as pigs or horses, which have many molecular, anatomical, physiological and metabolic aspects in common with humans, prove themselves better than rodents in this type of research. 

– The research of our team and other groups has shown that the equine model can be successfully used in research on lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, asthma, reproductive system disorders, Parkinson's disease, as well as diseases of the bones and joints. We believe that the therapeutic solutions we have developed on the horse model will someday be used in human medicine – explains Dr Kornicka-Garbowska. 

Dr Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska leads the Preludium 14 project, financed by the National Science Centre, in which she is responsible for developing a strategy for repairing damaged stem cells. She obtained the grant when she was still a doctoral student. The project, titled "Mitochondrial transfer as an innovative method of restoring parentage to stem cells isolated from the adipose tissue of horses affected by equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)", won almost PLN 140,000 in funding from the National Science Centre, and the research being conducted will constitute the basis for submitting another application – for a grant from the Sonata program, which is intended for scientists with PhD degrees. 

Dr Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska is currently applying for funding from the LIDER program of the National Centre for Research and Development, which extends the competences of young scientists so that they can independently plan, manage and lead their own research teams, with the results of research projects carried out by these teams then implemented in the economy. Dr Kornicka-Garbowska wants to set up an interdisciplinary team that will construct a device for the preparation of platelet-rich plasma used in veterinary medicine.  

– Today, veterinarians most often use machines that were built with human medicine in mind. There is no device that would help to prepare plasma tailored to the needs of a specific patient, tailored to a species of animal and the conditions it suffers from – explains the scientist from the Department of Experimental Biology. 

The idea for this "veterinary" device is related to the effect of a magnetic field and temperature on a blood sample – the vet would take material from a dog, for example, and put it into the device, set the parameters on the basis of previously conducted in vitro tests and in a simple way obtain platelet-rich plasma, which is most often used in dentistry, orthopaedics and dermatology.

However, the modern therapeutic methods that scientists are working on have a significant limitation – legal provisions that only allow the use of cell therapies in a limited form. Simply put, we can only use unchanged autologous cells to treat patients. Our interference with the metabolism and functions of cells is so important that in order to use these altered cells in the therapy, for example, of humans, preclinical and clinical tests are necessary. Only confirmation that the therapy is safe will open the way to its use in treatment – explains Dr Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska. 

When asked about her scientific plans, Dr Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska replies that time will show what the future will bring: – As long as I feel that I have opportunities for development, as well as a friendly environment, I would like to follow this path. As a member of the Reg Med Lab Lead Research Team , I can always count on a lot of support. But my dream would be for more and more women to decide to pursue a scientific career, and that their efforts following this demanding decision be duly appreciated. 

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