LIDER programme: millions in funding for young UPWr scientists

The LIDER programme is aimed at young scientists. Its focus is on enhancing their competences in planning research work independently and managing their own research team during research projects. Funding is awarded to those young scientists whose results can be applied in practice and have potential for implementation. This year, a total of over PLN 80 million in funding was available, and was finally granted to 56 projects, including two from our university.

Vanillin to enable waste management

Dr. Ewa Szczepańska from the Department of Chemistry of the UPWr is to receive PLN 1,493,020 for the development of biotechnological production of vanillin with the use of by-products of the agri-food industry. – This biotechnological method may not only provide a way to obtain vanillin that is competitive in terms of price, but also enable the management of waste from the agricultural industry as a feed additive for farm animals – says the researcher.

She explains that vanillin as an aroma mainly functions as an additive to food products, although it is also used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. The global demand for vanillin, which is currently around 16,000 tonnes/year, is almost entirely covered by synthetic vanillin made from phenol, which is much cheaper than its natural version, i.e. vanillin extracted from Vanilla planifoliaseeds. However, both the source of the substrate (a compound derived from the processing of crude oil) and the method of obtaining it are not attractive from a consumer's perspective and are not perceived as sustainable.

Cheaper and healthier

– The high price and limited availability of vanillin from vanilla beans prompted us to develop a method of biosynthesis of this aroma using microorganisms. As part of the project, we will use microbiological cultures on agro-industrial residues, which will enable the release and bioconversion of ferulic acid to vanillin, meeting the criteria of a natural identical aroma – says Dr. Ewa Szczepańska, emphasising that the project is part of the strategy of the Lead Research Group BioActiv in which she works, especially on topics related to the sustainable management of by-products of the agri-food industry and the production of products with potential use as food additives in the food industry.

– It is worth mentioning that the demand for vanillin in Poland is covered solely by imports, and there is currently no producer of this aroma compound on the Polish market. However, the largest Polish producer of food additives – JAR Aromaty – is interested in the results of our project – adds Dr. Szczepańska.

Regenerating serum for veterinary medicine

With funding received as part of the LIDER programme, Dr. Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska will construct a device that will prepare platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for animals. She has received PLN 1,499,439 for this purpose.

– The project called "RegMag+ intelligent system for the production of regenerating serum for veterinary medicine and biotechnology" is the result of my cooperation with the veterinary community, and it meets their expectations – says Dr. Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska from the Faculty of Biology and Animal Breeding of the UPWr. – During conversations with veterinarians, to my surprise it turned out that few of them use platelet-rich plasma, which is a kind of biological drug – she adds, explaining that PRP is obtained from autologous blood (a patient's own), in which the concentration of platelets is greater than in physiological (natural) plasma. It is currently being used successfully in humans, mainly in plastic surgery (in the treatment of chronic wounds and ulcers), sports medicine and aesthetic medicine (baldness treatment, facial skin renewal treatments), but also in many other fields of medicine, such as orthopaedic and gynaecological surgery. It can reduce the risk of infection of damaged tissues, as it protects against some bacteria.

Dr. Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska is convinced that platelet-rich plasma should also be used in veterinary medicine.

– Except that the number of sets on the market for preparing PRP for animals is significantly limited. What's more, they require different types of laboratory work, which often scares off potential users, and their preparation is very time consuming – says the biologist. She adds that although there is equipment on the market that carries out the PRP preparation process automatically, this is an expensive solution and today is only intended for humans.

Veterinary surgeons are waiting for RegMag+

In veterinary medicine there is a gap on the market, which RegMag+, which is developed at the UPWr, should fill, as it automatically guides the veterinarian through the entire PRP preparation procedure.

– Simple to use, intuitive and cutting-edge, controlled from an app on your phone, it will make regenerative medicine therapy available ‘on request’ in every veterinary clinic, setting new standards in treatment. Doctors will have access to a comprehensive system for obtaining the product, eliminating the need to purchase each of the components separately, including the drying oven and centrifuge, as is currently the case. Our product will be the first in the world to be personalised for a specific animal species and have a targeted effect: one for wounds that are difficult to heal, another for orthopaedic and dental applications – boasts Dr. Kornicka-Garbowska.

The biologist from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences has no doubts that the demand for RegMag+ will be huge and will increase with the growing number of pets in households. According to estimates of Euromonitor, the number of pets in Poland today is around 21 million, of which about 7 million are dogs, many of which suffer from various diseases. The most common are periodontal diseases, degenerative arthritis and obesity, which often leads to the development of orthopaedic diseases and dermatosis, i.e. skin diseases. At the same time there is a growing interest in regenerative medicine therapies.

– The systems available on the market today are based only on blood collection tubes, making it necessary to additionally purchase an appropriate centrifuge and correctly programme it, which is often technologically challenging, due to e.g. mismatching the centrifuge and the test tubes. Our product is a comprehensive system with programmed parameters that facilitates the preparation procedure – emphasises Dr. Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska, adding that her team includes engineers from the Wrocław University of Technology, headed by Dr. Agnieszka Podwin, an expert in the field of NMR research, students of the Faculty of Biology and Animal Breeding of the UPWr, employees of the department, and practicing veterinarians who will conduct the biological part, in vitro and clinical in vivo tests.