Three LIDER awards for UPWr scientists!

• Dr. Karolina Bierowiec will be implementing the StaphiX project, developing an innovative bacteriocin-based product for cats and dogs.
• Dr. Agata Mikolajczyk-Martinez wants to optimise a new method of treating peritoneal cancer and develop a prototype device for its use.
• The goal of Prof. Tomasz Hadaś's project is to implement a web service for processing real-time GNSS observations using the Precise Point Positioning technique.

The National Centre for Research and Development has announced the results of the 13th LIDER programme competition. The programme targets young scientists, with the aim of enhancing their competence in independently planning research work and managing their own research team. The programme funds research, the results of which may have practical use with potential for implementation.

Of the 49 projects awarded (290 applications submitted), the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences was awarded a total of three. This is a great feat for our scientists: Dr. Karolina Bierowiec from the Department of Epizootiology and Clinic for Birds and Exotic Animals, Dr. Agata Mikołajczyk-Martinez from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Prof. Tomasz Hadaś from the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformatics, as well as employees of the Research and Development Centre.

The StaphiX project – developing an innovative product for cats and dogs

Dr. Karolina Bierowiec was awarded almost PLN 1.5 million for her StaphiX project, which involves the development of an innovative bacteriocin-based product for cats and dogs with antimicrobial properties.

 As the scientist from the Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Birds and Exotic Animals at the UPWr explains, one of the greatest challenges for human and veterinary medicine today is to halt the progressive increase in antimicrobial resistance among bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant micro-organisms endanger the health and lives of humans and animals, prolong therapy and thus increase treatment costs in real terms. A standard approach of administering antimicrobials is increasingly unreliable. That is why it is so important to look for alternative solutions.  

– S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius are among the most frequently isolated opportunistic bacteria inhabiting the skin and mucous membranes of cats and dogs. These bacteria, particularly methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA and MRSP), can both primarily and secondarily cause infections in animals with varying degrees of clinical symptoms. Our preliminary studies have shown that some of the staphylococci that naturally inhabit the skin of pets produce substances with an antagonising effect on the growth of MRSA and MRSP. We believe that these substances could be used to develop a new antimicrobial product for animals – Dr. Karolina Bierowiec explains.

She emphasises that the aim of the StaphiX project is to develop an innovative bacteriocin-based product for cats and dogs, with antimicrobial properties against S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius, particularly the MRSA and MRSP strains. – Application studies will enable the selection of a bacteriocin with the strongest inhibitory properties against staphylococci, safe for humans and animals, and with desirable physico-chemical characteristics. In the second stage of the project, the antimicrobial properties of the bacteriocin and the prototype product will undergo in-vitro testing on an artificial dog skin model – says the scientist. – I hope that this will create an effective treatment tool for cats and dogs – an alternative to antibiotics used in humans – she concludes.

A new method of peritoneal cancer treatment

Dr. Agata Mikołajczyk-Martinez will be carrying out a project with the aim to optimise a new method of treating peritoneal cancer by means of intraperitoneal hyperthermia and gas dehydration, combined with aerosol chemotherapy. She also plans to create a prototype device for this medical procedure.

– There are around 168,000 cases of this type of cancer every year in Europe alone. Patients diagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatosis have poor prognosis, and existing treatments in the form of direct chemotherapy (HIPEC, PIPAC) are still far from optimal, due to the limited penetration of chemotherapeutics deep into cancerous tumours and the uneven distribution of drugs within the peritoneal cavity. Furthermore, in the case of the HIPEC method, the qualification of patients for the procedure is very restrictive, thus narrowing the group of recipients – says the scientist from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the UPWr.

She explains that her proposed method intends to achieve a therapeutic effect by combining three methods: hyperthermia, dehydration and aerosol chemotherapy, making the therapy more effective while at the same time accessible to a wide range of patients

The project is expected to result in the creation of an innovative procedure for the treatment of advanced peritoneal tumours, with proven efficacy, and the construction of a prototype device to carry out the implemented procedure.

The PIGEON project – increasing the functionality of GNSS receivers

Professor Tomasz Hadaś is to receive nearly PLN 1.5 million for the PIGEON project, which aims to implement a web-based service to process observations from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) in real time using the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique.

– The result will be a 'software-as-a-service' cloud computing service that will require only minimal developer intervention in its operation. This will enable continuous, absolute GNSS positioning with an accuracy of centimetres in real time – explains the scientist from the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformatics at the UPWr, adding that the methodology will make use of numerous state-of-the-art, including proprietary, scientific developments, which will guarantee the highest possible degree of accuracy and precision of the results obtained.

– The research part of the project will include improvements in the weighting models of GNSS observation noise, PPP satellite levelling methodology, the monitoring of orbits and corrections to the clocks of satellites available in real time within the IGS RTS and Galileo HAS services – lists Prof. Hadaś.

He stresses that the project will increase the functionality of GNSS receivers and broaden the GNSS user base, as it will enable real-time PPP technology to be realised also for those receivers that do not have this functionality. – The PIGEON project will enable low-cost, phase-tracking receivers to be connected at two frequencies, which will enhance the use of GNSS technology, especially in economically-relevant systems for monitoring the environment and engineering facilities, or ensuring safety against natural and anthropogenic threats – the scientist concludes.

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  Research projects receive funding in the Miniatura 6 competition

  Dr. Magdalena Domańska, Dr. Karolina Rak, Dr. Magdalena Rychlicka, Dr. Paulina Śliwka, Dr. Agata Wojciechowicz-Budzisz and Prof. Grzegorz Zaleśny have been awarded funding for research projects in the Miniatura 6 competition of the National Science Centre.

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  UPWr PhD student with a heart for dogs

  Justyn Gach, a doctoral student at the UPWr Doctoral School, under the supervision of Prof. Agnieszka Noszczyk-Nowak is conducting research into the most common heart disease in dogs, namely degenerative mitral valve disease, leading to left ventricular heart failure.