UPWr implementation PhD student to create alternative antibiotics from plants

• Marcin Gumowski was a graduate of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. After fifteen years, he decided to return to the university to complete his doctorate.
• The implementation doctorate programme consists of work between the doctoral student with their supervisors and the company employing them. As part of his scientific work, Marcin Gumowski will create an antibiotic formula from plants for preventative measures in poultry rearing.
• After the invention of penicillin, research on alternative sources of antibiotics was abandoned. Today, scientists are returning to them in order to tackle antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

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15 years ago Marcin Gumowski graduated from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. He graduated in zootechnics from the Department of Biology and Animal Breeding. After about ten years of working for leading companies in the animal nutrition market in Poland, he founded his own company providing zootechnical and nutritional advice and training for large poultry and feed manufacturers. He says he came up with the idea of pursuing a doctoral degree when he stopped selling products and started selling knowledge. 

– I then started looking for new solutions. I wanted to learn again. Working on one of the projects, I met Professor Mariusz Korczyński, my current supervisor. I shared my ideas with him and let him know that I would like to develop my career further, to which Prof. Korczyński replied that we should do research together, entering a kind of symbiosis. Together, as an experienced practitioner and a successful scientist, we make a good team and learn a lot from each other – says Marcin Gumowski, comparing his relationship with his current supervisor to the times when he defended his master's thesis. He used to regard supervisors as unquestionable authorities that students would follow without question. And today, thanks to years of experience and a smaller age difference, cooperation has become a partnership and both sides are continually learning.

Marcin Gumowski's second supervisor is Dr. Henryk Różański from the Department of Herbal Medicine of the Carpathian State College in Krosno. He is both a scientist in the field of herbal medicine, pharmaceutical biology, botany and food technology, as well as a consultant and scientific advisor to many pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic companies. 

Implementation doctorate – science and practical experience

Marcin Gumowski runs his own business and works in the scientific field with the company Adifeed. He is engaged in an implementation doctoral programme at the UPWr Doctoral School, which involves educating PhD students both in cooperation with their supervisors and with the companies employing them. This allows companies to implement the results of the students' research efforts. 

As part of his research, the Zootechnics and Fisheries PhD student is planning to develop a formula for preventative rearing of chickens based on natural ingredients, such as phytoncides and phytoalexins. Phytoncides are substances secreted by higher plants with antibacterial, protozoal and fungicidal properties. They are the equivalent of antibiotics produced by bacteria, fungi and lichens, while phytoalexins are compounds that inhibit pathogens. 

The formula resulting from Marcin Gumowski's research is to optimise the microbiome of the small intestine of examined chickens. Stimulation of the gastrointestinal microflora of studied birds will help to benefit their immune system, resulting in a significant improvement in production performance.

If Fleming hadn't discovered penicillin

– The story of how penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming while researching bacteria is well known. A substance that was accidentally produced from mold turned out to be a potent antibiotic. This is how fungi protect themselves against bacteria. But with time we began to forget that at the beginning of the last century scientists noticed a similar defence mechanism in some higher plants and herbs. Fascinated by the effects of penicillin, they abandoned research into other sources of antibiotics – says the PhD student, explaining that the indiscriminate use of standard antibiotics in animal nutrition and treatment has led to antibiotic resistance in many strains of bacteria. Scientists are therefore beginning to revisit abandoned research into alternative antibiotics. And he wants to use it in poultry preventative measures to improve production.

– We want to keep bacteria and protozoa in check, both of which are factors limiting poultry production results. Our formula is multi-ingredient, with about 20 different herbs, although I can't specifically say which ones, as it's a secret – laughs the PhD student, revealing only a few ingredients, such as hot pepper, calamus, turmeric and mustard. However, the secret of the formula lies not only in its ingredients, but also in the preparation and processing method that extracts active substances from the plants.

Marcin Gumowski admits that combining work with his doctoral thesis is not easy – they’re not treated any differently.  Implementation PhD students have to participate in the same courses, projects and research as other young scientists, although they are often at a different stage in life – they have families and different professional obligations. Moreover, they have to return to being a student after achieving a lot during years of work, which requires humility. On the other hand, however, they have the advantage of experience, which allows them to identify what their industry needs in order to develop further. 

After his doctorate, Marcin Gumowski plans to continue pursuing his professional career, and if he manages to find the time, he will be happy to help teach young people what is expected by today's employers. – Apart from education, the UPWr Doctoral School provides me with contact with young scientists who may well become our future employees. However, I have noticed that their knowledge does not always coincide exactly with what we are looking for as an employer. By educating future generations, I could become a link between knowledge and practical experience – says the doctoral student.

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