2010-08-31

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EURASNET

"Frontiers in Structural Biology of RNAs and RNPs"

August 16th-18th, 2010

 News:

New vacancies at IIMCB:

• molecular biologists for positions: biologist and/or postdoctoral fellow to be involved in a grant coordinated by IIMCB.
  The vacancies are in the Institute of Human Genetics in Poznan.
• PhD students and postdocs to work on a new project: Modeling of RNA and protein-RNA complexes: from sequence to structure to function

Katarzyna Kaminska, Elzbieta Purta, Monika Sokolowska and Ewelina Szymanska were awarded with START Fellowship for young scientists by Foundation for Polish Science (FNP)

The Neurofederation selected Dr. Jacek Jaworski's Neuron 2009 Jan 15 paper to feature as Highlight of the Year on the FENS website, as representative of Dutch Neuroscience.

 "Going Back to a Changing Poland" (Science Careers, March19, 2010) Agnieszka Chacińska's (Head of the Laboratory of Mitochondrial Biogenesis in IIMCB) profile has been presented in Science.

Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics and International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology received a grant "PhD Programme in Molecular Biology: Studies of nucleic acids and proteins - from basic to applied research" funded by the Foundation for Polish Science in the frame of the III edition of the MPD Programme.

Together with other research institutes, IIMCB implements a Project "Centre of Pre-clinical Research and Technology" (CePT), supported by Structural Funds, Operational Programme Innovative Economy (OP IE), Priority 2 R&D Infrastructure, Measure 2.2 Support for development of research infrastructure of scientific entities. The aim of the project is to create the biggest biomedical research centre in Poland within the Ochota Campus. Ten research institutes engaged in CePT will carry out basic and pre-clinical research in fields such as structural and functional analysis of proteins, physicochemistry, nanotechnology of biomaterials, molecular biotechnology, pathophysiology and physiology, oncology, genomics, neurobiology and neurological diseases. IIMCB will create the Centre of Analysis and Function of Protein Structure. The project is coordinated by Medical University of Warsaw.  More information about CePT at http://cept.wum.edu.pl/node/2

IIMCB has been awarded funding from the Polish-Norwegian Research Fund for the project “Screening for novel functions of endocytic and autophagic proteins in the regulation of gene expression, cell growth and carcinogenesis”. The project will be carried out by two groups at IIMCB: Laboratory of Cell Biology and  Department of Molecular Biology, in collaboration with Prof. Anne Simonsen at Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo. The amount of the grant is 672 572 EUR over a period of 2 years. Coordinator of Polish side: Iwona Pilecka

Matthias Bochtler, Head of the Laboratory of Structural Biology MPG/PAN received a Professorial title from the President of Poland 

Poland Regional Report (Nature, 3 December 2009 issue) describes IIMCB as a precursor of modernization of Polish science - see section "INSTITUTIONALIZING INNOVATION", page3.

Agnieszka Chacińska, Head of the Laboratory of the Mitochondrial Biogenesis in IIMCB received grant "Biogenesis and turnover of mitochondrial intermembrane space proteins" funded by Foundation for Polish Science in the frame of the II edition of WELCOME Programme.
She is one of two recipients of this award.  The recruitment of the new members of the group will start soon.

Janusz M. Bujnicki, Head of the Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering received a Professorial title from the President of Poland 

At the Inauguration of the Academic Year 2009/2010 of Biocentrum Ochota,  Drs. Magdalena Błażejczyk and Adam Sobczak from the Laboratory of Neurodegeneration in IIMCB received awards for their PhD theses distinguished by the Scientific Council of the Nencki Institute in the year 2008. Awards were presented by the president of PAN, prof. Michal Kleiber, the president of Biocentrum Ochota, prof. Adama Szewczyk, and the president of the Scientific Council at the Nencki Institute, Prof. Leszek Kaczmarek.
Promotor of both awarded theses was Dr. hab. Urszula Wojda.

Emilia Białopiotrowicz from the Laboratory of Neurodegeneration in IIMCB received the Mozolowski Award presented by the Polish Biochemical Society for outstanding young biochemists in 2009 for her project and presentation titled:“ Disturbances of the cell cycle in lymphocytes from Alzheimer’s dementia patients”, promotor: Dr hab. Urszula Wojda. 39 young researchers took part in the competition, including finalists of the Youth Forum.  

Bożena KuŸniewska from the Laboratory of Neurodegeneration in IIMCB  received the main award at the 5th Conference of International Natural Sciences Students  in Wilno for the presentation of her MSc research on apoptosis and the cell cycle of lymphocytes in Alzheimer’s disease patients; promotor: Dr. hab. Urszula Wojda.

"The Polish Science Voice" (July 2009) features an interview with Prof. Michał Witt as a Special Guest. The topis is legislative aspects of molecular genetic testing and biobanking.

"Œwiat Nauki" (June 2009), in the article on silent mutations by J. Chamary and L. Hurst, extensively refers to results and publications of Grzegorz Kudła, a former PhD student of Maciej Żylicz.

 On June 3, 2009 a conference Challenges  of molecular genetic testing in Poland – the proposal for  regulations  was coorganized by IIMCB at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The conference was formally open by Prof. Witold Jurek, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Ric Todd, UK's Ambassador to Poland and Prof. Andrzej Górski, Vice-President of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Among the speakers were: Prof. Jean-Jacques Cassiman (Univ. of Leuven), Dr. Mark Bale (UK’s Department of Health, Dr. Laurence Lwoff (Council of Europe), Prof. Milan Macek (Charles Univ. Prague), Prof. Michal Witt (IIMCB), Prof. Helena Zakowska-Henzler (Institute of Law Studies) and Prof. Jerzy Bal (Institute of Mother and Child). Sessions were chaired by Micha³ Witt and Janusz Limon. On June 1, the meeting was organized by Prof. Jerzy Duszynski, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, devoted to problems of biobanking in which Prof. Jacek Kuznicki participated. The meeting was followed by a workshop on biobanking (June 2).

On May 14, 2009 a Polish-Ukrainian research collaboration meeting in a form of poster session was organized, with 18 posters from the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics in Kiev and 18 posters from IIMCB. Our Institute hosted a group of 23 Ukrainian scientists.

On May 15, 2009 IAB members participated in a kick-off meeting of the HealthProt project and in the International Research Symposium in celebration of the 10th anniversary of IIMCB presenting the HealthProt project partners and potential partners of other European projects. Lectures were delivered by: Wolfgang Zachariae, Vincenza Andrisano, Saulius Klimasauskas, Ted Hupp, Anita Becker, Samantha Spangler, Oleg Krishtal.

On May 16, 2009 the 11th Annual Meeting of the International Advisory Board of IIMCB took place. Positive evaluations were granted for two lab leaders: Marta Miaczynska and Maciej Zylicz. Jacek Kuznicki got reelected as the Institute's Director for the term 2010-2013. This was the last meeting of IAB within the current term of office.

On May 7, 2009 Prof. Jacek KuŸnicki was a moderator of the session " EU-funded Health research collaboration in FP7" at a major event on EU research programmes "Research Connection 2009".
Objective of the session were: To highlight current priorities and forhtcoming calls in the health sector, challenges, difficulties and benefits, in particular for new Member States. New avenues to stimulate further participation of new Member States in EU research programmes. Prof. Kuznicki presented a lecture "Good, better, best - use of EC Framework Programmes" (please download).
 

On March 26, 2009 a delegation of German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Helmholtz Association with Prof. Otmar Wiestler visited IIMCB. Prof. Wiestler is the Chairman of the Management Board and Scientific Director of DKFZ and the Vice-President for Health Research of the Helmholtz Association. The delegation was hosted by Prof. Michał Witt and discussion focused on possibilities of future cooperation of IIMCB with both institutions.