We are pleased to announce that the team of Prof. Matthias Bochtler has received the Award of the Minister of Education and Science for significant achievements in scientific activities. The Award was delivered as a result of the advanced studies on the mechanisms of DNA methylation and demethylation responsible for the epigenetic state of genomes. These studies have contributed to the understanding of the mechanisms responsible for epigenetic changes regulating gene expression and have been published in a series of six scientific articles, including Nucleic Acids Research. The Award Laureates were presented during the Polish Science Gala (Gala Nauki Polskiej), held on February 19, 2023 in Torun. Our sincere congratulations!
The team, led by Prof. Bochtler, is engaged in elucidating the mechanisms of insertion, reading, deletion and, above all, the function of DNA modification. DNA methylation is an evolutionarily early phenomenon, so that simple prokaryotic models can also be used for research. The use of bacterial systems makes it possible to find and characterize enzymes that are or can be used as tools in the study of DNA methylation in higher organisms. Prof. Bochtler uses a wide range of methods in biochemical research from structural biology of prokaryotic model systems, through chemical and biophysical analysis, ending with analysis in cells and at the bioinformatics level in animals. The long-term cooperation of Prof. Bochtler's team with the biotechnology company NEB - a key supplier of restriction endonucleases used in genetic engineering - indicates the high application potential of the ongoing research, including the proposed new molecular tools. The achievements of Prof. Bochtler's team are innovative and stand out for their very broad approach to structural biology, contributing to the development of the discipline.
The award-winning team members are:
- Prof. Matthias Bochtler,
- Dr.. Honorata Czapińska, DSc Habil
- Dr. Humberto Fernandes,
- Dr. Henryk J. Korza,
- Dr. Monika Kowalska,
- Dr. Anton Slyvka,
- Igor Helbrecht, MSc
- Marlena Kisiała, MSc
- Katarzyna Krakowska, MSc
- Michał Pastor, MSc
More about the event: https://www.gov.pl/web/edukacja-i-nauka/gala-nauki-polskiej
