Gold and Silver Crosses of Merit awarded to IIMCB researchers
Two researchers from the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw (IIMCB) have been awarded state decorations by the President of the Republic of Poland for their contributions to scientific research in the field of biological sciences. Prof. Marta Miączyńska received the Gold Cross of Merit, while Dr Ewelina Szymańska was awarded the Silver Cross of Merit.
The ceremony took place at the Presidential Palace on International Women's Day, 8 March 2026. Among the women honoured were representatives of the worlds of science, medicine, culture and sport, social activists and educators.
Photo: Grzegorz Jakubowski/ Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
Prof. Marta Miączyńska, PhD, is the director of IIMCB and head of the Laboratory of Cell Biology. She chairs the European network of research institutes EU-LIFE and the Council of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO). She is a member of Academia Europaea and the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Her main field of research is cell biology, in particular the molecular mechanisms that integrate membrane transport with intracellular signalling pathways. Her achievements include the discovery of a distinct population of early endosomes, known as APPL endosomes. Together with her team, she has also characterised the role of endosomes as signalling platforms for growth factor and cytokine receptors.
Dr Ewelina Szymańska is a cell biologist, member of the research group at the Laboratory of Cell Biology at IIMCB, recipient of grants from the National Science Centre (NCN) and the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP), as well as a science populariser.She studies cell signalling mechanisms and their relationship to human diseases. In her research, she aims to explain the molecular basis of diseases associated with the malfunctioning of intracellular transport proteins, which may contribute to the development of new clinical strategies.
In a study published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, Dr Szymańska and Prof. Miączyńska described how the loss of chromosomal fragments can create a specific vulnerability in cancer cells. This discovery provides a valuable foundation for further research into targeted cancer therapies.