On November 25, the National Science Centre (NCN) published the sixth list of winners of the 8th edition of the Miniatura competition. Out of 11 grants awarded to scientists from the Jagiellonian University Medical College (UJ CM), as many as 7 will be carried out at the Faculty of Pharmacy. The researchers received funds ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 PLN, which will be used to carry out scientific activities such as preliminary research, pilot studies, scientific internships and research trips.

The MINIATURA grant competition is intended for scientists who have obtained a doctoral degree within the last 12 years and do not have experience in independently managing a research project financed by the NCN or other sources. For the first time in the history of the competition, it was possible to plan to carry out activities in more than one of these forms, if justified. A prerequisite for applying for funding in the competition was to have at least one published work or at least one artistic or artistic-scientific achievement.

The implementation of the MINIATURA project will therefore be an opportunity for our scientists not only to develop valuable scientific results, but also to gain their first experience in the grant system. MINIATURA will therefore be a valuable experience that will be a starting point for obtaining a full-fledged research project in the future, possible by applying in NCN competitions or other national and international institutions subsidizing scientific activities.

The winners of the MINIATURA 8 competition from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the UJ CM include:

• dr Monika Głuch-Lutwin – “TRUPATH technology in studies on signaling selectivity of biased agonists of the 5-HT1A receptor: The role of G protein subunits”,
• dr Karolina Grabowska – “The use of combined administration of saponins with anti-melanoma potential with dermoprotective substances as a new strategy for modifying their toxicity and selectivity towards skin cells in an in vitro model”,
• dr inż. Agata Krakowska – “Biomass from in vitro cultures of Pleurotus spp. as a matrix for nanoparticles used in biomedical dressings”,
• dr inż. Klaudia Wojtaszek – “The mechanism of cytotoxicity of anticancer vanadium compounds in terms of structure-activity relationship”,
• dr Dagmara Wróbel-Biedrawa – “Assessment of the cytotoxic potential of rapamycin against central nervous system cancers in an in vitro model”,
• dr Dorota Żelaszczyk – “New xanthone derivatives as STING protein agonists with anti-cancer activity targeted at leukemia therapy”,
• dr Barbara Żuromska-Witek – “Assessment of the influence of ingredients contained in cosmetic powders on the photodegradation process of fluoroquinolones used topically in the treatment of acne and other inflammatory skin conditions”.

In addition to the aforementioned honorees, the ranking list also included three winners from the Faculty of Medicine and one scientist from the Faculty of Health Sciences:

• dr Mateusz Gajda (Faculty of Medicine) – “Assessment of the activity of various classes of beta-lactamases produced by Enterobacterales rods isolated from the urinary tract on pivmecillinam using whole genome sequencing methods”,
• dr Adrianna Gałuszka-Bulaga (Faculty of Medicine) – “The role of air pollution in the formation of extracellular neutrophil networks (NETs)”,
• dr Urszula Raźny (Faculty of Medicine) – “The impact of caloric restriction on the expression level of miRNA regulating bone turnover in the blood of obese people”,
• dr Estera Wieczorek (Faculty of Health Sciences) – “Validation of a tool for assessing the functioning of long-term care systems in relation to transitional care: Transitional Care

Congratulations to all the winners and we keep our fingers crossed for the implementation of the research and its fruitful results!