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Another edition of the Science, Biotech & Beyond seminar series took place at ICCVS on 26 November 2025. Our guest was prof. dr hab. Rafał Sądej, who delivered a lecture titled “FGFR as a Therapeutic Target in Breast Cancer.”

Prof. Sądej is the Vice-Dean at the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG & MUG and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Enzymology and Oncology. He is an experienced researcher, widely published, a recipient of numerous Polish and international grants, and a committee member of the European Network for Breast Development and Cancer. His research group focuses on the role of growth factor receptors in the tumor microenvironment. During the seminar, Prof. Sądej presented current perspectives on FGFR signalling in breast cancer progression and therapy resistance, offering valuable insights into emerging therapeutic strategies.

After the lecture, participants had the opportunity to continue discussions during coffee break, fostering scientific exchange and networking.

We thank all attendees for their participation and invite you to join us at future seminars in the Science, Biotech & Beyond series.

Last week our Centre was represented by Izabela Raszczyk – Director of Administration and Anna Mazanek – Technology Transfer Coordinator at Horizon4Poland 2025, an event organized by the Industry Contact Points and held this year at the Polish History Museum in Warsaw. Horizon4Poland remains one of the key annual meetings aimed at strengthening Poland’s participation in the Horizon Europe programme.

During the event, our team took part in discussions focused on international cooperation, R&D funding mechanisms, and the development of strong consortia for upcoming Horizon Europe calls. The networking sessions and conversations throughout the day provided an opportunity to exchange experiences, learn about new initiatives, and identify potential partners for future projects.

The programme also included a guided tour of the museum, featuring an exhibition dedicated to Tadeusz Kościuszko. This historical context – particularly the influence of a figure whose legacy continues to resonate internationally – offered an interesting backdrop to the contemporary discussions on innovation and Poland’s role in European research activities.

As a Centre, besides projects funded from Polish national funds, we have solid experience in implementing EU-funded projects under Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, Structural Funds, and Recovery and Resillence Facility. Among the initiatives that we are currently running are selected projects coordinated or implemented by our Centre:

– Science for Welfare, Innovations and Forceful Therapies (SWIFT), funded by the International Research Agenda Programme (IRAP) of the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP), financed by the European Funds for a Smart Economy 2021–2027 (FENG), Priority FENG.02 Innovation-friendly Environment, Measure FENG.02.01 International Research Agendas

– NSCLC Diagnostics – Algorithm (DiaNA), funded by the Medical Research Agency (2024/ABM/03/KPO), National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Component D: Efficiency, Accessibility and Quality of the Health System, Investment D3.1.1

– Enhancing Cancer Vaccine Science for New Therapy Pathways (CANVAS), funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe

– Accelerating ERA by Sharing Unique Talents for Healthy Life and Environment (ERA SHUTTLE), funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe

Izabela Raszczyk, ICCVS, participated in the 1st Central and Eastern European (CEE) Congress for Research Managers and Administrators, organised by the PolSCA Office of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Brussels during 4-5 November 2025.
The event gathered research managers, administrators, funders, faciliators, RPO leaders and research policy experts from across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as representatives of European Commission and EARMA. Poland was strongly represented with a diverse group of participants from various research institutes and universities as well as the newly established association of RMs in Poland – POLARMA.
The Congress provided a platform for exchanging experience and discussing the challenges and opportunities related to strengthening the role of research management in the region.

Talks, panel discussions and workshops during the event focused on highlighting the need to recognize RM as a profession and activities done to achieve this goal, enhancing  institutional capacity in research management to support the scientific excellence, as well as the nessary skillset for a successful RM profile.  Participation in the Congress enabled ICCVS to share its experiences, learn from regional partners from Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary, network with peers and contribute to a better integration of the research management community in Central and Eastern Europe.

During 28–29 October 2025 at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Izabela Raszczyk and Anna Krajewska from the ICCVS Research Support Team attended the 4th BESTPRAC Thematic Group Event held under the theme “Bridging the Gap: Project Managers and Research Support Teams in Action”.

The Barcelona meeting reminded us how crucial the interface between EU project managers (PMs) and research support services is, especially in the context of implementation of EU-funded projects. In our team, however, members do often have both roles.
The talks during the event were organised in two tracks:  “Working Group 01: Administration/Management & Legal” and “Working Group 02: Finance”. Both were very hands-on and helped to refine our understanding of diverse aspects of research management and administration. Topics, that were discussed, included: the organisation models of research support and research management units, challenges in daily operations, the invisible roles in research project management as well as EC audits, CFS, lump sum project administration, joint reporting tools, ERC proposal support models, and many more. Congratulations to the organizers from EARMA and local hosts from PRBB for an excellent agenda.

New contacts in the RMA community have been made and those  already established  could be strengthend. This activity has contributed to the tasks planned in the Horizon Europe project CANVAS (GA 101079510) within Workpackage no. 4 focused on increasing project management capacities through a better access to EU networks of research managers.

Moreover, the stay in Barcelona allowed to refresh contacts with former ICCVS staff members as well as previous project partners – for strong networks to enable a better research environment.

The International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS), Team Leader of Clinical Peptidomics Group, Dr Sachin Kote, has recently represented ICCVS, University of Gdansk at the symposium of CERIC’s Future in Life Sciences – A Focus on Aging held on 13-15 October 2025 at iMol Institute, Warsaw, Poland. The symposium was organized by CERIC mainly to present the most advanced international research conducted in the Life Sciences field and to explore how CERIC, with its sophisticated analytical investigation techniques, can contribute to this research. The symposium highlights and discusses how to strengthen the bridge between the large-scale research infrastructures offered at CERIC and the biomedical research community. Dr. Sachin Kote had several interactions and discussions about potential collaboration with CERIC’s representatives and leaders, who possess a unique international infrastructure, including Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia.

The Clinical Peptidomics group at ICCVS has mass spectrometers as state-of-the-art analytical instruments. The Clinical Peptidomics group has several innovative, EPO-patented tools, including immunopeptidomics, neo-antigen discovery, tissue extracellular peptidomics, serum peptidomics from both human and non-human biofluids, intracellular peptidomics, and routine quantitative proteomics research dedicated to enhancing health, environment, and safety. These innovative tools can be complementary implemented for several diseases to develop diagnostics and therapies for CERIC users and researchers from the EU. In addition, these novel tools generate the highest quality data, which serve as a gold mine for AI-based applications and their implementation in discoveries and therapies, said Dr. Sachin Kote.

The cooperation has been established thanks to activities in the frame of ERA SHUTTLE project – Accelerating ERA by Sharing Unique Talents for healThy Life and Environment.

Last week, Anna Mazanek, our Technology Transfer Coordinator at ICCVS, represented our centre at the Morning Health Talks, a series of events dedicated to healthcare transformation and innovation.

On September 30, the latest edition of the series took place at Pomorski Park Naukowo‑Technologiczny in Gdynia, focusing on the theme: “Bottlenecks in the Commercialization Process – Challenges for Medical Startups Entering the EU Market.” The event brought together a diverse group of participants, including representatives from academia, industry, and the medtech sector, providing an ideal platform to exchange experiences and best practices.

The first part of the event was opened by Dr. Katarzyna Waligóra-Borek, Director of the Technology Transfer Office at Medical University of Gdańsk (TTO MUG). The session was moderated by Joanna Przybytek-Kobierna, EIT Health Project Coordinator, and Marcin Stolarek, Innovation Broker at TTO MUG.

Speakers included Joanna Broy (EIT Health InnoStars), Natalie Walsh (University of Galway), Sara Melicharova (LIFE BioCEEd), and Mateusz Dworak (Medical University of Łódź). They shared valuable insights on topics such as internationalization and accelerator programs, collaboration with investors, startup growth, and the development of healthcare innovations.

The second part of the event featured a dynamic panel discussion with industry experts: Aneta Zwolińska (WiseGroup), Izabela Kafka (Viridian Poland), Paulina Wypych-Kapczyńska (Totalizator Sportowy), and Marcin Lenkiewicz (Blix Group). The panel addressed key challenges faced by medical startups, including regulatory barriers, effective communication strategies in medtech, and pathways for scaling innovative solutions.

Events like Morning Health Talks emphasize the critical importance of collaboration between academia, business, and the startup ecosystem in successfully bringing innovations to market. At ICCVS, we strongly believe that innovation cannot be developed in isolation. That is why we actively seek new connections, partnerships, and initiatives that foster research, technological development, and the future of medicine.

We sincerely thank the organizers at CTT TTO MUG and EIT Health for creating an inspiring environment for knowledge exchange and networking.

A very good recent experience at the Building Bridges 2025 conference in Dresden — a space for intensifying collaboration between policy, research & innovation.

Before the conference Izabela Raszczyk from ICCVS attended also the pre-event: “Widening in Horizon Europe: Sharing Best Practices” organized by ZEUSS on 11 September 2025. It brought together Horizon Europe coordinators, NCPs, and experts from across Europe to exchange experiences on how to make the most of cross-border research partnerships, especially through the Widening instruments of Horizon Europe. The CANVAStwinning project was presented with a poster showcasing our joint work with University of Rome Torvergata, CEA-IRIG and Real Research.

The core of the Building Bridges conference, especially the track on AI & Health, was inspiring and thought-provoking, with the lecture by Cordelia Schmid – this year’s laureate of the Archimedes Prize -standing out as particularly impressive.

The matchmaking sessions were another highlight — they connected participants according to their research interests in light of the upcoming Horizon Europe calls.

There was also room for  informal meetings with members of TUD — ICCVS’s partner in the EU-funded SWIFT project. Insights on technology transfer and research management were exchanged with Dorit Teichmann from SaxoCell/TUD.

Overall, Building Bridges 2025 proved to be a very useful platform for creating new opportunities and strengthening collaborations across sectors and borders.

From 15-17 September 2025, scientists from the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS) participated in CTGCT Days 2025 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This is one of Europe’s leading scientific events focused on the latest advances in cell and gene therapy, bringing together top experts from around the world.

Our Scientists’ Presentations

The Director of ICCVS, Prof. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska, was invited to deliver an invited talk entitled “Optimal Preclinical Models and Cancer Heterogeneity – Challenges for Cancer Immunotherapy.” In her presentation, she highlighted that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for 85% of all lung cancer cases, exhibits high genetic diversity and mutational burden, making it an ideal target for immunotherapy. The ICCVS team presented research on the NSCLC immunopeptidome, demonstrating how different preclinical models influence the repertoire of peptides presented by cancer cells. The identification of unique neoantigens, shared between patient tumors and models, underscores the potential for developing antigen-specific cellular therapies. Prof. Marek-Trzonkowska emphasized that the diversity of tumor cells requires careful selection of immunotherapy targets, which may represent the future of personalized cancer treatment.

Ines Papak presented the talk “From One Cell to a Tumor: The Story of CD45⁺ Cells in NSCLC”, offering new insights into the role of immune cells in NSCLC progression. She highlighted that the tumor microenvironment exhibits high cellular heterogeneity, which obscures the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor initiation, metastasis, and immune evasion, and that understanding these processes may open up new therapeutic opportunities.

Research Posters

The ICCVS team also actively participated in the poster sessions:

• Artur Piróg (“Fresh View on Cancer Biomarker Discovery: Plasma/Tissue Peptidomes and NK Cell Populations – Project DiaNA”) and Jakub Faktor (“Proteomic Interrogation of the T Cell Subset Activation Dynamics Reveals Subset Specific Membrane Signatures and Pathway Landscapes”) presented posters within the DiaNA project, focusing on innovative lung cancer diagnostics, including neoantigen identification and immunopeptidome analysis.
• Katarzyna Dziubek (“Mass Spectrometry-Based Mapping of the PD-1 Interactome Reveals Cross-Species Therapeutic Targets”) and Anna Biernacka (“Method Matters: Evaluating Isolation Techniques for Accurate Characterization of Tissue-Derived EVs in NSCLC”) presented posters under the SWIFT project (Science for Welfare, Innovations and Forceful Therapies), showcasing novel immunological approaches in NSCLC research.
• Martyna Siewiera (“Development of a Platform for Studying NSCLC Immunopeptidome in Tumors and Patient-Derived Models – Optimization for CANVAS Project”) presented results from the CANVAS project, covering immunopeptidome analyses, in vitro and in vivo models, and identification of potential neoantigens in the context of NSCLC therapy.

International Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange

Participation in CTGCT Days 2025 allowed the ICCVS team to present their research, exchange experiences with global experts, and establish new scientific collaborations.

ICCVS Projects

The presentations were carried out within projects funded by national and European sources:

• DiaNA ‘NSCLC Diagnostics – Algorithm’ – funded by the Medical Research Agency (2024/ABM/03/KPO), National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Component D Efficiency, Accessibility and Quality of the Health System, Investment D3.1.1
• SWIFT ‘Science for Welfare, Innovations and Forceful Therapies’ – financed in the frame of the International Research Agenda programme (IRAP) of the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) financed by the European Funds for a Smart Economy 2021-2027 (FENG), Priority FENG.02 Innovation-friendly environment, Measure FENG.02.01 International Research Agendas
• CANVAS ‘Enhancing Cancer Vaccine Science for New Therapy Pathways’ – funded by the European Commission, Horizon Europe Twinning HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03

At ICCVS, in the CANVAS Twinning project, we collaborate with European partners CEA and University of Rome Torvergata not only scientifically but also with the goal to upgrade research management and grant writing capacities. We are convinced that collaboration also on national ground is very beneficial for capacity building in this area as it allows also to take the national, local context into account. On June 12-13, 2025 Izabela Raszczyk participated in the conference: Towards assessment: How to build the project capacity of universities ? (Kierunek ewaluacja: Jak budować potencjał projektowy uczelni?) organised by the Project Group of the Forum for Academic Administration with the Wrocław University of Economy and Business. The conference gathered representatives of project offices from HEIs from all around Poland. Topics discussed included ways for showcasing project successes in periodic assessment of universities, exchange of experience and practices on handling financial issues such as own contributions, indirect cists or VAT eligibility, as well as organisation of grant writing and project management support provided by project offices to academic staff.
Overall the event showed a more and more consolidating community of professionals supporting various types of projects (research, educational, investment etc.) at Polish universities and provided a platform for a vibrant exchange.

To read about the conference go here [PL]

To watch the movie about the conference go here [PL]

The participation was financed by CANVAS project.

Dr. Artur Pirog represented the ICCVS team at the EMBO conference “Protein Quality Control: From Molecular Mechanisms to Aging and Disease”, held in Hersonissos, Greece (18-23 May 2025). The event brought together researchers from around the world to share the knowledge about proteostasis, the clearance of misfolded proteins, molecular mechanisms of chaperone activity, and novel therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases. Discussions also highlighted the critical role of protein folding and quality control systems, particularly within mitochondria.

Dr. Pirog presented a poster detailing a novel method for the direct, mass spectrometry-based quantification of protein degradation products. The presentation also showcased the application of this method in studying the mechanisms of action of proteasome inhibitors (see the photo).

The participation was financed by CANVAS project.