Archives: Blog

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.

The ICCVS Team has recently attended the COST Action IMMUNO-model CA21135 annual conference in Warsaw, Poland (13th-14th May 2025). The initiative aims to foster research and innovation in the field of preclinical immuno-oncology models, advancing cancer treatment for patients by improving their outcomes and quality of life. IMMUNO-model brings together European researchers from diverse sectors (academia, clinical, industry) with the common goal of establishing a network that endorses immuno-oncology research by specifically promoting the sharing, standardization, and application of immunotherapy preclinical models. The meeting has opened several collaborative opportunities for the clinical peptidomics group in the fields of cytokines, secretome analysis, immunopeptidome analysis for glycopeptides, 2D/3D model proteomics, peptide/protein biomarker discovery, and further development of in silico modeling.

In addition, this Action will enable the establishment of a broad, creative, and collaborative hub through the organization of community-building activities, the creation of synergies among European and non-European scientists, and the training of future researchers in the field. This Action aims to contribute to translating novel scientific discoveries into benefits for cancer patients and society. ICCVS Team, including prof. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska, dr hab. eng. Monikaben Padariya, dr Anna Biernacka, and dr Sachin Kote actively participated in the keynote speaker and poster presentation sessions, initiating collaborative opportunities. The efforts of the COST action will enhance the design of in vitro and in vivo experiments in the cancer field, thereby overcoming the limitations previously encountered in cancer immunotherapy.

The participation was financed by COST and CANVAS project.

We were pleased to host a guest from The Arctic University of Norway as part of our ongoing collaboration under the Memorandum of Understanding between our institutions.

Dr. Swapnil Bhavsar from University of Tromsø, Department of Clinical Medicine worked with ICCVS’ researchers since 26 until 28 of March 2025. The visit to the Clinical Peptidomics research group, lead by dr. Sachin Kote,  at the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science provided an excellent opportunity to exchange knowledge and explore potential joint research activities.

This collaboration aligns with our shared commitment to advancing interdisciplinary training, fostering academic exchange, and strengthening international research networks in cancer immunology and peptidomics.

We look forward to further developing our partnership and future visits!

The International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS), Team Leader of Clinical Peptidomics Group, dr Sachin Kote, has recently represented ICCVS at the AI for Science conference held on 20-21 March 2025 in Krakow, Poland. The conference organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Academic Computer Centre CYFRONET AGH under the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union. The AI for Science conference was gathered to learn about real-world artificial intelligence (AI) applications across various scientific fields and to debate the future of AI and its role in academic and business ecosystems. The AI factory constructions, investment, and fundamental infrastructure for future AI development in Europe have been discussed, and more light has been shed on how artificial intelligence is transforming research and business processes.

ICCVS has mass spectrometers as state-of-the-art analytical instruments, and the clinical peptidomics group has several innovative methods that include immunopeptidomics, neo-antigen discovery and 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 novel methods generate the highest quality data; therefore, these data serve as a gold mine for AI-based applications and their implementation for discoveries and therapies. In addition, AI should be implemented to accelerate the NSCLC immunotherapy development; hence, ICCVS plays a dual role in AI for science and businesses, said dr Sachin Kote.

The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) is a dynamic funding agency that supports collaborative research and innovation networks across Europe. COST Actions foster connections among research initiatives, empowering scientists to exchange ideas and advance their work. This not only accelerates research but also boosts careers and drives innovation. One of COST Actions, “Bench to Bedside: Transitioning Pharmacological Regulation of NRF2 in Noncommunicable Diseases,” alias BenBedPhar, attracted dr. Alicja Sznarkowska and her team from ICCVS as it aligns perfectly with their work on NRF2 isoforms.

I attended the SFRR meeting (Society for Free Radicals Research) in Istanbul where I learnt about the BenBedPhar COST Action. I met its Chair and Leaders of particular Work Packages and finally became a member myself, followed by the team – dr. Zuzanna Urban-Wójciuk and Alicja Dziadosz-Brzezińska. – Alicja says.

How exactly did it happen?

In June 2024 I took part in the European SFRR meeting in Istanbul where I presented our data on detection of NRF2 which point to the fact that majority of commercial anti-NRF2 antibodies bind to another protein that co-migrates with NRF2 in SDS-PAGE. We showed how to differentiate true signal from the unspecific one – says dr. Sznarkowska.
Unspecific antibodies are the burden to the NRF2 community thus our poster attracted a lot of attention. This is how I met prof. Antonio Cuadrado Pastor from Autonomous University of Spain, Madrid, who is the Leader of COST BenBedPhar as well as prof. Albena Dinkova-Kostova from the University of Dundee – School of Medicine, who leads the package on NRF2 pharmacological regulation and drugs– she continues.

In Istanbul I also learnt about COST Training School which was, to my surprise, organized in Poland, in Wieliczka, by prof. Anna Grochot-Przęczek from Jagiellonian University of Cracow, who leads the BenBedPhar work package 1 on tools for NRF2 research. I contacted Anna who invited me to come with a poster to Wieliczka and in the end I was encouraged to give a talk on NRF2 detection and isoforms project. Besides wonderful lectures summarizing current knowledge on NRF2/KEAP1 pathway, we were also offered a brilliant talk by Prof. Alicja Józkowicz (Jagiellonian University, Cracow) on How to write the ERC grants. COST training schools gather young researchers – PhD students and post-docs – who are especially interested in the very bases of work with NRF2 so we had a lot of lively discussions!

After getting acquainted with COST members and presenting our work, I applied for the COST membership and was soon accepted. This allowed me to go to Lizbon, Portugal for the 8th BenBedPhar Scientific meeting and give a talk on methods with which we study NRF2 isoforms. It was a wonderful journey and a very rich and inspiring meeting from which I brought new ideas and I am very grateful for the opportunity to join.

Being a part of the COST Action has been a thrilling experience. I met people investigating one protein from various angles so we could exchange perspectives and knowledge. I am looking forward to future meetings (next in Galway, Ireland in June 2025) and I recommend to everyone to search for COST Action with the agenda of their interests, as it really gives a kick of motivation!

This year, scientists from the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science joined the Night of Biologists to share their important work on cancer research and cell-based therapies.

For our youngest visitors, we created a fun animated film that explained how immune cells fight diseases in our bodies. Aspiring young scientists had the chance to try their hand at using a model of flow cytometer and discover how to find cells that can protect us from cancer. Our researchers also shared stories about how these special cells could help develop life-saving targeted therapies for future patients.

The Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG brought the event to life with attracting exhibits. Visitors explored microbiological cultures, models of antibodies, cells, and viruses, and even a map showing bacterial infections in the human body.

One of the night’s highlights was an escape room adventure, where participants became anti-terrorist heroes battling a microbiological threat. It was both stimulating and educational! Visitors also enjoyed fascinating lectures packed with facts on research from various fields of biology.

Events like this remind us how important it is to share knowledge, celebrate science, and show the world how research can make a difference in our lives.

Special gratitude to dr. Zuzanna Urban-Wójciuk and dr. Anna Biernacka from ICCVS for the stand preparation.

The participation in the event was a part of CANVAS project financed by the European Union.