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Why? How? When? These were just a few of the big questions tackled by scientists from the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science during this year’s exciting Researchers’ Night at the University of Gdańsk.

Visitors were treated with science at two stands: Neoantigen Discovery and Cellular Therapies – how the cells become medicine? Both stands attracted crowds with their cutting-edge research and hands-on activities.

Young scientists-in-the-making had the exciting opportunity ‘to step into the lab, sorting immune cells to create personalized T-cell therapies designed to fight cancer’. Meanwhile, parents engaged in stimulating discussions with ICCVS researchers about the future of personalized cancer therapies, sparking curiosity and hope for what’s to come.

Participants of all ages also dove into an interactive game, taking on the roles of immune system cells to learn how our body defends itself. From guardians to frauds to the innocents, the activity was a fun and educational trip into how our blood cells work together to protect us.

For those requiring more advanced knowledge, scientific posters and one-on-one chats with experts provided further insights into the properties of immune system power.

The presence of our scientists was possible as part of activities planned in the project CANVAS, financed by the European Union.

Check out the photo gallery to feel this inspiring atmosphere!

The University of Gdańsk continues to strengthen its position as a hub of innovative research for the benefit of society and the economy. During the 5th meeting of the Economic Convention at the Daniel Fahrenheit Association of Universities, held on 19 September at the Faculty of Biology, Tri-City entrepreneurs had the opportunity to learn about research conducted at the university.

Among the highlights was a presentation by Prof. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska, PhD, Director of the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS). She presented the Center’s pioneering work on personalized cell therapy for lung cancer. Over the past four years, the ICCVS has filed nine patent applications and collaborated with world-renowned institutions. “We are currently conducting research on animals using the PDX model, where we transplant tumors from patients into animals, allowing us to test the efficacy of therapeutic cells,” Prof. Marek-Trzonkowska explained.

The event highlighted a diverse range of innovative initiatives from quantum cryptography to Arctic research. UG Rector and Chairman of the Fahrenheit Universities, Prof. Piotr Stepnowski, PhD, emphasized the university’s growing role in connecting science with business. “Our university builds its reputation not only through education but also by working closely with the business sector. This synergy creates new paths for scientific research and helps shape the modern knowledge economy,” he said.

The convention reinforced the University of Gdańsk’s commitment to fostering collaborations that drive scientific developments with real-world applications.

The University of Gdańsk and the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science recently welcomed the team from the Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine. Prof. Oksana Zinchenko, prof. Mariia Rusakova, prof. Nataliia Vasylieva and prof. Nataliia Tesliuk are experts from the Faculty of Biology, Department of Microbiology, Virology, and Biotechnology, engaged in productive discussions during the visit.

This collaborative meeting (held on 18th September) provided an excellent opportunity to expand the network between the two institutions, explore project ideas, and foster potential future collaborations in the field of biotechnology.

In a landmark event, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first official visit to Poland in 45 years, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Poland and India. Dr  Sachin Kote from ICCVS witnessed this historic occasion.

A lesser-known chapter of Polish-Indian history was highlighted during the visit. In 1942, Digvijaysinghji Ranjitsinghji Jadeja established the Polish Children’s Camp in Jamnagar, Gujarat, providing refuge to Polish children escaping the USSR during World War II. This camp operated until 1945, when the children were relocated to Valivade, Maharashtra.

During his visit on 21-22 August, Prime Minister Modi honored this shared history by laying wreaths at the Memorial of ‘Good Maharaja’s Square’ and ‘Kolhapur Memorial’ in Warsaw.

To learn more about Dr  Kote’s reflections on this significant event, read the full interview here.

The Summer Holidays are coming to an end, still, some of the high school students were thinking about science and development during this wonderful time. In the frame of CANVAS project, three talented students took the opportunity to attend a Molecular and cellular biology workshop in the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science. Thanks to the engagement of the Immune Memory and Cell Reprogramming Team led by dr Wojciech Siwek, students have learned a lot about biology and the work of scientists. They had the opportunity to visit the center and its laboratories. After safety and regulation training, participants tried to prepare material for laboratory work and samples for sequencing, or to isolate the plasmids in theory and practice. They were also offered some practical classes on the preparation of plasmids for cloning and electrophoresis. Additionally, the attendants found information about European Union funds, projects and values. We hope to see more students next summer!

On the 29th of April 2024, ICCVS successfully conducted two seminars as part of the Science, Biotech & Beyond series. The first seminar was delivered by Dr. Stefano Persano, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology of the University of Milan Statale and an Affiliated Researcher at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy. The talk was titled “Design and Development of mRNA-based Therapeutics for Cancer Treatment”. Dr. Persano discussed the manufacturing procedure of mRNA therapeutics, emphasizing how sequence design, purification, and formulation can be tailored to ensure better therapeutic outcomes, particularly for cancer vaccines. Additionally, he presented preliminary data on Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) formulation refinement aimed at improving the spleen-tropism of LNPs upon systemic administration.

The second seminar featured Dr. Maria Guevara Lopez from the University of Genoa, Department of Experimental Medicine. Ms. Lopez discussed the advantages of Natural Killer (NK) cell-based therapies for cancer treatment. The focused was put on how memory-like NK cells can overcome significant barriers that limit the full implementation of NK cells as cellular therapies, focusing on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Following the seminars, Dr. Persano and Dr. Lopez enjoyed a tour of ICCVS facilities. We discussed how their expertise could be integrated into ICCVS’s ongoing projects and research interests and vice versa. Our guests were particularly impressed by the translatability of ICCVS’s laboratory research.

On 12th of June prof. Natalia  Marek-Trzonkowska, Director of ICCVS was a speaker at EuroScience Open Forum panel on how to build capacity in Research Excellence. This year, an 11th edition of ESOF took place in Poland, in Katowice. ESOF2024 is one of the most significant international conferences, having an impact on the science and world transformation. During the event, scientists, entrepreneurs, politicians, journalists and inhabitants discuss the latest scientific achievements, the arts and their impact on society.
The main topics discussed by us during the panel were:
-> Defining Research Excellence
-> How can institutions maximise the benefits of the ERA widening program in tandem with their institutional strategies?
-> Considering successful investment strategies in other countries, like Singapore or China, focussing on building research excellence, what lessons can Europe learn from these approaches? Are similar strategies applicable in the European context?
-> What are the key components of a unified ‘Team Europe’ approach to research excellence, and how can this be achieved? What regulatory and infrastructural frameworks are necessary to support this vision?

Thanks to the distinguished panellists Anna Plater-Zyberk Head of Office of International Cooperation at Polish Academy of Sciences and Marta Agostinho an Executive Director at EU-LIFE, as well as valuable chair of the session Michiel Kolman a Senior Vice President at Elsevier, chair of the Inclusive Publishing & Literacy committee the session engaged the audience in very lively discussion.

The main conclusions were:
-> The excellent research pushes the boundaries of knowledge by generating new insides, theories and approaches out of the box.
-> The excellent research is done by talented researchers. Therefore, the Team is the first crucial element of excellent research. Creating the team should go first before investments in infrastructure.
-> Research programmes for widening countries should be continued, however more focus should be put on joint research of the partners.
-> To be successful, the solutions for building research and innovation capacity initiated by the widening programmes, need to be supported by the following actions of the national governments.

Thanks to ALL PARTICIPANTS for your contribution!

From May 14 to 16, five members of ICCVS participated in a workshop on 3D cell cultures and associated bioinformatics methods, which is one of the training activities planned in the CANVAS project. The hosting institution was the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in Grenoble, France. The attendees Dr. Anna Biernacka, Alicja Dziadosz, and PhD students Katarzyna Dziubek, Ines Papak, and Martyna Muszczek had opportunity to take part in both lectures and hands-on training.

The 3D culture models training was coordinated by Dr. Flora Clement and her PhD student, Sophia Coffy, who shared their expertise in advanced 3D culture techniques they use to study pancreatic cancer. The bioinformatics training sessions were conducted by Dr. Christophe Battail and his team, covering the basics of gene expression data analysis and novel approaches to data interpretation. More advanced follow-up training will take place in the autumn of this year. We hope that this training will advance studies on NSCLC and development of cancer cellular therapy, which is the main focus of research conducted at ICCVS.

In addition to the intensive training sessions, participants had the opportunity to engage in social networking at a local climbing wall, a popular activity in Grenoble.

V4 Training is a training course designed for experienced research managers working in project departments (primarily international: H2020 and Horizon Europe) exclusively at universities, scientific and research institutes in departments responsible for acquisition, management and reporting. The event was held from 11 March until 13 March 2024 and despite training opportunities, gave chance to meet people form the field, exchange knowledge, build capacity and also celebrate the 15^th Anniversary of the training organization.

Dominika Butkiewicz, from ICCVS (University of Gdańsk) participated in the course, with the main objective is to expand the knowledge, and at the same time strengthen the relevance of the activities of the staff from the project department, which in turn will contribute to increasing Polish participation in the Horizon Europe framework program.

“I had a great opportunity to take part in this exclusive training organized in Brussels by the Polish Science Contact Agency PolSCA together with the Czech Liaison Office for Education and Science (CZELO), the National Research, Development and Innovation Office in Hungary (NRDIO) and the Slovak Liaison Office for Research and Development (SLORD).

The total number of participants from each country of the Visegrad Group and from countries affiliated to IGLO (Informal Group of RTD Liaison Offices) was around 35 people, including 7 managers from Poland.”

What encouraged you to register for V4 Training?

“The main motivating factor for me has always been the opportunity to develop, learn something new, gain new experience and expand my portfolio. At the same time, it was a unique opportunity to gain knowledge in the field of research projects, which is relatively new to me. I believe that this unique, international training will contribute not only to gaining new information, but also to find professional contacts.”

What were your expectations regarding the training?

“I always try to ensure that my skills and many years of experience bring benefit and added value to the institution where I work.

I believe this training enriched my knowledge about applying and implementing research projects, I met people from the field and created a network of informal support in carrying out daily tasks.”- Dominika said.

The participation was financed in the frame of the CANVAS project (grant agreement no 101079510) funded by the European Commission within the Horizon Europe programme.