In July 2026, our researcher Dr Alicja Sznarkowska spent four weeks at the laboratory of Prof. Albena Dinkova-Kostova at the Jacqui Wood Cancer Centre, School of Medicine, University of Dundee. The visit was carried out as part of a scientific collaboration funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) under the SONATA programme.
Prof. Dinkova-Kostova is Chair of Chemical Biology at the University of Dundee and an internationally recognized expert in cellular stress responses and the NRF2 pathway. She has been listed among the world’s top 1% most highly cited scientists for seven consecutive years. More information in Dundee article: https://www.dundee.ac.uk/news/dundee-biologist-named-among-worlds-top-cited-seventh-year-row.
During the research stay, dr Sznarkowska focused on a less explored aspect of NRF2 biology – the regulation of NRF2 protein production at the level of translation. NRF2 has traditionally been studied predominantly in the context of protein stability and degradation, whereas how NRF2 translation is regulated, particularly in response to cellular stress, remains comparatively poorly understood.
The visit provided an opportunity to discuss research findings, hypotheses, and future experimental directions with one of the leading experts in the field. Dr Sznarkowska received extensive feedback, support and practical advice that will help shape the next stages of this research.
Importantly, the collaboration also led to a significant experimental outcome. Through knockdown experiments, dr Sznarkowska validated a candidate protein that may participate in the translational regulation of NRF2, opening a promising direction for future research.
“I was very grateful to receive an invitation to return to the laboratory, and I look forward to continuing this collaboration and developing the research further. The four weeks in Dundee were also a wonderful experience outside the laboratory. I became very fond of Scotland — its wilderness, hills, waters and, of course, its almost ever-present wind.”
Dr Alicja Sznarkowska is Principal Investigator of the NCN SONATA project “Characteristics of the function and regulation of isoform 2 of the Nrf2 transcription factor.” We congratulate her on this successful research exchange and look forward to the continued development of this collaboration and future scientific advances at ICCVS!
