Field of research and selected techniques - Department of Medical Biotechnology of the Jagiellonian University

Research topics

Mechanisms of differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and skeletal muscle cells
Satellite cells differentiation
Hematopoietic stem cell differentiation;

Molecular mechanisms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy - regeneration and vascularisation of skeletal and cardiac muscles;
Vascular biology: molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis and function of endothelial cells;
Mechanisms of myocardial damage and regeneration;
Medical biotechnology: gene and cell therapy in modulation of neovascularization, heart and muscle regeneration;
Cancer biology and anti-cancer therapy: mechanisms of tumor initiation, growth, metastasis and resistance to therapy;
Role of hypoxia, antioxidant genes and microRNAs in regulation of gene expression;
The role of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Nrf2 and microRNAs in cardiovascular system, skeletal muscles, kidney and cancers.

Selected techniques

Flow cytometry & cell sorting;
Molecular in vivo imaging;
Laser microdissection method;
Gene editing by CRISPR/Cas;
siRNA, shRNA & microRNAs technology;
Angiogenic assays in vitro: tube formation on Matrigel, aortic ring assay, spheroid assay;
In vivo models: hind limb ischemia, wound healing, tumor inoculation, chemical carcinogenesis, mouse model of myocardial infarction;
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) technology;
Gene cloning, construction of plasmids and viral vectors: retroviral, lentiviral, adenoviral, AAV;
Regulated gene expression: hypoxia-induced and tetracycline-induced expression systems, establishing of stably-transfected cell lines;
Isolation and culture of primary cells: satellite cells, hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stromal cells, endothelial cells, renal proximal epithelial cells.

Animal models, kept in modern animal facility (SPF - specific pathogen free)