Jagiellonian University Heddle Lab

As a doctoral student in Heddle lab, I study Pentapeptide Repeat Protein mediated antimicrobial resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections using Cryo-EM. I enjoy thinking, understanding, obsessing and talking about protein structures and dynamics.

I joined the Azuma subgroup in 2022 as a Lab Manager / Administrator. My primary roles are maintaining smooth laboratory work within the Azuma’s group, mentoring researchers for their good laboratory practices, and providing administrative support to ongoing projects. Apart from my tasks in the Azuma group, I also work at the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology JU as a Specialist and a Grants Officer in the Max Planck Research Group, where I analyse projects from a financial perspective, scrutinize budgets and financial data, verify expenditure, and provide administrative support to projects within the group. In my free time I like to travel, read books, watch movies, and spend time with friends.

After receiving my PhD in developmental biology, I joined the group to learn about the cutting-edge field of bionanotechnology and to acquire hands-on experience with the group's laboratory methodologies. In addition to managing the lab and setting up the lab life at the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology in Poland, I work as administrative support for ongoing funding, the purchasing process, and onboarding new teammates. After working hours I enjoy playing board games and discovering different cuisines.

I am wrapping up my MSc degree in Molecular Biotechnology, specializing in biophysical chemistry and protein engineering. Within the Azuma subgroup, my research focuses on protein engineering, particularly in tailoring protein cages formed by Lumazine synthase for diverse applications. My objective is to exploit the potential of protein cages by engineering one with artificial chaperone activity, with potential applications in molecular biology and biomedicine. In addition to this project, I am engaged in exploring various computer methods, including machine learning. My aim here is to analyse the extensive array of known Lumazine synthase sequences to predict their quaternary state. Who knows where the journey might take me?

I am primarily interested in topoisomerases and specifically DNA gyrase. In the last 8 years I have worked on several projects in Heddle lab involving DNA gyrase from a wide range of organisms including thermophilic archaea and the eukaryotic parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii. The current focus of my work as a PhD student is understanding the structure and mechanism of E. coli DNA gyrase using structural biology with the hope of developing novel bacterial topoisomerase inhibitors in the future.

My work focuses on developing virus-like particles (VLPs) as vaccines, smart drug delivery systems, RNA protecting capsules, and others. Currently I’m particularly interested in developing modular VLPs which serve as protein/peptide displaying platforms. I'm the principal investigator in a project dedicated to this subject. In addition to studying VLPs I'm also involved in a project aiming at reengineering artificial protein cages and DNA-Origami cages. Similarly as VLP, artificial cages can serve as scaffolds for antigens or molecules targeting a specific receptor. In this project we try to investigate how spatial arrangement of such molecules translate to their biological activity. In the lab I produce VLPs and artificial protein cages; I explore bioconjugation methods to functionalize them; and I test their applicability in available in vitro/ex vivo models.

I am a PhD candidate in the Heddle lab. In the lab, I work on the artificial protein nanocage TRAP. I graduated from the Warsaw University of Life Science (Poland) and I have been trained at Ghent University (Belgium) and Free University of Brussels (Belgium) as an Erasmus student. Before joining the Heddle lab I worked in the field of histone modifications and restriction endonucleases at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw. In my free time I like doing some horticulture.

I studied Biotechnology at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow and followed my scientific education at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden where I obtained my PhD degree. Afterwards, I had a short encounter with the biotech world during my work as senior scientist at Selvita in Cracow. Finally, I came back to academia and caried postdoctoral research in the field of structural biology at the Helmholtz Munich and at the Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology in Cracow. My long-standing interest is in nucleic acids, their biogenesis, function and interactions with proteins. Currently, I am leading projects that are designed to contribute (I) to the understanding of functional roles of lncRNAs in stem cell pluripotency maintenance and differentiation, and (II) to the elucidation of the mechanism and potential solutions to the fluoroquinolone resistance that is hampering the action of DNA gyrase-directed antibiotics.

I am a PhD student working in the Maestro group. My research focuses on artificial protein cage delivery into cells. Currently, I am trying to develop a suitable system for tracking cages and monitoring their localisation, endosomal escape and cage disassembly within cells. In my private life, I am a nature lover who enjoys spending time being surrounded by beautiful plants.

I am a PhD student in the Azuma subgroup working on designing stimulus-responsive protein nanocages. My interests lie in understanding how biomolecules work, and how it can be mimicked and modified to impart useful functionality. In the future, I hope to harness the versatility of biomolecular architectures for applications in organic synthesis reactions, and that one day, drinking tea with milk and sugar will have a more mainstream appeal.

Antimicrobial drug resistance among bacteria is an increasing challenge in clinics. DNA Gyrase is one of the targets for such drugs. That is why, as a PhD student, I focus on investigating gyrase-targeting pentapeptide repeat protein – EfsQnr. This protein was found in genomic DNA of Gram-positive bacteria – Enterococcus faecalis, which is a potentially harmful opportunistic pathogen of humans. EfsQnr confers resistance against quinolones – a potent family of antimicrobials. EfsQnr’s biological function and mode of action remains unknown. My aim is to get closer to understanding the mechanism of its interaction with gyrase using biochemical and structural biology methods. In my spare time I enjoy hiking. I am also interested in ethnography, history and languages.

I am a PhD student in the Heddle Lab, with a background in biophysics, cancer research and magnetic resonances. I am currently working on modifying artificial protein cages made of TRAP protein for potential use in biomedical purposes, such as drug delivery or modern vaccines. If there is anything interesting to decorate the cage with, then I would definitely like to do it! Privately, a gamer, bookworm, lover of food and cooking and a fan of science also outside of biochemistry, especially physics and astronomy. I am still waiting for the theory of the universe as a protein cage.

At Centro de Estudios Cientificos, Valdivia, Chile; my research focused on studying the structure and function of members of the ClC family of chloride channels and transporters. Afterwards I moved to Ireland where I obtained my PhD degree in molecular medicine at The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, studying the regulation of the Epithelial Sodium Channel function by steroidal hormones. Also in Ireland, as part of my postdoctoral studies, I worked at Systems Biology Ireland developing a synthetic signalling cascade; and then at the International Centre of Neurotherapeutics in pain research. In 2021, I joined Heddle’s lab where I am currently helping in our efforts to develop novel DNA/lipid and DNA/lipid protein nanostructures.

In my work I’m trying to answer the question how designed protein structure scan interact with and effect eukaryotic cells. I`m particularly interested in artificial protein cages design and production including internal and external modification of cages for its effective delivery to cells and potential application in biomedical research.

I received my Ph.D. in Peptide Chemistry from the University of Gdansk, Poland. I was a postdoctoral fellow in Biochemistry at National Cancer Institute, NIH, USA. In the Heddle lab, I am interested in the application of peptides in bionanoscience.