part of Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology
of University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk
Former Department of Virology consists of two teams:
22/01/2024
Professor Krystyna Bieńkowska-Szewczyk talks about Poland’s most modern BSL3+ laboratory established at the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG and discusses working with viruses in an interview with Julia Bereszczyńska.
22/01/2024
The first BSL-3+ laboratory in northern Poland is about to begin work. On January 22, the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG held the official opening of a unique space where research into, among other things, coronavirus and tick-borne encephalitis virus will be conducted. The Minister of Science and Higher Education, Dariusz Wieczorek, congratulated UG on the new unit.
1/01/2022
prof. Bogusław Szewczyk
The aim of the project is to develop vaccine candidates based on mRNA/VLP technology against one of three zoonotic viral pathogens (SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus, TBEV and West Nile virus, WNV) that are of great importance to human health around the world.
The development path started from designing the mRNA encoding for virus antigens, through the potential vaccine candidate evaluation, preclinical and I phase of the clinical studies. The whole project is divided into 10 tasks. They include a research stage using mRNA/VLP technology and a development stage of the production and analysis process on a laboratory and pilot scale.
The suspected project effect combines the advantages of both mRNA and VLPs: high effectiveness, long-lasting, the beginning of the dosing regimen, the possibility of storage in convenient conditions and safety in addition to control and pediatric use.
Project co-financed by the state from the Medical Research Agency, in the competition: Development of new technologies using RNA technology
The consortium consists of:
– Adamed Sp. Zoo. (Project leader)
– University of Gdansk
– Institute of Biotechnology and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Project value PLN 87,517,519.25, including PLN 11,382,750.00 for UG
Funding PLN 58,494,498.19
11/10/2023
The BioSafety Level 3+ (BSL3+) laboratory, one of the most modern in Poland, which enables a full range of work with airborne viral pathogens, has just been opened. Please check the movie, that describes (in Polish) how it works.
The projects dedicated to fundamental virology and applied research are run by both teams. The model viruses include herpesviruses, hepatitis C virus (HCV) , influenza virus (IAV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Zika virus, Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2).
Virus-host cell interactions, including mechanism of virus entry and spread , mechanism of immune evasion, interaction of viral and cellular proteins are the main interests of Virus Molecular Biology group. The topics investigated in Recombinant Vaccines Laboratory include construction of vaccines, development of anti-virals, sequencing and analysis of viral genomes and application of viruses as biopesticides.
About usMost of virology teaching is performed in English. The teaching program includes lectures in Molecular Virology, seminars for bachelor and MSc studies, laboratory classes (for selected groups). Each year 6 – 8 MSc experimental projects are conducted in our laboratories.
Individual training for outstanding students is available. 25 PhD virology projects were completed in our teams.
Meet the team
Prof. dr hab. Krystyna Bieńkowska-Szewczyk
and
Prof. dr hab. Bogusław Szewczyk
