Marta Zapotoczna, Ph.D – principal investigator
e-mail: m.zapotoczna@uw.edu.pl / TT @martazapotoczna @aureuslibrary
Katarzyna Ścibek, M.Sc. – postgraduate student
e-mail: katarzyna.scibek@biol.uw.edu.pl
The aim of my research is to quantify the ability of bacterial isolates of Staphylococcus aureus to lyse erythrocytes and other human cells and to relate these results to the available genomic sequences of these isolates and the associated clinical data of patients from whom we obtained them. S. aureus is one of the most common pathogenic bacteria influencing nosocomial infections. The data obtained in this way will bring us closer to explaining the role of hemolytic factors in the course and development of bacteremia.
Marcin Małkowski, B.Eng. – graduate student
e-mail: mm.malkowski@student.uw.edu.pl
The aim of the project is to investigate the role of coa gene variability among strains from different clonal complexes on the function of Coa isoforms produced by S. aureus, including the formation of Coa-dependent biofilms on human plasma-coated surfaces. In addition, the quantitative comparison of the ability of bacteraemic isolates to form a coagulase-dependent biofilm will allow me to determine the effect of non-gene variability on this phenotype and the associated risk of developing complications.
Paula Rozen, M.Sc. – postgraduate student
e-mail: pa.rozen@uw.edu.pl
The aim of my research is to quantify the ability of bacteriemia isolates Staphylococcus aureus to adhere to human glycoproteins, including fibrinogen and fibronectin. My next goals are to investigate the effect of two component systems on adhesion determined by surface proteins. Relating the obtained phenotypic results to the variability within the genomic sequences of the studied strains will allow to identify the relationship between polymorphisms within the genome and the adhesion capacity. In addition, examining the relationship between the adhesion capacity of individual strains and the associated clinical data of patients available in our collection will allow me to verify the role of these bacterial features in the development of complications in bloodstream infections.
Karolina Mijas, B. Eng- graduate student
e-mail: km.mijas@student.uw.edu.pl
The aim of my project is to investigate the role of staphylokinase in the development of bacteraemia complications due to Staphylococcus aureus. The quantitative comparison of the staphylokinase production capacity by bacterial strains in our collection will allow me to relate these data to the associated clinical manifestations in patients to verify the role of staphylokinase on the course of infections caused by this pathogen.
Karol Makuch, Ph.D
e-mail: karol.makuch@gmail.com /www.karolmakuch.com
I trained in theoretical physics at the University of Warsaw, where I worked on soft and quantum condensed matter. After 2015 I joined the microfluidic group at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where I have been involved in microfluidic and biophysical experiments. I have also worked on the transport of molecules in complex fluids and inside living cells. From March 2019 to March 2020 I visited the active matter group of John Brady at the California Institute of Technology.In the project, I perform statistical analysis of biological data.
Research collaborators:
Dr Franesc Coll (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK)
Dr Jan Pluta oraz Dr hab. Janusz Trzebicki (Warsaw Medical University, PL)
Dr Joan Geoghegan (University of Birmingham, UK)
Collaboration in building the clinical databases:
Dr hab. Monika Budnik, Dr Halina Marchel, Prof. dr hab. Grzegorz Opolski (Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny, PL)
Dr Katarzyna Holcman, Dr Aldona Olechowska-Jarząb (Uniwersytet Jagielloński, PL),
Dr Adrianna Berger Kucza, Prof. dr hab. Katarzyna Mizia-Stec (Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny, PL)