How did your journey with science begin?
My journey with science began at the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of the University of Gdańsk and the Medical University of Gdańsk. Relatively early, already from the second year of my studies, I started a cycle of several individual internships in various research teams at the university. It was there that I had the opportunity to work in the laboratory, initially learning basic laboratory techniques and then gradually carrying out my own small research projects.
What factors led you to decide to go abroad? What were the biggest challenges associated with this decision?
The main factors that prompted me to go abroad were the desire for development, broadening my horizons, both in terms of research and worldview, and establishing new scientific collaborations. If one is considering continuing scientific work after a PhD and building their own team, it is essential to keep developing, improving qualifications, looking for new ideas and collaborations, and publishing in the best journals. These activities are necessary because grant competitions are highly competitive – both national and international. In my opinion, going abroad is essential. Regarding the challenges associated with the decision to go abroad, for me, it was the fact that my daughter lives in Gdańsk. So, in looking for the right place, I was guided not only by purely scientific considerations but also by logistical ones – finding a location relatively well-connected to Gdańsk. That was really the only significant challenge related to this decision.
What benefits does working in an international scientific environment bring you compared to working in Poland?
The most significant benefit is a completely different way of thinking – less emphasis on dry knowledge and more on the ability to ask the right questions and think broadly. There is also a significantly higher number of presentations, which always involve a lot of questions, often stimulating very interesting and lively discussions. Additionally, the international scientific environment is more open to collaboration. If I know that someone in my institute is doing something that might be useful from my point of view, I just go and talk to them. I don’t have to worry about whether it’s an “important professor” to whom I must first write a very official email to have any conversation. Lastly, setting it in this order of priorities, are the larger funds available for science. There’s no denying it – this creates more possibilities regarding the methods and tools used.
Do you maintain contact with Polish scientific communities?
Yes, I remain in regular contact with my former supervisor and some members of my previous team. I also have a few ideas for potential collaborations with other teams in Poland, but for now, these are only preliminary ideas.
What are you currently working on and what is the main subject of your research?
My main research project is currently focused on investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms related to chronic systemic inflammation and metabolic changes in psoriasis and its associated atherosclerosis. Additional projects also focus on psoriasis and the associated chronic systemic inflammation and related conditions.
What are the latest achievements in your field of research that particularly interest you?
I think the most important achievement in psoriasis is the availability of really effective biological therapies and how well doctors can control the course of the disease within skin lesions. However, psoriasis remains an incurable disease, and not all patients respond to treatment. An additional problem is the mentioned comorbidities, such as psoriatic arthritis and atherosclerosis. It is fascinating how a disease whose etiology is not fully understood and whose first symptoms only affect the skin can spread throughout the body, causing chronic systemic inflammation and influencing the development of so many other conditions. Despite our increasing understanding of this disease, many potentially significant mechanisms accompanying psoriasis have yet to be discovered.
What is your most significant scientific achievement or discovery? Why is it important?
I believe my most significant scientific achievement concerns the topic I worked on during my PhD. I studied the molecular mechanisms related to the development, progression, and response to therapy of hormone-dependent breast cancer. In one of our team’s papers, which was also my most important work during my PhD, we demonstrated that the prognostic significance of the fibroblast growth factor receptor type 2 (FGFR2) is dependent on the menopausal status of patients with hormone-dependent breast cancer. In premenopausal patients, i.e., in the presence of sex hormones – estradiol and progesterone – FGFR2 signaling via the JunB transcription factor regulated the expression of genes associated with a poorer prognosis. Discovering this mechanism may help in better stratifying patients for therapy selection in the future, for example, using FGFR inhibitors.
What scientific problems in your discipline are you most looking forward to solving and why?
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death in the modern world. Over 85% of deaths related to these conditions are due to heart attacks and strokes, and atherosclerosis contributes to their occurrence. Clinical and pathological data indicate that patients with psoriasis have a 50% increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, but we still do not know the cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to this. Therefore, I believe that a better understanding of the relationship between these two conditions can lead to the discovery of new biomarkers and the use of better therapies, which can significantly improve the quality of life and survival rates among patients.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your scientific work?
The biggest challenge in my scientific work is that atherosclerosis and psoriasis are multifactorial diseases involving changes at both the immunological and metabolic levels. This necessitates the use of advanced animal models that can most accurately replicate the course of the disease in humans while minimizing additional, undesirable factors. Of course, all results obtained using such models must then be verified with patient-derived material. This makes such a project very time-consuming and methodologically complex. However, it also makes it extremely exciting.
What are the most important research questions you plan to address in the near future? What directions for development do you see in your field?
In recent years, we have learned more and more about the communication between the immune system and metabolism, but there is still much to be done. Moreover, the metabolic syndrome – a group of conditions that are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and high triglyceride levels with low HDL cholesterol – is an increasingly serious problem, almost an epidemic, in developed countries. This is the topic I want to focus on in the near future: how the immune system and metabolism communicate and regulate each other and what this means for certain diseases.
Are there practical implications or potential applications of your research findings? How do you see their impact on society or the economy?
I believe that what I mentioned earlier – the fact that cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, along with the current epidemic of obesity and other metabolic problems – shows how significant this issue is, both socially and economically. Addressing the above-mentioned diseases constitutes a very serious burden on healthcare programs in virtually every country around the globe. Therefore, I believe that all research aimed at better understanding the mechanisms of development and progression of these diseases will contribute to the development of increasingly better, more effective therapies. Additionally, greater knowledge and understanding of the disease also impact the awareness of people affected by the condition. And greater awareness means better prevention.
What advice would you give to young scientists at the beginning of their scientific careers?
I would give a few pieces of advice. One piece of advice I have heard several times from very renowned scientists, who are pioneers in their fields – scientific work should bring us joy. We should engage in projects that genuinely excite us. Projects whose results we can’t wait to see, even if the path we have to take is difficult and full of failures. The second piece of advice is related to how demanding scientific work is – constant pressure related to publishing or applying for grants, competition worldwide. Besides our qualifications, we often need a bit of luck. Therefore, we should take advantage of every opportunity. If there is a chance to travel, apply for a new grant, or receive a proposal for new collaboration – we should try, travel, and apply. And lastly, what I think is equally important. When deciding to go abroad, which I always highly recommend because nothing else stimulates development as much, we should look for a place that is, of course, scientifically attractive, but also a place that is good for us to live in. While scientific work takes up a large part of our time, it is worth being in a place where we will also be happy outside of work.
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