Łukasz Szczerbiński, PhD, assistant professor at the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Internal Medicine of the Medical University of Bialystok, received a scholarship from the prestigious prof. Franciszek Walczak Programme The place of the internship will be the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT as well as Massachusetts General Hospital (Cambridge and Boston, USA). The value of scholarship is 82,000 PLN. In total, only 17 internship scholarships were awarded nationwide.
The purpose of the project which received funding, entitled "Pharmacogenomics of antidiabetic treatment - personalized medicine in type 2 diabetes", is to extend the current knowledge in the field of pharmacogenomics of metformin in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes, i.e. to learn about the role of genetic variation in drug efficacy and the incidence of side effects. In addition, the aim is to create polygenic risk indicators (so-called Polygenic Risk Score), which can be used in clinical settings as a tool supporting decision-making regarding diabetes treatment. The aims will be achieved through the use of advanced bioinformatic methods to analyze data generated in controlled clinical trials using oral antidiabetic drugs at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The Broad Institute is a world-renowned genomics and bioinformatics centre where research is conducted to understand the genetic basis of diseases and personalize their treatment. Often recognized as the world's leading institution for basic and applied research on the genetics of human diseases and implementation of genetic discoveries into clinical practice. It is a centre established by two universities: Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - one of the best universities in the world (1st and 4th positions respectively in the Shanghai list), in collaboration with Harvard affiliated hospitals, including the flagship Massachusetts General Hospital.
The scholarship holder will work in the laboratory of Professor Jose Florez, a medical scientist, one of the world leaders in the field of genetics of diabetes and metabolic diseases. He holds the prestigious position of the Head of the Endocrinology and Diabetology Ward at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard's largest clinical hospital and one of the best hospitals in the US), a lecturer at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Broad Institute (coordinator of the metabolic disease program). His laboratory consists of many experienced bioinformatics and physicians in the field of diabetes genetics and related disorders, and the results of his team's research have been published in the best scientific journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Cell or Nature.
Prof. Walczak Programme is a joint initiative of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange and the Ministry of Health.
We encourage you to apply for scholarships. International Cooperation Department offers assistance in preparing application for funding and contacting the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange for additional information.
We look forward to further cooperation
MUB International Cooperation Department