News

A new international research project involving the Medical University of Bialystok has received PLN 2.1 million in funding from the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). The project manager on behalf of the University is Dr Agnieszka Gornowicz, assistant professor at the Department of Biotechnology of the Medical University of Bialystok, who is responsible for the substantive supervision of the research in 2025–2027.

The title of the project is: ‘Modern pharmaceutical formulations of natural compound derivatives for direct application to the skin’, but its acronym, AtopiCure, accurately reflects the practical and applied nature of the planned research.

One of the key objectives of the AtopiCure project is to build lasting, long-term scientific cooperation between partners. This approach enables the precise formulation of research hypotheses and the effective search for answers to the most important questions in contemporary pharmacy and biotechnology.

Therefore, the project will be implemented as part of a strong international and cross-sector consortium. The leader of the project is the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Prof. Ignacy Mościcki Institute of Industrial Chemistry, and its partners are the Medical University of Bialystok and the University of Ferrara, represented by the Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences. The cooperation, planned for 2025–2027, includes not only scientific research, but also the transfer of knowledge and skills, publications in scientific journals, presentations of results at international conferences, and the organisation of internships and training courses for scientists.

Research teams from the Medical University of Białystok will be involved in the project: from the Department of Biotechnology, headed by Prof. Anna Bielawska, and the Department of Synthesis and Technology of Medicinal Products, headed by Prof. Krzysztof Bielawski. The scientists will focus on a detailed evaluation of new active substances derived from natural compounds, with particular emphasis on their immunomodulatory activity in in vitro studies and their potential for use in modern preparations for topical and transdermal application.

The implementation of the AtopiCure project will open up new areas of research and further strengthen relations with partners from Italy and the Łukasiewicz Research Network, contributing to the strategic goals of internationalisation of the Medical University of Bialystok.

Administrative support for the grant within the University structures is provided by the International Cooperation Department of the Medical University of Bialystok.

The project is co-financed under the National Agency for Academic Exchange's ‘Strategic Partnerships’ programme.