Polish biologist awarded an international grant
Dr. Joanna Sułkowska as one of the six people to receive a grant of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). She will carry out research at the University of Warsaw. Funding in the amount of at least 150 thousand euros will help her set up a lab.
"Installation Grant" is intended for people returning to their home country or already in the country after completing a traineeship abroad, who intend to set up their own laboratory. Researchers awarded by EMBO come from the Czech Republic and Poland (one from each), Turkey and Portugal (two from each). The researchers will be receiving about 50 thousand euros per annum for three years. The subsidy period may be extended by two years.
Dr. Joanna Sułkowska works at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw. She cooperates with centers in the United States: University of California in San Diego, Scripps Research Institute and Rice University. She will spend the money on strengthening the emerging interdisciplinary team at the Centre for New Technologies, University of Warsaw, which will be composed on physicists, bioinformation scientists, molecular biologists and mathematicians. She will also purchase computer equipment for calculations.
Dr. Sułkowska’s work will focus on understanding the function of proteins with knots, which can help understand the causes of Parkinson\'s disease, HIV and leukemia.
"The research will involve the recently characterized proteins with non-trivial topology, i.e. those containing structures such as knots - same as those that we tie on our laces every day - explained Joanna Sułkowska. - Although these objects have been known for few years, we still do not know the answers to many fundamental questions associated with them: what is their function, how they evolved and, above all, how biology leads to the formation of knots and how they are untied in natural processes".
She announced that in the project she will firstly focus on understanding the function of knots by comparing the enzyme mechanisms analogous for proteins with and without knots. "Secondly, my goal is to develop experimental methods that would allow to clearly determine whether the protein is tied or untied, which currently is impossible" - described the researcher.
"Installation Grant" is addressed to countries with low spending on research and development. "The grants help talented young research group leaders return to their home countries, where they establish labs. Grants to help them and their countries become closer to the European research and education centres" - said grant program manager and deputy director of EMBO Gerlind Wallon.
More information on Dr. Joanna Sułkowska’s research can be found at: http://naukawpolsce.pap.pl/aktualnosci/news,397925,polska-badaczka-chce-rozwiazac-zagadke-zwiazanych-bialek.html
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
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