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Towards personalized medicine

The University Center of Excellence “Towards personalized medicine”

Dyrektor Centrum: dr hab. Daniel Gackowski, prof. UMK

The Center “Towards Personalized Medicine” is made up of scientists from the Faculties of Pharmacy, Medicine, and Chemistry. The dynamic development of personalized medicine is a catalyst for the expansion of the three main trends that research teams will deal with. The researchers will primarily focus on identifying new biomarkers of diseases, developing new therapeutic strategies and on regenerative medicine.

For this purpose, five research groups have been set up:

The Center’s activities will focus on strengthening its existing and acquiring new human resources – both on the scientific and administrative level. Furthermore, initiating and supporting international and interdisciplinary cooperation will be another essential aspect. With this aim, the Center will undertake collaboration with foreign institutions, including the University of Oslo in Norway, the University of Nottingham in the UK and the University of Waterloo in Canada. The Center’s parallel mission is to provide access to state-of-the-art technologies. Each group operates in laboratories equipped at the highest level and has the necessary knowledge to conduct innovative research. Research teams will also address the issues of removing barriers to the rapid and effective implementation of new ideas and creative activities. Creating a flexible and efficient incentive system is also an essential element that will help to achieve all the set objectives. The best candidates will be prepared for research work thanks to undertaken courses, study visits or workshops conducted in cooperation with lecturers from abroad.

Dr hab. Daniel Gackowski, prof. UMK set up and currently runs the Laboratory of Metabolomics and Cancer Biomarkers in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University. His team-building skills have resulted in three national research grants which he has implemented in the role of a principal investigator. He has also participated as a researcher in five international and over twenty national research projects. His stay at the Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen and the Royal Hospital in Copenhagen gave him a strong methodological background. He developed a technique for the determination of endogenously modified and damaged nitrogenous bases in DNA using two-dimensional ultra-efficient liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. He is currently an internationally renowned expert in such analyses, and this has resulted in strong international cooperation with Oxford University, Cleveland Clinic, Nottingham University, Florida State University and Russian Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the editorial board of the Novartis Current Awareness newsletter for three years. He was also an expert for the Polish Entrepreneurs Foundation (in the analysis of low molecular weight antioxidants), for Polfarma SA. (in the analysis of undesirable drug components) and for Maco Productions Polonia (in the analysis of undesirable guanosine derivatives in a pharmaceutical product). He is currently a mentor for three young scientists, each of whom is running their project in international collaboration.