Department of Molecular and Interfacial Biophysics

Our colleagues Yana Shymborska and Svyatoslav Nastyshyn, along with their PhD advisors Prof. Yurij Stetsyshyn, Joanna Raczkowska, and Andrzej Budkowski, have published a few review articles suggesting that the quick development of novel materials with extended surfaces based primarily on polymers, with physical, chemical, and biological properties tailored on demand or tuned by external stimuli, is essential for the future of biomedical sciences.

„Switching it Up: The Promise of Stimuli-Responsive Polymer Systems in Biomedical Science”

„Temperature-Responsive Polymer Brush Coatings for Advanced Biomedical Applications”

"Passive antifouling and active self-disinfecting antiviral surfaces"

Our colleague dr hab. Kamil Awsiuk  has obtained the position of University Professor (Profesor Uczelni) at our Faculty.

Dr Katarzyna Gajos, Prof. Andrzej Budkowski, and colleagues from NCRS Demokritos in Athens have summarized the results of their long-term cooperation in a Perspective Article published in Applied Surface Science with the title “A perspective on ToF-SIMS analysis of biosensor interfaces: Controlling and optimizing multi-molecular composition, immobilization through bioprinting, molecular orientation”. This article has reviewed recent ToF-SIMS applications to solve challenges in biosensor fabrication and performance, such as: i) control of the multi-molecular composition of the biosensor interface during multi-step functionalization and assay based on information not provided by the biosensor response; ii) control of immobilization through printing for mass fabrication of miniaturized biosensors; iii) control of molecular orientation and conformation determining detection capacity of the biofunctionalized biosensors.

Dr. hab. Yurij Stetsyshyn from Lviv Polytechnic National University has joined our Department as a Visiting Professor at Jagiellonian Unversity. He would offer an original course of lectures on Polymers for Biomedical Applications."

Our colleague dr hab. Joanna Raczkowska has obtained the position of University Professor (Profesor Uczelni) at our Faculty."

The editors of Applied Surface Science awarded the 2021 Frans Habraken Best Paper Award to our colleague dr Katarzyna Gajos for the paper “Surface density dependent orientation and immunological recognition of antibody on silicon: TOF-SIMS and surface analysis of two covalent immobilization methods” .

Congratulations!

Our colleague Zbigniew Baster have successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled Interplay between talin and β1 – integrin in cancer cells motility.

Next stop for Zbigniew: postdoc in dr Clare Waterman group at National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH.

Congratulations!

Dr Katarzyna Gajos will deliver her invited lecture entitled “Surface characterization of optical biosensors for detection of harmful substances in food" during Food Chemistry conference, Lviv Polytechnic, 7-9.10.2020.

Long-term experience of research on biomolecules at surfaces has been summarized in an invited article in Colloid and Polymer Science, entitled "Controlling orientation, conformation, and biorecognition of proteins on silane monolayers, conjugate polymers, and thermo-responsive polymer brushes: investigations using TOF-SIMS and principal component analysis". This topic was earlier introduced by Andrzej Budkowski as the keynote lecture during the European Polymer Congress 2019 (EPF 2019 Crete )

Our colleague Kamil Awsiuk earned a Habilitation degree for publication series entitled "Characterization of polymer and molecular surface modifications for biointerface engineering"

Dr Maciej Michalik has joined the Department of Molecular and Interfacial Biophysics. His research activity is aimed at the development of methods of immobilization of photosynthetic materials onto solid surfaces applied in biosensors and biohybrid solar cells.

Our colleague Tomasz Kołodziej is a co-author of a work “Active wetting of epithelial tissues" published in Nature Physics.

Congratulations Tomasz!

Dr Katarzyna Gajos has received a prestigious FNP START stipend, honouring every year the most talented 100 young Polish researchers in recognition of their achievements (see https://www.fnp.org.pl/laureaci-start-2018/).

Congratulations Katarzyna!

Our colleague Joanna Raczkowska earned a Habilitation degree for publication series entitled "Bio-interfaces of polymer coatings inducing controlled interactions with proteins and cells"