- The Master’s Thesis Competition plays a very important role in both our academic and professional environment, involving both pharmacists and laboratory diagnosticians. It helps us to promote talented graduates and research work carried out at our Faculty - said Piotr Luliński, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, during the opening of the paper session. – The theses presented today are interdisciplinary and diverse, covering disease markers, drug carrier development, analytical method optimisation, and theoretical studies. They show the diversity of our graduates’ research skills and abilities.
Prof. Marcin Sobczak, Vice Rector for Science and Technology Transfer, who represented the Rector of the Medical University of Warsaw (MUW) at the event, emphasised the high level of the competition.
- The competition is a celebration at the Faculty of Pharmacy and many of the research findings presented in the theses are later published in scientific journals.
The competition consisted of two parts: a poster session, which began at 8.30 a.m. in front of the auditorium, and a paper session, during which the audience gathered in the auditorium listened to 15 papers by finalists from the fields of medical laboratory science and pharmacy. After the speeches, a very interesting lecture entitled “The potential of psilocybin in the treatment of mental illnesses” was given by Prof. Jakub Piwowarski from the Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Bioanalysis. The professor recalled when and how the “career” of psilocybe mushrooms began. He also spoke about the latest research on psilocybin and the potential for its use, for example in the treatment of drug-resistant depression.
The finalists of the competition
- Kamila Rębis, MPharm – thesis entitled “Personalisation of sirolimus treatment in paediatric patients after kidney transplantation - development and validation of a reference analytical method based on LC-MS/MS technique”
- Kasandra Kosman, MSc – thesis entitled “Creation of a construct containing the CEBPA gene sequence, enabling differentiation of K562 line cells into granulocyte-like cells”
- Marta Wronikowska, MPharm – thesis entitled “Hydrogel delivery and controlled release systems for paclitaxel – synthesis, structural and physicochemical studies”
- Aleksandra Kumorek, MSc – thesis entitled ‘Evaluation of plasma galectin-3 concentration as a potential marker of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and the effect of effective treatment on its concentration"
- Zofia Korpusik, MPharm – thesis entitled “Preparation of novel analogues of α-aryl- α-aminonitriles and α-amino acids, sulfoximine derivatives”
- Artur Jędras, MSc – thesis entitled “Development of a Refined Blister Formation Model Aimed at Elucidating IL-17B Functions in the Inflammatory Response Associated with Bullous Pemphigoid”
- Alicja Mirońska, MPharm – thesis entitled “Synthesis of Diazine-Based Intermediate Products as Potential Human Neuraminidase Inhibitors”
- Katarzyna Pietrucha, MSc – thesis entitled “Whole-genome analysis of potentially pathogenic repetitive sequences”
- Katarzyna Powała, MPharm – thesis entitled “Theoretical analysis of the relationship between the interaction of agonists and antagonists with the RAR ɣ receptor and their biological activity”
- Aleksandra Wiśniewska, MSc – thesis entitled “Influence of rs7903146 polymorphism of TCF7L2 gene on the occurrence of selected civilisation diseases”
- Kamil Szczepanik, MPharm – thesis entitled “Neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) and C5a component in neonatal meconium”
- Julia Stańczyk, MSc – thesis entitled “Evaluation of the effect of vitamin D3 together with anticancer drugs on the process of apoptosis in haematological tumours”
- Agnieszka Zięba, MPharm – thesis entitled “Influence of selected pre-analytical and analytical factors on the results of saliva analysis obtained using untargeted metabolomics”
- Ilona Zembrzuska-Kaska, MSc – thesis entitled “Influence of spatial conditions and cerebrospinal fluid on the potential of neural stem cells”
- Zuzanna Żelazewska, MPharm – thesis entitled “Preclinical evaluation of acute and subacute hepatotoxicity of the combination of morphine and disulfiram in vitro and in vivo studies”
- Karolina Nowak, MSc – thesis entitled “Evaluation of measles virus antibody levels in blood serum of blood donors”
- Weronika Widomska, MPharm – thesis entitled “Effect of antiseptics on selected fungi of the Candida genus”
- Julia Kusak, MSc – thesis entitled “Evaluation of drug susceptibility and search for mechanisms of antibiotic resistance among Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from patients after laryngectomy”
- Aleksandra Paduch, MPharm – thesis entitled “Evaluation of the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of the rhizome extract of cucurbitacin against Streptococcus mutans”
- Wiktoria Przyborska, MSc – thesis entitled “Effect of varying electrolyte and metabolic conditions on the properties of stored red blood cells”
Laureates
The results were announced by Professor Olga Ciepiela, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy for Medical Laboratory Science and Chairwoman of the Organisational Committee of the Master’s Thesis Competition, and Agnieszka Bazylko, PhD, Vice Dean for Pharmacy Education and Vice Chairwoman of the Organisational Committee of the Master’s Thesis Competition. The awards were also presented by Professor Marek Kuch, Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Education, and Piotr Luliński, PhD.
Laureates from the field of pharmacy
- 1st place Zuzanna Żelazewska
- 2nd place Weronika Widomska
- 3rd place Katarzyna Powała
- Audience Award: Weronika Widomska
Laureates in the field of medical laboratory science
- 1st place Aleksandra Kumorek
- Shared 2nd place Kasandra Kosman and Ilona Zembrzuska-Kaska
- Audience Award: Aleksandra Kumorek
In addition to those previously mentioned, the attendees of the event included: Prof. Urszula Demkow, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Health, Prof. Sebastian Granica, Chairman of the Council of the Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Piotr Regulski, MD, PhD, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Łukasz Czyżewski, PhD, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Jerzy Żabiński, PhD, Vice Chairman of the District Pharmaceutical Chamber in Warsaw, Marzanna Strupińska, PhD, Vice chairwoman of the Warsaw Branch of the Polish Pharmaceutical Society, Aldona Wierzbicka-Rucińska, PhD, from the National Chamber of Laboratory Diagnosticians, and Monika Urbanowska, Head of Communication at USP Zdrowie.
