National Centre for Research and Development

The subject of the project is the development of information technology necessary to create a prototype of a high-performance system for the analysis and classification of photos, in particular of a pedophile nature, and its testing in real conditions. The maintenance-free data processing will minimize the contact of experts with the content of the photos.

In principle, the system will detect elements that are important from the process point of view, visible in the photo, such as silhouettes of people or animals, as well as selected parts of the body. Based on expert anthropometric knowledge, the system, after successful detection of a human figure, will assess the age of the person shown in the photo.

The system will also allow you to search for duplicate photos despite changing their form (e.g. changes in framing or retouching), as well as characteristic elements enabling the identification of the perpetrator or the place of the act (e.g. reading of the texts present in the photo, regardless of the angle in which they were presented).

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a proliferative hematological disease caused by impaired differentiation and excessive proliferation of immature lymphoid cells. Despite improvements in treatment efficacy, ALL remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in children and young adults.

In 2009, a new form of ALL with an unfavorable prognosis was distinguished - the so-called BCR-ABL-like ALL. This disease is characterized by specific mutations leading to excessive activation of tyrosine kinases, which gives a potential chance for the application of effective targeted therapies. Although current treatment protocols do not yet address BCR-ABL-like ALL as a disease requiring different management, the results of preclinical and clinical studies indicate that targeted therapy may improve the treatment efficacy of this form of ALL. One of the barriers to introducing new treatments, however, is the difficulty in diagnosing BCR-ABL-like ALL in routine clinical practice.
The main goal of the project is to develop a BCR-ABL-like ALL diagnostic algorithm using flow cytometry.

In the course of the project, it is planned to develop, optimize and validate the Ph-ind'ALL diagnostic algorithm for screening, allowing for the initial selection of patients using an extended immunophenotype of bone marrow aspirate. It will be the first test to enable the routine diagnosis of BCR-ABL-like ALL in routine practice. The project presented here has a chance to fill the gap between the available knowledge and scientific research, and everyday clinical practice and the implementation of personalized therapeutic solutions. The Ph-ind'em ALL algorithm responds to the unmet clinical need for the possibility of routine diagnosis of BCR-ABL1-like ALL and has a chance to significantly affect the prognosis of patients with this subtype of ALL with unfavorable prognosis.

The project involves the development of a technology for biorefining of vegetable oils for the production of advanced composite materials. The project has two complementary practical goals. The main goal of the project is to create a demonstration line - a mobile biorefinery module for the production of a unique family of bacterial polymers - polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). An important issue, which is the second goal of the project, is to demonstrate the potential of these polymers in the development of the Polish economy on the example of the preparation of composite materials for spatial forming (e.g. bone and cartilage tissue implants or other advanced non-implantation composite forms [flexible materials used for industry - textiles, food packaging, toys and other plastic products]). Planned research includes the construction of the demonstration line prototype, its validation and the production of two types of PHA polymers from rapeseed oil hydrolysis products - polyhydroxybutyrate and amorphous PHA. The developed technology will be available on the market on the basis of its licensing. On the basis of polymers and ceramic semi-finished products, a series of blends (PHA mixtures) and polymer-ceramic composites (e.g. for applications in the regeneration of cartilage) will be created, and then the technology of spatial formation of selected mixtures will be developed, which will be implemented in the company's operations. Ceramic-polymer composites will also be produced without the use of spatial forming technology with potential application in bone tissue engineering. The materials, and finally the implants, that will be created in the course of the project, will be framed with a physicochemical analysis and a detailed biological analysis (in vitro and in vivo). The project is part of two strategic areas of the TechMatStrateg program - (1) technologies of functional materials and materials with designed properties and (2) waste-free material technologies and technologies of biodegradable engineering materials.

The goal of the ALTER CAR project is to develop new and alternative therapeutic approaches based on chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) for poor prognosis leukemia and lymphoma patients.

The cooperation within the Consortium provides a unique opportunity to implement CAR T technology in Poland and to develop alternative CAR T lymphocytes with new specifics, which may be a significant progress in CAR therapy. The long-term result of the project will be the creation of a permanent Polish-Norwegian network for the development, production and preparation of CAR-based therapies and other adoptive therapies for clinical trials in various forms of cancer.

In the first phase of the project, we will use a combined bioinformatics-transcriptomic-proteomics approach to select new targets for CAR T immunotherapy using established tumor cell lines. Selected antigens will be further tested in detail in primary cells isolated from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma refractory to standard therapy. 2-4 antigens will be selected for CAR therapy, which will be used in the second stage of the project to design a panel of CAR constructs. The initially designed construct will be optimized for affinity, and in the next phase of the project it will be validated in preclinical conditions using well-established in vitro and in vivo models.

In the final step, selected CAR candidates will be produced as GMP-grade RNA for the first human study. The end product of this proposal will be one or more alternative CARs for use in the treatment of patients with B-cell malignancies that are refractory to all treatment options or who have relapsed after prior therapies.

The aim of the project is to design an optimally functioning helmet for the treatment of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure together with oxygen supply and positive airway pressure devices equipped with a self-monitoring system, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of treatment using these devices. The implementation of the project will enable certification of the helmet and its introduction into production. In addition to the helmet, peripheral devices will be developed and tested, including, in particular, a PAP-assisted device with a system for monitoring conditions inside the helmet and vital functions indicators. The signals from these devices will be used for smooth control of the parameters of oxygen therapy and PAP.

Cancer is currently second cause of death behind cardiovascular diseases in the European Union. Among different cancers, lung cancer is the most common cause of global cancer-related mortality due to late diagnoses and limited treatment, leading to over a million deaths each year. Accumulating evidence suggests that lung cancer represents a group of histologically and molecularly heterogeneous diseases. Recent strategies, e.g., surgery, radiotherapy, chemo- and immunotherapy, to treat lung cancer are still far to be sufficient for suffering patients. The application of nanotechnology to treat lung cancer unleashes a huge capacity to solve many unmet lung cancer clinical needs and the potential for development in the coming future. Our proposal consists of an ambitious and responsible transnational research and development program of cancer theranostics using nanotechnology for personalised nanomedicine. The proposal integrates nanoscience products and their technological applications resulting in completely new ideas, methods and outputs, based on the bioengineering of a highly sensitive and highly reliable multifunctional self-navigated MRI-guided and thermallyrearranged patient-personalized “Theranostic Exosome Drug Delivery System” (TEDDS). This system can deliver and monitor using MRI, an enzyme-based sensing program by a “Trojan horse”-like effect, employing radiotherapy combined with magnetic fluid hyperthermia treatments. The TEDDS drug candidate will be tested in preclinical safety programs addressing common regulatory issues and using novel approaches such as 3D cultures, organ-on-a-chip, microfluidics and proteomic profiling. To reach these challenges, the project will merge multinational teams representing Polish and Norwegian laboratories, academia, clinical hospital, and industrial partnerships to elucidate different areas of biosciences, nanotechnology, clinical oncology and pharmaceutical business ventures.

PROJECT WEBSITE: https://tepcan.wum.edu.pl/en/events

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic skin disease, affecting 15-20% of children and 1-3% of adults. Since the 1970s, the incidence of atopic dermatitis has increased two to three times, especially in industrialized countries.
There is currently no effective treatment for complete remission of AD, and treatments are focused on relieving symptoms and gaining relapse control. The moderate therapeutic efficacy of the available drugs, significant side effects and patient satisfaction data clearly demonstrate the need to develop new therapies. Urolithin A (U228) is a postbiotic metabolite produced by the human gut microbiota from compounds found in some food products, for which PI in vitro showed strong anti-inflammatory properties due to inhibition of the translocation of the NFkappaB p65 subunit into the cell nucleus. In vivo studies performed confirmed the anti-inflammatory activity on the skin after topical administration of the compound.
The planned R&D works will include scaling the synthesis of U228 and delivering the substance, developing a semi-liquid formulation (FU228), conducting physicochemical and pharmaceutical tests for it, and testing the anti-inflammatory activity of FU228 on an in vivo model. The above work will provide the API and formulation that are necessary to start preclinical research. In vivo studies will confirm the anti-inflammatory activity of FU228 and indicate additional molecular mechanisms responsible for it. Based on the results of the application research, a Drug Development Plan and a business plan will be prepared, which will be presented during talks with potential investors.

Detailed molecular characteristics of the degeneration process of synapses and distal axon segments in the course of ALS enabling identification of diagnostic biomarkers, as well as development of new more effective treatments.

The main goal of the project is to increase the level of confidence in immunization in Poland by developing tools to encourage patients / adolescents to reject false medical claims regarding vaccination (medical fake news). Withdrawal from vaccination results in the spread of infectious diseases, with medical (medical costs), social and economic effects (sick leave costs, costs of absenteeism). Decisions about vaccination are made not only through contact with a doctor, but also on the basis of information obtained on the Internet. The project will examine the decision-making mechanisms and adjust the final shape of tools to target groups in order to respond to their needs and achieve the expected result, which will be a decrease in the number of refusals to vaccinate. The solution adopted in the project consists in developing coherent strategies for medical staff, teachers, parents and adolescents based on psychosocial mechanisms based on the techniques of persuasion and social influence. The project takes into account systemic solutions, including the model of primary healthcare organization in the implementation of the compulsory immunization program and ready-made models of cooperation with the local government, NGOs, public institutions as well as proposals for legislative changes and legal acts. The spreading of fake news on vaccines can lead to inappropriate health attitudes and behaviors by rejecting medical science. The result of the project will be an innovative IT tool enabling the identification and inhibition of the spread of medical fake news at an early stage of their formation and the way out of the post factum response trap. The communication strategy includes live chats, Q&A webinars, podcasts and the TEDex formula. The use of the developed tools will make it possible to maintain a long-term and coordinated health policy, allowing for the reduction of the percentage of refusals to preventive vaccinations.

Under the project, a webpage was created available under this link: www.medfake.pl

This project is to develop a series of modifications to bio-inks based on ECM, which will ensure suitable resistance properties, depending on the demand.
The addition of carbon nanotubes, recombinant hybrid protein or the methacrylate production process will be analysed both as single enrichments of the bio-ink and their combinations, which will ensure universal nature of the applied approach. The developed modifications will be tested and optimized on bio-inks basing on pig ECM
received from decellularized meniscus and pancreas, which will be used for 3D print of the bionic versions of those organs.