Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, PAS
Name: Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, PAS
Address: ul. Pawińskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
Website: https://ibb.edu.pl/
Description:
The Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics is one of the leading research institutes in the field of life sciences in Poland. Our mission is to carry out basic research in various areas of biology. We perform innovative, ground-breaking research that is being published in high impact, world-renowned journals. However, we also understand the need of the efficient movement of the basic science discoveries into practice, and therefore we constantly increase our efforts to translate the research results to the industry and clinic. In our research we employ several model organisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, plants and animals, and use a wide range of modern biochemical, biophysical, bioinformatics, genetic and molecular methods. Moreover, our Institute governs the Polish Henryk Arctowski Antarctic Station, that is located on King George Island, off the coast of Antarctica. The station provides an opportunity to carry out a research not only by our Department of Antarctic Biology but also by scientists from all over the world. The quality and originality of our research is well recognised both in Poland and abroad, as a result, our scientists frequently receive prestigious prizes. We have been also successful in acquiring multiple research funds from national and international sources. Finally, we have developed a rich collaboration network that spans the entire World. Since our vision is to be a premier, innovative research centre that is able solve fundamental biological problems, we are willing to host talented, open-minded scientist who are eager to push the knowledge boundaries.
Disciplines: biological sciences, chemical sciences
Fields of activity:
- molecular biology - discovery of structures and mechanisms regulating gene expression at different levels (transcriptional, posttranscriptional, epigenetic) in humans, plants, yeasts and bacteria; elucidation of the mechanisms that determine the stability of eukaryotic genomes and bacterial plasmids; understanding molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions and response to abiotic stress in plants
- cell biology - mechanisms of genome plasticity in Paramecium; autophagy in plants and yeasts; signal transduction in plants and mammalian cells; molecular basis of rare genetic diseases, including mitochondrial diseases
- functional genomics - metagenomics and metatranscriptomics analyses to identify microorganisms of biotechnological importance; identification of new factors involved in various aspects of human cells biology using genome-wide loss-of-function screenings
- structural biology and chemical biology - examination of protein-ligand interactions to introduce a rational methodology for seeking specific inhibitors and drug design
- bioinformatics and omics - genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, using high-tech platforms available in IBB, to identify new drugs and drug targets
- biotechnology - identification and improvement of strains required for dairy food production; identification and analysis of bacteriophages with therapeutic potential; optimization of microbial communities for the production of renewable energy from biomass
- biophysics - interactions of metal ions with peptides and drugs; structure and activity of metalloproteins; zinc fingers; molecular toxicology, development of sensors for ions, mechanisms of metal-related carcinogenesis, protein biotechnology and supramolecular chemistry
Latest achievements:
The most important achievements of IBB researches during the last five years described in prestigious experimental publications concern
- biology of DNA and proteins (novel aspects of DNA replication control, determination of the structures of DNA-interacting proteins, modeling of protein structure and protein-ligand interactions);
- novel mechanisms of RNA biogenesis and its control (transcription regulation in plants, RNA decay, polyadenylation and uridylation in human cells including mitochondrial antisense transcripts and mechanism of its degradation, control of tRNA synthesis in yeast);
- biosynthesis pathways and regulatory mechanisms (interplay between isoprenoid biosynthesis pathways in plants; novel host-pathogen interaction mediated by a protein pseudo-kinase, AMPylation of proteins involved in redox homeostasis in yeast, control of gene expression in pathogenic bacteria);
- biological chemistry (functional role for Aβ peptide in metal homeostasis)
Research facilities:
Laboratory of DNA Sequencing and Oligonucleotide Synthesis, Laboratory of High-Throughput Drug Testing and Proteomics, Laboratory of Confocal and Fluorescence Microscopy, Greenhouse, Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station (undefined)
Contact person:
Dr. Roman Szczęsny
Deputy Director for Science
sci-director@ibb.waw.pl
(+48 22) 592 21 45
