Dawid Przystupski and Wojciech Szlasa from Wroclaw Medical University have been awarded annual research scholarships by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) under its prestigious START program. The initiative supports the most promising early-career researchers in Poland, recognizing excellence across all scientific disciplines. Both laureates were awarded in the field of preclinical medicine.

Astrobiology in Cancer Research

Dawid Przystupski, from the Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation, leads pioneering research on how cancer cells behave in altered gravity environments. His work includes sending biological samples into the stratosphere and simulating microgravity and hypergravity conditions. The results suggest that cancer cells become more sensitive to chemotherapy under altered gravity, offering new insights for oncology.

His collaboration with the European Space Agency led to the launch of Poland’s first astrobiological nanosatellite in 2022. Przystupski believes this line of research could advance our understanding of drug resistance in cancer.

Electric Fields and Drug Resistance

Wojciech Szlasa, from the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, discovered how low-intensity electric pulses — below the electroporation threshold — can trigger cancer cells to release proteins linked to tumor progression. His work has shown increased sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy and immunotherapy targets. One of his studies on pancreatic cancer was featured in Scientific Reports’ “Cancer Top 100 of 2023.”

The START program is Poland’s oldest scholarship for young scientists, offering PLN 30,000 to each recipient. In this year’s edition, over 700 applications were submitted, with awards going to those with exceptional research accomplishments.