We are proud to inform you that the research team supervised by prof. Piotr Korczyk from the Department of Biosystems and Soft Matter will participate in a prestigious ERC Proof of Concept grant, thanks to their cooperation with an outstanding scientist, prof. Paweł Świętach, from the University of Oxford. Joint research will focus on developing innovative technologies for hematologic analysis, with an emphasis on monitoring the release of oxygen from red blood cells.
Prof. Paweł Świętach, a renowned specialist in physiology, has designed an innovative method for red blood testing by combining techniques of ultrarapid solution switching with fluorescent microscopy. This innovative method has led to the discovery that cytoplasmic diffusion poses a significant barrier to the efficient release of oxygen from erythrocytes. The research has resulted in two key findings: first, the rate of red blood cell release is much slower than has previously been estimated as a consequence of unexpected diffusion barriers; second, various hematological disorders can significantly influence blood cells’ ability to transport oxygen.
Supervised by prof. Piotr Korczyk, the IPPT PAN research team – Sławomir Błoński, PhD, Damian Zaremba, PhD, and Tetuko Kurniawan (doctoral candidate) - made significant contributions to this research. Professor Paweł Świętach selected our scientists to participate in his research due to their expertise in microfluidics. Together, they designed and built an innovative microfluidic apparatus that greatly aids in examining blood cells and allows for an accurate estimation of their kinetic properties in the context of oxygen release.
- Dumbill R, Rabcuka J, Fallon J, Knight S, Hunter J, Voyce D, Barrett JT, Matt Ellen, Weissenbacher A-M, Kurniawan T, Blonski S, Korczyk PM, Ploeg RJ, Coussios C, Friend P, Swietach P. Impaired O2 unloading from stored blood results in diffusion-limited O2 release at tissues: evidence from human kidneys, Blood (in press) CrossRef
- Rabcuka J, Blonski S, Meli A, Sowemimo-Coker S, Zaremba D, Stephenson D, Dzieciatkowska M, Nerguizian D, Cardigan R, Korczyk PM, Smethurst PA, D'Alessandro A, Swietach P. Metabolic reprogramming under hypoxic storage preserves faster oxygen unloading from stored red blood cells, Blood Adv 6(18):5415–5428 (2022) PubMed CrossRef
The ERC Proof of Concept grant is an excellent opportunity to commercialize and implement research results. We are honored to have received it, especially since none of the research institutions in Poland has been shortlisted for the European Research Council winners. IPPT PAN and Oxford research centers are joining forces to continue developing the technologies.
Prof. Paweł Świętach, a native of Warsaw, Poland, serves as head of the laboratory at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford. For years, he has collaborated with scientists from IPPT PAN. The cooperation has recently culminated in a publication in the prestigious journal Blood, published by the American Society of Hematology.
Assoc. Prof. Piotr Korczyk is a professor at the Division of Modelling in Biology and Medicine, IPPT PAN. He specializes in microfluidics. A few years ago, in collaboration with researchers from the Netherlands, Australia and Poland, he discovered a new mechanism for producing micro-droplets in microfluidic systems.
- Korczyk PM, van Steijn V, Blonski S, Zaremba D, Beattie DA, Garstecki P. Accounting for corner flow unifies the understanding of droplet formation in microfluidic channels, Nat Commun 10:2528 (2019) PubMed CrossRef | PDF SuppInfo-PDF
- Kurniawan T, Sahebdivani M, Zaremba D, Blonski S, Garstecki P, van Steijn V, Korczyk PM. Formation of droplets in microfluidic cross-junctions at small capillary numbers: Breakdown of the classical squeezing regime, Chem Eng J 474:145601 (2023), CrossRef
The Proof of Concept grant will enable the design of several automated hematological analyzers, which will be used for further testing in medical centers. Our IPPT PAN team will include Sławomir Błoński, PhD, Barbara Kupikowska-Stobba, PhD, and Tetuko Kurniawan, MSc.
