Team

I started my research career with undergraduate student internships at the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria, and at the University Hospital of Zürich, Switzerland. I received my PhD from the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. Afterwards, I spent 4-years as a postdoctoral HFSP fellow at Columbia University in New York and half a year at the IGBMC in Strasbourg. Prior to coming to the Nencki Institute, since August 2013, I was a junior group leader at the Rudolf Virchow Centre in Würzburg, Germany. For my research I acquired prestigious Emmy Noether grant from the German Research Foundation for studying hormonally-induced signalling cascades in adipocytes and hepatocytes and the ERC Starting Grant, within which I established Protein kinase D (PKD) family members as a crucial regulators of energy metabolism. All of these allowed me to build the scientific program for the Dioscuri Centre of Scientific Excellence in Warsaw, where my research group focuses on unraveling the cross-talk of different signalling molecules in regulation of adipocytes function during metabolic diseases such as obesity or cancer-associated cachexia. We were also awarded an EMBO Installation Grant from European Molecular Biology Organization, which further helped us to start the lab in Poland.

In my spare time I enjoy biking and running.

I graduated from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences with a MSc in biotechnology. During my studies I spend one semester at Ghent University in Belgium within Erasmus Programme and did an internship at the VIB UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology. 

I did my PhD in Prof. Agnieszka Dobrzyń’s laboratory at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology. My PhD project aimed to investigate molecular mechanism involved in HSP72-associated regulation of insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle. During the last year of my PhD studies thanks to ETIUDA grant that I have received from National Science Centre I did an internship at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, where I studied the role of HSP72 in browning of white adipose tissue.

In 2019 I joined Grzegorz Sumara’s lab at the Rudolf Virchow Centre in Würzburg, Germany and at the beginning of 2020 I moved to Dioscuri Centre for Metabolic Diseases at Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology. Currently I am working on a project concerning the cross-talk between pancreatic β-cells and platelets. The aim of my second project is to unravel molecular mechanisms regulating cancer associated cachexia.

Starting from my Ph.D. studies in Dr. Peter Coopman's laboratory in Montpellier, France, I developed strong expertise in the investigation of the role of post-translational protein modifications (PTMs). I could show that Syk Kinase is involved in the maintenance of the epithelial integrity of the mammary gland via the phosphorylation and stabilization of the E-cadherin/catenin adherens junction complex, thereby inhibiting cell migration and malignant tumor invasion (Kassouf T. et al., 2019, Cancers). For the postdoctoral training I joined the laboratory of Dr. Dimitris Xirodimas whose studies on Protein Quality Control and Neddylation via the Ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8 have gained high exposure in the past years. Our studies identified the deNEDDylating enzyme NEDP1 as a critical regulator of stress granules dynamics and a potential therapeutic target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Kassouf T. et al., Science Advances, 2023). Having completed my training in France, I decided to further widen my acquired skills concerning PTMs. I joined the Dioscuri Centre for Metabolic Diseases. This allowed me to be introduced to the field of metabolism. In the framework of my current postdoctoral position, my key goal is to define the impact of ubiquitin-dependent signaling events on regulation of adipose tissue function. In addition, we aim to define the role of translation surveillance pathways in the regulation of adipose tissue function and to investigate their importance for cellular functions. 

During my PhD studies at the Graduate Dental School of Kyushu University in Japan, I developed a strong interest in the molecular links between oral and systemic diseases. My research focused on two central themes. First, I investigated how medications such as phenytoin, cyclosporine A, and nifedipine can induce gingival overgrowth. My aim was to identify a shared cellular mechanism underlying this clinical side effect. In parallel, I investigated the role of SPOCK1, a glycoprotein previously implicated mainly in cancer metastasis, in the metabolic dysfunction of a high-fat diet diabetic model. This work led to the novel identification of SPOCK1’s involvement in both gingival pathology and metabolic disease. For these contributions, I was honored with the Kyushu University President’s Research Excellence Award and nominated for the IADR Unilever Hatton Award.

After completing my PhD, I joined Sunstar Inc. R&D in Japan, where I spent three years working on translational research at the intersection of periodontal and metabolic diseases. My role focused on identifying therapeutic compounds to support periodontal therapy in diabetic patients. This industry experience deepened my appreciation for translational science and its impact, resulting in eight patent applications and a first-author publication.

In June 2024, I joined the Dioscuri Centre for Metabolic Diseases at the Nencki Institute in Poland. Here, I’ve begun a new phase of research investigating how PKD-dependent signaling contributes to the development of metabolic disorders. This position is allowing me to deepen my expertise in metabolic disease while building on my foundation in oral biology and inflammation.

I graduated in veterinary medicine from Warsaw University of Life Sciences  (2020). During studies, I joined prof. Król's lab at maternal university and investigated a crosstalk between tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and breast cancer cells. That experience allowed me to gain first hands-on experience in working in research laboratory and motivated for choosing scientific pathway. 

I started my PhD studies at Dioscuri Centre for Metabolic Diseases in 2020. In my current project I am investigating the role of PKD isoforms (PKD1, PKD2) in lipid droplet formation in adipocytes and function of PKD2 in lipid absorption from the intestine. The aim of my future project will be to elucidate the impact of ERK3/MK5 signalling pathway on development of cancer-associated cachexia. 

Fan of biking, swimming and running.

I carried out my studies at the Lebanese University where I received my Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry. In 2020, I received my Master's degree in Chemistry and Biology of Bioactive Molecules. During my master's, I joined prof. Ziad Abdel Razzak lab at the Lebanese University where I studied the interaction of cigarette smoke condensate and its inorganic components with amiodarone in terms of toxicity.

I joined the Dioscuri Centre for Metabolic Diseases in November 2021. My current project aims to increase the performance of skeletal muscles and brown adipose tissue to combat obesity and related diseases.

I graduated with a BSc in Human Nutrition Science and did my internship in the Hospital de la Princesa at the Nephrology Unit, which help me to develop my final degree thesis, entitled "Protein-energy wasting Syndrome (PEW) in chronic kidney disease: nutrition and exercise as therapeutic targets". Afterwards, I graduated from an MSc in Exercise Physiology from the University of Barcelona and did my master's thesis about the variations in the expression of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) induced by strength training stimuli with different intensities. Then, I moved to graduate from a MSc in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biomedicine from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid while doing an internship at the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, focusing my research on the role of neuromelanin in the onset and progression of neurodegeneration and working mainly with Neural Stem Cells. 

Currently, I am a PhD student at the Dioscuri Center for Metabolic Diseases, focusing my research on identifying molecular targets to increase the performance of skeletal muscle and brown adipose tissue, to combat diabetes and its comorbidities as well as pathological states such as cachexia, sarcopenia or dynapenia.

I graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in medical biology and two years later master’s degree in medical biotechnology. During my studies, my field of interest was cytobiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of normal and cancer cells.

In 2024, in the Department of Functional Anatomy and Cytobiology at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, headed by Prof. Jakubowicz-Gil, I successfully defended my master’s thesis, which focused on the mechanisms of cancer cell migration in the context of glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytoma, with a particular emphasis on the combination therapy of temozolomide and lensoside Ab.

During my studies, I also pursued teacher training to prepare myself as a science and biology teacher in primary and high schools.

In the same year (2024), I joined the Dioscuri Center for Metabolic Diseases headed by Prof. Grzegorz Sumara. My research focus is on E3 ubiquitin ligases, specifically their influence on cellular pathways related to lipid and sugar metabolism, as well as their impact on mitochondrial function.

Besides the laboratory, I am a fan of classical and heavy metal music, and I also play the drums.

I graduated in 2021 form University of Mumbai, India with Bachelor's degree in Microbiology. Later, I went on to complete my Master's in Biotechnology at UNESCO Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Haryana, India. I joined the Laboratory of Gut Infection and Inflammation Biology, headed by Prof. C.V. Srikanth, where I successfully defended my thesis in 2023. My research objectives were to decipher the mechanism through which Tumor Associated Macrophages (TAM's), specifically M2 macrophages are involved in Colitis Associated Colo-Rectal Cancer (CAC) pathogenesis & the crosstalk between TAM's and fibroblasts in normal and inflammed conditions. I was interested in this topic and worked on the same project as a project associate till 2024.

I joined the Dioscuri Centre For Metabolic Diseases in January 2025. My current research focus is looking at the different protein targets that are involved in lipogenesis / lipolysis and their regulation in white adipocytes via the ubiquitin system in obesity.

Apart from playing with cells, I like playing games and reading books.

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology (biochemistry) at the Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, and completed master in biochemistry at the same place. Attended an internship at the Catholic University in Lublin, Poland.