From Gdańsk to Cambridge – Research Supporting the Development of Disease Therapies | Faculty of Chemistry at the Gdańsk University of Technology

Krzysztof Kamil Bojarski, PhD from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry of Gdańsk University of Technology, and a recipient of the Bekker Scholarship awarded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange, will start a research project at the University of Cambridge. He will collaborate with the team of Professor David Wales, who is considered a leader in the field of computational chemistry. His research may contribute to the development of new therapies for diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

As part of the Bekker Scholarship, Doctor Bojarski will receive funds to carry out the project “Towards a better understanding of the role of glycosaminoglycans in regulating the enzymatic activity of cathepsins”, which continues his earlier research within the PRELUDIUM and SONATINA projects of the National Science Centre.

Immunity Enzymes

Cathepsins, as proteases, are responsible for the degradation of collagen and other substances which are important from a biochemical perspective. Their abnormal activity may lead to disorders in the body, such as osteoporosis. Glycosaminoglycans, which are complex sugars, play a key role in regulating the catalytic activity of cathepsins and other enzymes. As part of the study, scientists will investigate how different features of glycosaminoglycans, such as length, charge, number of sulphate groups and binding site, affect the stability of the protein-sugar complex and the flexibility of the protein. The resulting database will allow for the proposal of substances resembling sugars that will induce more stable reactions or specific effects.

The aim of this research is to better understand the enzymatic reactions of cathepsins in the presence of glycosaminoglycans, which will enable more precise determination of their role in biological processes and open up new therapeutic possibilities.

Advanced modelling and computations

The research will be carried out at the University of Cambridge in collaboration with the group of Professor David Wales, using advanced molecular modelling methods and innovative computational tools developed by scientists from this university. They will begin in October this year and will last two years, and their effect is to be an innovative methodology allowing to determine the effect of glycosaminoglycan binding on the kinetics of enzymatic activity of cathepsins.

Research group at the Faculty of Chemistry

Krzysztof Bojarski, PhD is a member of the team led by Professor Jacek Czub, who deals with computational molecular biophysics at the Faculty of Chemistry of Gdańsk University of Technology. The team investigates molecular mechanisms and driving forces of processes of key biological importance, using simulations based on molecular models and interdisciplinary knowledge from the areas of chemistry, physics, biology and computer science. Doctor Bojarski leads the subgroup concentrating on sugar-related research.