Thanks to the funding provided within the framework of the Polish-Norwegian GRIEG call by the National Science Centre, Dr Tomasz Kantyka from the Jagiellonian University Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology has received 6.1 million zlotys (~1.3 million euro) for his project Novel mechanisms of PAD activity regulation. Substrate specificity and activation of peptidyl arginine deiminase in the context of rheumatoid arthritis.
GRIEG is one of the three calls funded from the Norway and EEA Grants 2014–2021 under the Basic Research Programme operated by the National Science Centre. The objective of the programme is enhanced research-based knowledge development, to strengthen the Polish-Norwegian research cooperation, improve the quality of publications (especially in humanities), support the development of young researchers and build a positive perception of scientific research among the public at large.
Within the framework of his grant, Dr Tomasz Kandyka will work with researchers from Wrocław University of Technology and the University of Bergen in order to discover more effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. This destructive disease affect about 1% of the population of all ethnic groups, leading to cartilage and bone damage and, in its final stages, disability. More information about the project can be found in its description.
Dr Tomasz Kantyka received his PhD in 2010. His academic interests include the role of human and bacterial enzymes in epithelium and connective tissue inflammatory diseases. He is the author and co-author of more than 35 publications in this area. He gained experience while working with Prof. Jan Potempa at the JU Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology as well as during numerous internships in the United States, Germany and Norway. Since 2014, he is the leader of his own research team at the Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology.
