Karolina Szafranska
Job description
Karolina is working as a researcher in the Vascular Biology Research Group. She has a multidisciplinary background stretching between Biology, Biophysics and Physics. Her current work focuses on Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells (LSECs) and other hepatic cells and the application of different types of microscopy for studying cell morphology, especially liver fenestrations. Her research is trying to answer several important scientific questions:
- Which drugs have positive/negative effects on liver cells?
- How do drugs influence liver fenestrations?
- What are the consequences of polypharmacy (admission of several different medicines) on liver cells?
- What are the best ways to access cell morphology?
- How to efficiently isolate and culture primary liver cells?
Karolina also supervises master students and is involved in the teaching of master courses for biomedicine students such as Advanced methods in experimental biomedicine.
Can be found in MH L8.233
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Research interests
Currently working in a project focusing on the application of various types of super-resolution microscopy for studying fenestrations in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells.
Research methods:
- isolation of primary liver cells
- cell culture
- immunostaining
- microscopy - SEM, SIM, STED, STORM, AFM, confocal fluorescent microscopy
- correlative microscopy techniques
- image analysis, machine learning (ImageJ/Fiji, Ilastik)
Previous projects: MSCA ITN DeLIVER
Teaching
MBI-3012 Advanced methods in experimental biomedicine
Supervision of master and bachelor students of Biomedicine
Member of research group
Member of project
CV
Name: Karolina Joanna Szafranska
Date of birth: 14.09.1993
Nationality: Polish
Academic background:
2016 B.Sc. in Biophysics (Medical Physics) Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland, supervisor Marek Szymoński, thesis: Investigation of the morphology of the liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluorescent microscopy
2017 M.Sc. in Biophysics (Molecular Biophysics) Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland, supervisor Marek Szymoński, thesis: Structure of fenestrations and nanomechanical properties of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells altered by drugs and toxins
2022 Ph.D. in Medical Biology, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, supervisor Peter McCourt, co-supervisor Karen Sørensen, thesis: Novel screening methods for nanoscale changes in liver cell fenestrations elicited by pharmaceuticals
Research experience:
05.2022-present Researcher at Vascular Biology Research Group at University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, in EU EIC Pathfinder project DELIVERy
2018-2022 Early Stage Researcher at Vascular Biology Research Group at University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, ERS in the MSCA ITN project DeLIVER
08.2019-03.2020 Visiting research student at ANZAC Research Institute, University of Sydney, Australia and The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia
2015-2018 Intern at Laboratory of Experimental Pharmacology of Endothelium, Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics (JCET), Poland
2012-2018 Student Researcher at Centre for Nanometer-Scale Science and Advanced Materials (Nanosam), Jagiellonian University, Poland