We are pleased to announce that four IBB PAS scientists have received grants in the NCN competition MINIATURA 9. The grant recipients are:

dr Artur Piotr Kaczmarczyk – Mechanical Unfolding of Centromeric Chromatin Fibers Using Single-Molecule Tweezers.

This project aims to generate preliminary data using the novel single-molecule instrumentation available at IBB PAS, Warsaw. Beyond addressing a specific biological question, the resulting methodology will support future projects investigating DNA-protein interactions in the context of chromatin and gene expression.

dr Laura Wicke-Ryan – The black box of staphylococcal lytic kayviruses: An unexplored secretome with promising potential.

This project will be the first to systematically explore the secretome of obligatorily virulent phages, offering insights into the secretion pathways, molecular functions, and infection-related roles of phage-encoded secreted proteins in S. aureus.

dr Arun Kumar – Identification of Zinc-Responsive microRNAs in Aging.

We aim to identify mechanisms to enhance zinc-dependent gene regulation during aging. We hypothesize that specific zinc-responsive microRNAs (Zn-miRs) function as adaptive regulators during zinc deficiency and oxidative stress, and that their targeted modulation could potentially restore age-related cellular dysfunction.

dr Ahmed Eisa Elhag – Characterizing Topoisomerases’ Non‐Canonical RNA‐Binding Function in Coronavirus Infection.

This project ventures into a high-risk, high-gain area by investigating the non-canonical RNAbinding roles of TOP1 during coronavirus infection. Validating whether TOP1 interacts directly with viral RNAs could uncover an entirely new mechanistic layer of host–virus interactions at the transcriptional level and open the door to novel antiviral strategies based on drug repurposing.

Congratulations!