Pearl of the South: Report from the 27th Annual Conference of the Polish Society for Biomaterials

Rytro, a small village located in Poprad Valley in southern Poland, has never gained much interest of PainLab members, until now.

The project focuses on stem cells (SCs) and their bioactive derivatives as promising and applicable tools for tissue regeneration. Various types of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) representing optimal source of safe adult cells for autotransplantations in patients with several disorders. Importantly, the predominant potential of MSCs to give rise into osteoblasts and chondrocytes has been already widely reported and represent innate feature of these SC population which may be utilized and optimized for bone and cartilage regeneration, including osteoarthritis.

As collaborators in BioMiStem project, we were invited to join the 27th Annual Conference of the Polish Society for Biomaterials: 'Biomaterials in Medicine and Veterinary Medicine’ in order to discuss the project’s updates with all collaborating parties. The conference gave us an important insight into the work of other teams representing various fields of research, which is crucial for executing such interdisciplinary project. However, we approached time in Rytro not only as official business meeting and source of knowledge but also as a great team building opportunity for PainLab members in the beautiful scenery of Beskids. We were lucky enough to visit that picturesque site during the Polish golden autumn, what brought much joy for everyone, especially Kuba, who could shoot a load of pictures of autumnal light and colors. Finally, we had another great reason to celebrate Marta’s success who was recently enrolled into PhD programme at our institute. Congratulations Marta!