The Pain Lab team expanded with two new doctors!

Last week, two Pain Lab members: Marta and Magda were awarded a doctoral degree. Congratulations to the new doctors!

On June 12, 2023, Marta defended her PhD thesis entitled Mechanism and pharmacotherapy of osteoarthritis – recent advances in the endocannabinoid system targeting. She presented the results of her five-year project conducted under prof. Katarzyna Starowicz’s supervision (Kasia 🙂 for those who knows her better), which described the role of anandamide in osteoarthritis progression and treatment. The results were summarized in three original articles [1], [2], [3] which formed the basis of Marta’s dissertation. A part of the project was performed in cooperation with former Pain Lab members drs. Magdalena Kostrzewa, Jakub Mlost and Jakub Chwastek, as well as with a group of professor Sabatino Maione from the University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy:  drs. Serena Boccella, Ida Marabese, Rosmara Infantino. Thank you for all your help and support in performing the experiments! In addition, the Scientific Board of the Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences decided to award Marta a cum laude diploma.

Magda’s dissertation entitled The comparison of effects of 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (1MeTIQ) and olanzapine on the behavioral and molecular impairments observed in animal schizophrenia models was held on June 21, 2023. She gave a presentation about the effects of the experiments conducted under Assoc. Prof. Agnieszka Wąsik’ supervision, in which she evaluated the potential antipsychotic effect of endogenous amine – 1MeTIQ – in animal schizophrenia models. Magda presented the thesis as a monograph, containing the results of both molecular and behavioral studies that confirmed some beneficial effects of 1MeTIQ, especially to the memory decline and anxiety symptoms. Some of the experiments were conducted in cooperation with dr Danuta Jantas (Department of Experimental of Neuroendocrinology), drs Agnieszka Chocyk and Iwona Majcher-Maślanka (Department of Pharmacology) – thank you for your help and support!

Both Ph.D. defenses took place online, but when the excitement subsided, we gathered with the entire team to celebrate with some food in true Italian style. Afterward Marta’s husband, passionate and enthusiastic about photography, commemorated these happy moments in pictures.

Our warmest congratulations to Marta and Magda for making it to this end after years of hard work and astute determination to succeed! We are so proud of you!