Department of Tumor Biology and Genetics

Medical Faculty

Department of Tumor Biology and Genetics

Medical Faculty

Team

Head: Prof. Tomasz Stokłosa, MD, PhD

Assistant Professors:

  • Marcin Machnicki, MD, PhD

  • Anna Pastwińska, MD, PhD

  • Grzegorz Placha, MD, PhD

Assistants:

  • Izabela Górzyńska, MSc

and

Team of diagnosticians employed at the UCK WUM Genetics Laboratory supporting teaching activities:

  • Agnieszka Chudy, PhD

  • Alicja Krop, MSc

  • Albert Moskowicz, MSc

  • Bartłomiej Sankowski, PhD

  • Jakub Pepłowski, MSc

Profile of the Head of the Department

Professor Tomasz Stokłosa graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw in 1995. After completing his postgraduate internship at the State Clinical Hospital of the Infant Jesus, he began work at the Department of Immunology of his home university.

In 2000, he obtained a PhD in medical sciences at the Institute of Biostructure of the same university, based on his dissertation entitled “Studies on the Antitumor Activity of a Proteasome Chymotrypsin-like Activity Inhibitor on Murine Tumor Cells”, which he defended with distinction (supervisor: Prof. Marek Jakóbisiak, MD, PhD).

From 2000 to 2004, he undertook a 3.5-year postdoctoral fellowship funded by the “Oncology Research Faculty Development Program” scholarship from the U.S. National Cancer Institute at the Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University in Philadelphia, in the laboratory led by Prof. Tomasz Skórski, where he studied the molecular pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia.

After returning to Poland, he established collaborations with numerous clinical and experimental hematology centers in Poland and abroad, and began building his own research team.

From 2004 to 2020, he worked as an assistant professor at the Department of Immunology of the Medical University of Warsaw (WUM).

Between 2004 and 2016, he was the supervisor of the Student Scientific Association at the Department of Immunology. During this period, students from the Association, both in his group and in other research teams of the Department, co-authored 24 original papers published in international journals such as Clinical Cancer Research, Oncology Reports, Oncogene, PLOS Medicine, Oncotarget, British Journal of Haematology, Leukemia, BMC Cancer, Blood Cells Molecules and Diseases. The Association received multiple awards in the rankings of the Student Scientific Society, including 2nd place (2012/2013), 1st place (2013/2014), and 4th place (2015/2016). Students obtained more than 20 mini-grants, five of which were directly supervised by Prof. Stokłosa (2009–2016). For his work with the Association, he was awarded the 2nd Degree Individual Teaching Award of the Rector of WUM in 2017.

Prof. Stokłosa is also a certified laboratory diagnostician and a specialist in medical laboratory genetics.

International Fellowships

  • Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA – 3.5-year postdoctoral fellowship in Prof. Tomasz Skórski’s group (Oncology Research Faculty Development Program, funded by the National Cancer Institute).

  • Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA – 3-month fellowship (Yamagiwa-Yoshida Memorial International Cancer Study Grant, UICC).

  • University of Ulm, Germany, Department of Internal Medicine III – short-term fellowships and research visits in Prof. Lars Bullinger’s group.

Membership in Scientific Societies

  • American Society of Hematology (since 2006)

  • European Hematology Association (since 2008)

  • Polish Society of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (since 2008)

  • Polish Society of Human Genetics (since 2019)

Other Roles

  • Chair of the WUM Library Council (1st term 2012–2016, 2nd term 2016–2020)

  • Member of the Life Sciences expert panels of the National Science Centre (2011–2020; OPUS, PRELUDIUM, SONATA, SONATA-BIS, ETIUDA, FUGA, MINIATURA, SONATINA programs)

  • Member of the international expert panel evaluating grants for the Research Council of Lithuania (2016–2020)

  • Reviewer of research projects for the Operational Programme – Innovative Economy and the Fund for Science and Advanced Technologies (Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education)

  • Reviewer for the Foundation for Polish Science

  • Reviewer for the Polpharma Scientific Foundation

  • Member of the Scientific Council of the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology (2012–2016)

  • Section editor (molecular biology, leukemogenesis) for Acta Haematologica Polonica (since 2012)

Biographical Notes of the Department Staff

Marcin Machnicki, MD, PhD
Graduate (2011) of the Interfaculty Biotechnology Studies at Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

From 2010 to 2020, MSc and PhD student at the Department of Immunology, Medical University of Warsaw, and the Postgraduate School of Molecular Medicine. Conducted numerous research projects on the biology and genetics of cancers, particularly chronic myeloid and lymphocytic leukemia, gastric cancer, and head and neck tumors. Co-author of several dozen scientific papers. Completed short-term fellowships at the University of Ulm (Germany) and Temple University (Philadelphia, USA).

Since 2017, engaged in large-scale genetic analyses (NGS) in oncology diagnostics in cooperation with the Department of Medical Genetics, WUM. Since 2019, has also conducted such analyses at the Genetics Laboratory of the University Clinical Center, WUM (assistant).

In 2022, defended his PhD in medical sciences and health sciences at WUM, and in 2024 became a certified specialist in molecular medical genetics.

Anna Pastwińska, MD, PhD
Cytogeneticist, laboratory diagnostician, specialist in medical laboratory genetics. Since 2002, has worked in cytogenetic diagnostics of hematological malignancies and selected solid tumors in children and adults, as well as constitutional changes in children. Her main research interests include childhood leukemias and lymphoid neoplasms.

Graduated from the Faculty of Biology, University of Łódź. In 2013, obtained the title of specialist in medical laboratory genetics, and in 2018 defended her PhD on “Selected Submicroscopic Genetic Alterations in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia”.

Worked at the National Research Institute of Oncology (2002–2013). Since 2013, employed at the University Clinical Center of WUM (formerly the Children’s Clinical Hospital).

Associated with WUM since 2008, initially at the Department of Pathomorphology, Center for Biostructure, and since 2023 at the Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics.

Memberships:

  • Polish Society of Human Genetics, board member of the Hemato-oncological Cytogenetics Section

  • Polish Society of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine

  • Polish Lymphoma Research Group (PLRG)

Izabela Górzyńska, MSc
Biotechnologist. Since 2017, has gained professional experience in genetic research, primarily using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Graduated in 2017 from the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, where she collaborated with the Institute of Animal Reproduction of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Co-investigator in several research projects, including the WUM grant under the “Innovation Incubator 4.0” program.

Currently a researcher in the ABM project: “A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial Assessing the Impact of ctDNA Testing in Patients After Resection or Liver Transplantation for Colorectal Cancer Metastases or Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) on Treatment Strategies and Long-term Survival”, conducted at the Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, WUM.