This September Dr Helen Wright took part in a Biotechnology Summer School at the University of Gdansk. Here she shares her experiences, including how the trip may benefit her research in the future.
I recently travelled to Poland to take part in the University of Gdansk’s Biotechnology Summer School. I was invited by Professor Danuta Gutowska-Owsiak, a long-time colleague and former University of Liverpool PhD student. Now in its 26th year, this year’s theme was “Immune-mediated diseases and approaches to immunotherapy”
This was my first trip to Poland and I had been promised a fantastic trip because of the location of the summer school, about an hour from Gdansk in the Polish lake district.
The meeting and venue did not disappoint. Around 60 students, invited speakers and faculty staff arrived in Szarlota to the most perfect, late summer weather. I had to pinch myself a couple of times because the location and weather really made you feel like you were on holiday! Each day the programme was packed with talks from engaging international speakers who were leaders in their field.
I gave two presentations, showcasing both our neutrophil research and metabolomics research. Our neutrophil research focuses on the unwanted activation of neutrophils in immune-mediated diseases (like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis), inflammation associated with ageing and frailty (inflammaging), and aortic disease, and our metabolomics research uses the NMR Centre for Metabolomics to provide new insights into altered metabolism in human disease. The other researchers were mainly working in the T cell and cancer biology field, so were fascinated to hear about neutrophils and especially neutrophil extracellular traps, which are a novel process in neutrophils where they extrude their DNA in a ‘net’ or ‘spider web’ in order to trap and kill bacteria. This process is altered in immune-mediated diseases and drives unwanted inflammation and damage to our own body tissues.
On the last day of the meeting we were given the opportunity to go kayaking. I had not done this before but luckily they paired me up with someone very experienced (and strong) and I was in safe hands. It was the perfect way to see the Polish lake district and to end to the trip, although my arms were very sore dragging my suitcase through the airport that evening!
I had a fantastic trip and made several important research contacts that I look forward to pursuing in the near future. I am grateful to the Dean of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology at the University of Gdansk for not only covering the cost of travel and accommodation for the speakers but also for the 60 delegates. It is a great initiative, and I know the students made connections over the week that will last them for years to come.