Ewelina Weglarz-Tomczak

About me

Research

The main goal of my study is to develop novel highly selective and safe inhibitors for medically-relevant proteases and the sustainable strategies to obtain them. The proteolysis instigates irreversible changes to a set of protein/peptide substrates that alters their function and generates the demanded biological event. The elevated activity of higly specified proteases has been correlated with various pathological disorders. However, at the same time, they play physiological roles. Interestingly, the same principles govern the invasion of pathogens such as coronaviruses. I am creating an innovative pipeline that leads to the obtaining of the new generation proteases inhibitors therapeutics.

The pipeline is based on my approach which states that the etiological factor of diseases such as Alzheimer's is the lack of certain components in the cell that regulate the biochemical network(s). I discover regulatory mechanism(s) and based on those findings I design the selective molecule(s) that regulate cellular processes through the proteolytic pathways. Further, I develop sustainable routes (very often de novo) to obtain designed structures. My current main research interest focuses on the proteases that are pivotal in the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

By trade, I am a medicinal chemist, biochemist, and molecular biologist. Due to my multidisciplinary education, I am capable of leading the project from the in silico design through synthesis to the advanced pre-clinical trails.

Teaching

Teaching is a rewarding aspect of my professional career and forms the core of my identity as a university researcher. I believe that education is about engaging the mind that involves a collaborative and synergistic relationship between students and an instructor.

I see my role as a mentor and a guide, therefore, my primary goal in teaching is to take ownership of the development and education of my students. In every class and student project, I aim to include a mixture of guidelines, reading, lab assignments, and discussions to actively engage students with the material.

I was fortunate to have served as teaching staff for various courses on, among others, biochemistry, organic chemistry, biology, and systems biology, and a supervisor for B.Sc. and M.Sc. projects, and a co-supervisor of a Ph.D. project.

Grants

2024: Principal Investigator, Faculty of Impact Grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO), 200,000€

2023: Principal Investigator, PoC Grant from the Innovation Exchange Amsterdam (IXA), 100,000€

2022: Principal Investigator, Venture Challenge Grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) for NatInLab, 15,000€

2020: Co-Principal Investigator, Physics2Market from Innovation Exchange Amsterdam (IXA), 35,000€

2018: Principal Investigator, Personal grant Mobility Plus from the Ministry of Science andHigher Education Poland co-financed by the EU from the European Social Fund, ~150,000€

2013: Principal Investigator, Personal grant Preludium 3 from the National Science Centre Poland, ~50,000€

2012: Principal Investigator, Personal grant Grant Plus from the EU from the European Social Fund, ~20,000€

2011: Principal Investigator, Personal grant for best Ph.D. students from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education Poland, ~10,000€

2010: Principal Investigator, Personal grant Entrepreneurial Ph.D. financed by the EU from the European Social Fund, ~15,000€

Awards

2023: Pre-finalist of the Amsterdam Innovation Award

2015: The Rector of Wroclaw University of Technology Award for the outstanding achievements for the University

2014: The Faculty Council Award for best PhD thesis, Wroclaw University of Technology

2013: Scholarship for the development of young researchers co-financed by the EU

2009-2014: Multiple individual scholarships, Wroclaw University of Technology