Smart signal
Natural healing

Prof. Sylwia Rodziewicz-Motowidło, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor at the University of Gdańsk, works at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Gdańsk. Since 2012, she has served as Head of the Department of Biomedical Chemistry. Her scientific interests focus on studies of amyloid fibril formation by peptides and proteins, as well as on structure–activity relationship studies of biologically active peptides. Her research objects include peptides with anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. She is also interested in peptides that form nanostructures serving as scaffolds for cells in regenerative processes. In her research, she applies the following techniques: NMR, MS, CD, IR, HPLC, MD, SPR, MST, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Her scientific output includes approximately 120 original publications indexed in the so-called Philadelphia List, and her current Hirsch index is 27. Within the ChitoCare project, which she leads, she coordinates the work of a team responsible for the design, synthesis, and characterization of peptides interacting with the CD200R receptor, as well as peptides with proangiogenic and proregenerative properties. An important element of this research is also their covalent attachment to chitosan, leading to the development of functionalized chitosan-based materials.

Robert Tylingo, PhD, DSc, University Professor at Gdańsk University of Technology, is an expert in the chemistry, engineering, and processing of biopolymer-based materials. His research focuses on the design, fabrication, and characterization of functional biomaterials based on chitosan, collagen, gelatin, agarose, and other natural polymers for biomedical and regenerative medicine applications. He has extensive expertise in advanced biomaterial manufacturing technologies, including CO₂-assisted processing, fused deposition modeling (FDM), and 3D bioprinting. His methodological expertise encompasses comprehensive physicochemical, rheological, mechanical, microbiological, and biological characterization of biomaterials, including evaluation of cytocompatibility, cytotoxicity, and antimicrobial activity. He has an outstanding track record in biomaterials research, demonstrated by numerous high-impact publications, patents, and national and international collaborative R&D projects with academic and industrial partners. Within the ChitoCare project (No. SPPW/CHITOCARE/0074/2024), Prof. Tylingo serves as a key researcher representing Gdańsk University of Technology and leads the biomaterials engineering activities. His work focuses on the development, optimization, and characterization of multifunctional chitosan-based wound dressings, including hydrogels, membranes, and bioinks functionalized with bioactive peptides. He contributes expertise in chitosan chemistry, hydrogel engineering, and advanced biomaterial processing to optimize material properties such as viscosity, printability, structural integrity, mechanical performance, antimicrobial efficacy, and biocompatibility. Working at the interface of biomaterials science, peptide functionalization, and regenerative medicine, he plays a central role in translating advanced chitosan-based biomaterials into clinically relevant wound healing applications.

Agnes Klar is a group leader at the Tissue Biology Research Unit at the University Children’s Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich. PI is a specialist in the field of regenerative medicine focusing on skin tissue engineering, vascularization, and biomaterials. In particular, her research interests are characterization and application of prevascularized skin analogs using adipose-derived (stem) cells and she collaborates with dermatologists, allergologists and surgeons. Her research group conducts studies combining aspects related to skin immunology and scarring, during skin regeneration following graft transplantation. Her scientific track record includes 46 peer-reviewed scientific publications, and the current Hirsch index is 21 (̴1155 citations). PI has been involved in a number of international grants focused on dermo-epidermal skin grafts. She has two international patents (EP3174563 and WO2024094887A1). Those innovations contributed to the development of denovoSkinTM, autologous skin substitute currently in Phase III clinical trials for burn injuries. Within the ChitoCare project, the PI leads WP5: In Vitro, CAM, and In Vivo Validation, which aims to identify the most effective pro-angiogenic, homing, and anti-inflammatory peptides for incorporation into multifunctional chitosan-based wound dressings. The lead peptide candidates and the resulting peptide-functionalized wound dressings will subsequently be evaluated using the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay and a diabetic rat full-thickness skin wound model, providing the essential preclinical validation needed to advance the technology toward clinical translation.

Grzegorz Gorczyca holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences (Biotechnology) and is an entrepreneur and inventor of the ChitoVelum® chitosan hydrogel technology, which received the prestigious Polish Future Product Award, granted by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) and the Ministry of Education and Science. For nearly two decades, he has specialized in the development, patent protection, and commercialization of innovative biomaterials at the interface of science and industry. He is the initiator and co-inventor of technologies protected by ten patent applications (four filed with the Polish Patent Office, five with the European Patent Office, and one in the United States). He is the author of 13 peer-reviewed scientific publications and serves as an expert for the National Centre for Research and Development, evaluating research and development projects. As the co-founder and former R&D Director of Chitone, he was responsible for technology development, fundraising, establishing production infrastructure, and bringing innovative chitosan hydrogel-based products to market. Currently, within the ChitonLab initiative operated by KAEM Maria Krystyna Krupska – Maria Koschalka, he is advancing next-generation ChitoVelum® technologies and leading their commercialization in the fields of cosmetology, regenerative medicine, and the food industry. He is also a co-developer of technologies commercialized under brands including ChitoneCare® and ChitonSkin®, successfully combining scientific expertise with entrepreneurial experience to translate innovations from laboratory research into industrial applications.

Katarzyna Kuncewicz, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk. Her research focuses on the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of small molecules and peptides with potential therapeutic applications. Her scientific interests include medicinal chemistry, peptide chemistry, protein–ligand interactions, and the development of novel compounds targeting molecular pathways involved in cancer, inflammation, and immune system regulation. Dr. Kuncewicz has authored 23 scientific publications in journals included in the Philadelphia List, and her current Hirsch index is 8. Her research combines organic synthesis, peptide chemistry, and biological evaluation to support the development of innovative therapeutic approaches. Within the project, Dr. Kuncewicz is involved in WP1, where she is responsible for the design and synthesis of bioactive peptides, their conjugation with chitosan-based materials, and the physicochemical characterization of peptide–chitosan systems.

Szymon Mania, PhD Eng., is a research and teaching assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry, Technology and Biotechnology of Food, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology. He specializes in chemical technology, polymeric biomaterials and tissue engineering, with particular emphasis on functional chitosan-based materials obtained using CO₂ saturation. His research interests include the design of chitosan hydrogels and xerogels, bioinks for 3D bioprinting, antimicrobial materials and composites intended for biomedical applications, including skin and soft tissue regeneration. He obtained his PhD in technical sciences in 2017 at Gdańsk University of Technology, based on a dissertation concerning the preparation and characterization of functional chitosan-based xero- and hydrogel biomaterials. In the CHITOCARE project, Szymon Mania, participates as a researcher on behalf of Gdańsk University of Technology, supporting the development of peptide–chitosan biomaterials intended for the treatment of diabetic wounds. Within WP4: Development of a sterilization method in HM and HS dressings production, he is responsible for investigating and selecting sterilization methods, analyzing the effect of sterilization on the properties of chitosan as well as intermediate and final materials, and optimizing process parameters to obtain microbiologically clean and safe PCH-HM and PCH-HS products. His tasks include, in particular, assessing the impact of sterilization on the stability of chitosan, hydrogel membranes and sprays, peptide–chitosan conjugates, peptides and CD200 protein, as well as supporting the development of a procedure compatible with further biological validation in WP5 and technology scale-up in WP6.

Adrianna Banach-Kopeć, PhD Eng., is an Assistant Professor in a research-and-teaching position at Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Technology and Biotechnology of Food. Her scientific interests focus on the development and characterization of polymer-based biomaterials, particularly chitosan-based hydrogel systems for biomedical applications, tissue engineering, 3D bioprinting, and regenerative medicine. Her research is mainly related to bioactive hydrogel materials, cell–material interactions, cytocompatibility, antimicrobial activity, wound healing, and skin regeneration. Her previous work involved the development of thermosensitive chitosan–agarose composites obtained using CO₂ saturation technology as potential bioink components for 3D bioprinting and regenerative medicine. She is a co-inventor of the patent E application EP.2346004 concerning a method for producing a hydrogel bioink composition. She has also completed scientific internships at the Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, where she developed her expertise in tissue biology, regenerative medicine, wound healing, and vascularization models. In her research, she applies physicochemical, rheological, mechanical, microbiological, and biological methods, including hydrogel characterization, cell culture assays, cytocompatibility testing, migration assays, and CAM-based angiogenesis evaluation. Her scientific output includes 22 publications, and her current Hirsch index is 10. Within the ChitoCare project, she is involved as a researcher in WP3 and WP5. In WP3, she participates in the physicochemical characterization of chitosan-based hydrogel materials and prototype formulations, including hydrogel membranes and sprays. In WP5, she contributes to CAM-based studies evaluating angiogenesis induced by peptide–chitosan systems and final hydrogel formulations. Her role focuses on linking material properties with biological performance in the development of advanced chitosan-based wound dressings for diabetic wound care.

Lisa Gugler, MSc, is a PhD student at the Tissue Biology Research Unit in Zurich. She holds an MSc in Health Sciences and Technology with a focus on medical technology. Her doctoral research focuses on chronic diabetic wounds and the biological evaluation of bioactive biomaterials designed to modulate cellular processes involved in impaired wound healing. Her scientific interests include cell–material interactions, hydrogel-based biomaterials, immune–cell interactions, and in vitro models for wound healing and tissue regeneration. She has experience in cell culture, including co-culture systems with immune cells, as well as in the preparation and biological assessment of hydrogel-based material systems. Within the ChitoCare project, Lisa is responsible for the biological validation of bioactive peptides and chitosan-based biomaterial formulations. Her work focuses on assessing cytocompatibility, cellular responses, and the functional performance of peptide-modified materials using relevant cell-based assays. By linking biomaterial design with biological readouts, she contributes to the development of advanced chitosan-based wound dressings for chronic diabetic wound care.

Katarzyna Łada is currently completing her PhD at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, where she also obtained her Master's degree in Chemistry. She is currently employed as a researcher at the Department of Biomedical Chemistry, University of Gdańsk. Her current research focuses on the development of phage conjugates for antimicrobial applications, particularly in improving food safety by controlling Salmonella contamination in meat packaging. Her scientific interests also include the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides and peptidomimetics, the evaluation of their biological properties and antimicrobial activity, and the investigation of their mechanisms of action. In the CHITOCARE project, Katarzyna Łada focuses on the development and physicochemical characterization of peptide–chitosan conjugates. Her research includes the functionalization of chitosan with bioactive peptides and the comprehensive characterization of the resulting biomaterials using advanced analytical methods.

Agnieszka Kubiś, PhD Eng., is a researcher working in the fields of peptide chemistry, biomaterials, and analytical methods. She is affiliated with the Department of Embryology at the Medical University of Gdańsk and the Department of Biomedical Chemistry at the University of Gdańsk. Her research interests include the design and synthesis of bioactive peptides, functionalization of biomaterials, and the development of materials for regenerative medicine applications. She is a co-author of scientific publications and patent applications in the field of peptide chemistry and pro-regenerative biomaterials. In the CHITOCARE project, Agnieszka Kubiś participates as a researcher responsible for the development and physicochemical characterization of peptide–chitosan conjugates. Her work focuses on the functionalization of chitosan with bioactive peptides and the analysis of the resulting materials using advanced analytical techniques.

Aleksandra Wawrzaszek is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biomedical Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, where she also completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Her research interests include the design, synthesis, and evaluation of the biological activity of peptide inhibitors of immune checkpoint molecules. Her research focuses on identifying and characterizing new molecular targets for cancer immunotherapy and developing innovative compounds with potential therapeutic applications. The topics of her work fall within the rapidly expanding field of research on modern strategies for treating cancer. In the CHITOCARE project, she is responsible for the design and synthesis of bioactive peptides and their physicochemical characterization. She also participates in the development of peptide-chitosan conjugates, the analysis of their properties, and the preparation of materials for biological studies, supporting the development of innovative biomaterials intended for the treatment of hard-to-heal diabetic wounds.

Karol Staszczyk is a project contractor involved in the development and experimental evaluation of chitosan-based materials within the ChitoCare project. His work focuses on the preparation of test chitosan membranes and spray formulations, as well as on supporting their physicochemical and functional characterization. Within the project, he is responsible for preparing experimental samples, collecting and organizing research data, and performing data analysis required to assess the properties of the developed chitosan-based systems. His activities support the optimization of material formulations and the interpretation of experimental results obtained during the development of functional chitosan materials for biomedical applications.