Monika Staniszewska PhD, DSc.

Education and academic degrees

Associate Professor at the Warsaw University of Technology since 2021. Post-doctoral degree and PhD in medical science, medical biology conferred upon her by the Scientific Council of NIPH-NIH. Master of Science in biology conferred upon her by the University of Szczecin. Laboratory diagnostician with 1st degree specialization in clinical microbiology. In 2003-2019, she worked at the National Institute of Public Health (NIH), successively as a biologist, assistant and assistant professor. In 2005-2018, she acted as the main researcher and supervisor in the grants funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education as well as the National Science Center. In 2014-2016, she was the leader of the SONATA NCN grant. In 2020-2021, the leader of research tasks on the antifungal activity of fabrics in the project co-funded by the National Center for Research and Development.

In 2019-2020, research and teaching assistant at the Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology. Since 2020: research assistant at the CEZAMAT Centre for Advanced Materials and Technologies Author of articles in prestigious journals as well as of reports and presentations at reputable international conferences.

Participant of several-month internships at the Medical University of Tübingen (Germany) and the University of Guanajuato in Mexico. Supervisor and co-supervisor of (MS and BS) theses in Biotechnology, Applied Biotechnology, Pharmacy at the Medical University of Warsaw and Biology of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Supervisor of two doctoral dissertations at the WUT Doctoral School No. I. Long-term member of a multidisciplinary team of scientists from the Institute of Organic Chemistry PAS, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical Universities in Tübingen, Vienna, Graz, and University in Padua, Guanajuato. Lecturer of general genetics, genetic engineering and molecular biology for WUT’s students. Member of the Polish Society of Microbiologists.

Research in the field of microbiology, molecular biology of pathogens, immunology and immunotherapy. Studies in new therapeutic solutions in infectious diseases. In particular, the research activity focuses on:

• Studies in the mast cells’ role in pathogenesis along with hyperinflammation. Understanding of pathogenesis in response to viral, bacterial and fungal infections.
• Searching for new antiviral drugs and their action mode in in silico, in vitro and ex vivo studies.
• Developing a platform using the non-replicating adenoviruses (AdVs) as universal and highly immunogenic vectors - adjuvants in combination with selected Cov-19’s epitopes (SARS-COVID-2 etiological agent) for the construction and rapid testing of vaccines against SARS-COVID-2 (AdCoVAX-2). Supervisor of the BIOTECHMED 1 Project. Research carried out in cooperation with domestic (NIZP-PZH, Jagiellonian University) and foreign institutions (University of Padua, Italy).
• Development of new and more efficient treatment against mesothelioma utilizing oncolytic adenovirus armed with ICOS ligand combined with check point inhibitor anti PD-1. Understanding the action mechanism of combined therapy and cancer biology, and developing a new and effective method of treating cancer patients. Coordinator of studies at CEZAMAT in the SONATINA Project supervised by Łukasz Kuryk, PhD (NIPH-NIH). Project implemented in cooperation with foreign centers in Padua and Graz.
• Studies in betacoronavirus deactivation using UV-C. Coordinator in the project supervised by Piotr Sobótka, PhD (Faculty of Physics WUT).
• Investigation of the most active antifungal derivatives with significant response against fungal infections. Cooperating in a multidisciplinary team (biologists, chemists) to select the most active derivatives with a significant response against fungal virulence factors. Making inroads in the management of these difficult infections. Cooperation with national (IOCH PAS, Faculty of Chemistry WUT) and foreign institutions (University of Guanajuato, Tübingen).
• Determination of antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activity of materials with active fillers. Studies according to the standards and own methods (inhibition of adhesion and biofilm). Cooperation with Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering WUT.
• Identifying antifungal activity of fabrics useful in the area of sanitary and medical protection in the project co-funded by the National Center for Research and Development (Fast track - Coronaviruses competition). Leader of studies on antifungal activity in the Project.

• Mariangela Garofalo, Katarzyna Wanda Pancer, Magdalena Wieczorek, Monika Staniszewska, Stefano Salmaso, Paolo Caliceti, Lukasz Kuryk. From Immunosuppression to Immunomodulation – Turning Cold Tumours into Hot. Journal of Cancer 2022; 13(9): 2884-2892. https://doi.org/10.7150/jca.71992 Research Paper
• Kuryk Lukasz, Rodella Giulia, Staniszewska Monika, Pancer Katarzyna Wanda, Wieczorek Magdalena, Salmaso Stefano, Caliceti Paolo, Garofalo Mariangela. Novel Insights Into Mesothelioma Therapy: Emerging Avenues and Future Prospects. Frontiers in Oncology. 12, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2022.916839
• Sobotka, P.; Przychodzki, M.; Uściło, K.; Woliński, T.R.; Staniszewska, M. Effect of Ultraviolet Light C (UV-C) Radiation Generated by Semiconductor Light Sources on Human Beta-Coronaviruses’ Inactivation. Materials 2022, 15, 2302. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15062302
• Sobiepanek, A.; Kuryk, Ł.; Garofalo, M.; Kumar, S.; Baran, J.; Musolf, P.; Siebenhaar, F.; Fluhr, J.W.; Kobiela, T.; Plasenzotti, R.; Kuchler, K.; Staniszewska, M. The Multifaceted Roles of Mast Cells in Immune Homeostasis, Infections and Cancers. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 2249. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23042249
• M. Staniszewska, T. Zdrojewski, M. Gizińska, M. Rogalska, Ł. Kuryk, A. Kowalkowska, E. Łukowska-Chojnacka. Tetrazole derivatives bearing benzodiazepine moiety—synthesis and action mode against virulence of Candida albicans. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2022, 114060, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.114060
• Staniszewska M, Kuryk Ł, Gryciuk A, Kawalec J, Rogalska M, Baran J, Kowalkowska A. The Antifungal Action Mode of N-Phenacyldibromobenzimidazoles. Molecules 2021, 26, 5463. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26185463
• Staniszewska M, Kuryk Ł, Gryciuk A, Kawalec J, Rogalska M, Baran J, Łukowska-Chojnacka E, Kowalkowska A. In Vitro Anti-Candida Activity and Action Mode of Benzoxazole Derivatives. Molecules 2021, 26, 5008. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26165008
• Garofalo M, Bertinato L, Staniszewska M, Wieczorek M, Salmaso S, Schrom S, Rinner B, Pancer KW , Kuryk L. (2021) Combination Therapy of Novel Oncolytic Adenovirus with Anti-PD1 Resulted in Enhanced Anti-Cancer Effect in Syngeneic Immunocompetent Melanoma Mouse Model. Pharmaceutics. 2021 Apr 14;13(4):547. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13040547. PMID: 33919827; PMCID: PMC8070801.
• Kuryk L, Bertinato L, Staniszewska M, Pancer KW, Wieczorek M, Salmaso S, Caliceti P, Garofalo M (2020) From Conventional Therapies to Immunotherapy: Melanoma Treatment in Review. Cancers 12(10): 3057. doi.org/10.3390/cancers12103057
• Gizińska Małgorzata, Staniszewska Anna, Kazek Michalina, Koronkiewicz Mirosława, Kuryk Łukasz, Milner-Krawczyk Małgorzata, Baran Joanna, Borowiecki Paweł, Staniszewska Monika (2020) Antifungal polybrominated proxyphylline derivative induces Candida albicans calcineurin stress response in Galleria mellonella Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 30(23):127545. doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2020.127545
• Gómez-Gaviria M, Lozoya-Pérez NE, Staniszewska M, Franco B, Niño-Vega GA, Mora-Montes HM (2020) Loss of Kex2 Affects the Candida albicans Cell Wall and Interaction with Innate Immune Cells. J. Fungi 6:57. doi: 10.3390/jof6020057.
• Staniszewska M. (2020) Virulence Factors in Candida species, Current Protein & Peptide Science 21: 313. doi.org/10.2174/1389203720666190722152415
• Staniszewska M, Sobiepanek A, Gizińska M, Peña-Cabrera E, Arroyo-Córdoba IJ, Kazek M, Kuryk Ł, Wieczorek M, Koronkiewicz M, Kobiela T, Ochal Z. (2020) Sulfone derivatives enter the cytoplasm of Candida albicans sessile cells. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 191: 112139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112139.
• Staniszewska M, Gizińska M, Kazek M, de Jesús González-Hernández R, Ochal Z, Mora-Montes HM. (2020) New antifungal 4-chloro-3-nitrophenyldifluoroiodomethyl sulfone reduces the Candida albicans pathogenicity in the Galleria mellonella model organism. Braz J Microbiol 51:5–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-019-00140-z
• Łukowska-Chojnacka E, Kowalkowska A, Gizińska M, Koronkiewicz M, Staniszewska M. (2019) Synthesis of tetrazole derivatives bearing pyrrolidine scaffold and evaluation of their antifungal activity against Candida albicans. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 164: 106-120. doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.12.044.

Patent: application number P410019, exclusive right number 231671, Monika Staniszewska, Małgorzata Bondaryk, Zbigniew Ochal.

The invention is the new synthetic aromatic derivative: 2 - [(4-chloromethylsulfonyl-2-nitrophenylamino) -4'-phenoxy] – propionohydrazyd. The compound: (1) inhibits the planktonic growth of Candida spp.; (2) inhibits the level of serine protease KEX2 gene transcription in the cells of Candida spp., (3) inhibits the Candida spp. cells adhesion to theepithelial cells; (4) is used for prevention against or treatment of fungal infections, especially caused by Candida spp.

Patent: application number P.408200. exclusive right number 229427, Ochal Zbigniew, Staniszewska Monika, Bondaryk Małgorzata, Borowiecki Paweł. The first invention is anti-Candida albicans application of halogenomethylaryl sulfons.

1. The Team Prize awarded by the Rector of the Medical University of Warsaw III° on October 24, 2011;
2. The Ludwik Rajchman Prize (II°) awarded by the Head of NIPH-NIH, Prof. M. J. Wysocki on Jun 19, 2013.