Supervisor: Prof. Tom Brown
Host: University of Oxford, UK
Country of origin: Poland
Research: Chemically modified CRISPR systems for improved gene editing
The aim of the project is to radically alter the mechanism by which the CRISPR-Cas9 system functions. Sebastian will achieve this by developing a method of switching on and off gene editing by light so that the exposure of the cell to gene editing machinery can be precisely controlled while minimizing off-target effects. This is not possible with conventional CRISPR gene editing which is temporally uncontrolled.
Scientific background:
Sebastian completed his Bachelor of Science in chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Warsaw, working under the supervision of prof. Jacek Jemielity and prof. Joanna Kowalska. He also completed an internship at the University of Hamburg, working under the supervision of prof. Chris Meier. In his research, he was focused mainly on the development of cell-permeable prodrugs of nucleotide analogue inhibitors targeting cap-dependent translation. In addition, he was engaged in projects concerning the synthesis of small molecular inhibitors of cap-interacting proteins, synthesis of molecular probes for exploring protein inhibitors properties, exploration of the fragmentation pathways of biologically and therapeutically relevant mRNA 5’ cap analogues using tandem mass spectrometry, and exploration of mRNA 5’ caps metabolism in cell extracts using LC-MS technique.
Personal background:
Sebastian comes from Poland. In his spare time, he enjoys photographing, operating a film camera and editing films. He has always been fascinated by science. The research topics he had explored during past years strengthened his conviction to pursue a PhD in the field of nucleic acids chemistry and biology.