On December 22, 2020, we signed a contract for the project entitled Center for the Development of Therapies for Civilization and Age-Related Diseases 

The aim of the project is to create and develop an interdisciplinary, innovative research center, for the task of designing and testing new therapies for civilization and age-related diseases in preclinical research.

Based on the scientific potential of three departments of the Jagiellonian University – Medical College, CDT-CARD will be an integral part of the Prokocim Medical Campus.

The planned research infrastructure will consist of core-labs for molecular biology and biochemical analysis (including genomics, proteomics and glycomics), advanced imaging techniques (MRI/PET, confocal microscopy, light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy), pharmacokinetics and preliminary toxicological studies, modern techniques for studying vital functions or bioinformatics and in silico analysis.

A key element of the Center will be a research infrastructure in the form of an integrated complex of central laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art apparatus, where research will be conducted on the search for innovative therapies for civilization and age-related diseases. The unit will operate in an open core facility formula of sharing unique equipment and know-how with scientists from domestic and foreign research units. CDT-CARD will make it possible to combine preclinical research, leading to the development of, among other things, new drugs and therapeutic strategies, with mainly non-commercial clinical research. This will allow verification of the effectiveness of the created solutions and open the way to cooperation with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

The Center’s scientific activities will focus on several areas, including the search for new therapeutic targets, conducting preclinical studies and selection of new drug candidates, model-assisted drug development, in silico modeling of disease course and treatment efficacy, conducting non-commercial clinical trials, or development of non-pharmacological methods of therapy and prevention.

The Center’s activities will provide access to the next steps in the development of new drugs: design and synthesis of new ligands, affinity assessment of a wide panel of biological targets, functional assays, ADMET bioavailability, pharmacokinetic parameters, as well as animal models of disease, and the development of one of the most advanced centers for comprehensive preclinical research in the country.

The proximity of university hospitals fosters collaboration within interdisciplinary research teams using clinical material. New diagnostic possibilities emerging through such research and may soon prove indispensable in routine clinical practice, especially in terms of precision medicine.