Address:

• Department of General Biochemistry
• Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology
• Jagiellonian University
• ul. Gronostajowa 7
• 30-387 Kraków
• Room: C144
• Phone: 12 664 61 39
• E–mail: judyta.gorka@uj.edu.pl

Education:

2023 - PhD in biological sciences, Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Krakow                            

2016 - Master of biochemistry, Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Krakow

Employment in scientific institutions:

2025 – present: Adjunct, Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Department of General Biochemistry

2023 – 2025: Assistant, Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Department of General Biochemistry

Research projects

Principal investigator:

‘The importance of the Wnt/β-catenin/CBP/p300 axis and c-Met receptor activation in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in a mouse model of Zc3h12a gene deletion in hepatocytes’ 2025 – present; WBBiB.2.2.2025 (19000082); Minigrant funding for research conducted at the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Biotechnology;

‘Regulatory role of miRNA and β-catenin modification in the metastatic potential of clear cell renal cell carcinoma’ 2021-present; K/PBM/000792; Preludium,  Founding body: National Science Center;

‘Analysis of the influence of RNase activity of MCPIP1 protein on the level of miRNAs regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process in clear cell renal cell carcinoma and in the normal RPTEC/TERT1 cell line’ 2019-2020; MNS/000011; Project for Young Scientists and PhD Students, Founding body: Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophisics and Biotechnology;

‘Regulation of the activity of transcription factors from the Snail, Twist and Zeb families dependent on the MCPIP1 protein in the process of migration and metastasis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma’ 2018-2019; BMN 1/2018; DSC/005439; Project for Young Scientists and PhD Students; Founding body: Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophisics and Biotechnology;

‘The effect of MCPIP1 silencing on the initiation of the neoplastic process and the acquisition of a mesenchymal phenotype in normal RPTEC/TERT1 cells’ DSC/004489; 2017-2018; Project for Young Scientists and PhD Students; Founding body: Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophisics and Biotechnology;

Awards and scholarship

2024: Distinction for the doctoral dissertation for 2023 in the Witold Drabikowski Competition by the Polish Biochemistry Society in collaboration with Merck company

2023: PhD Dissertation with honors

2020:  Prize of the Association for the Support of Cancer Research for the oral presentation during the Gliwice Scientific Meeting

2020: Obtaining funding for a foreign scientific conference of the "Jagiellonian Interdisciplinary PhD Program": EACR-AACR-ASPIC Conference: Tumor Microenvironment in Lisbon

2019-2021: Scholarship of the "Jagiellonian Interdisciplinary PhD Program"         

2019: Award for the distinction in the poster presentation during the Gliwice Scientific Meeting

2017/2018/2019: Scholarship for PhD students from the "Quality subsidy fund"   

2017: Scholarship Jan Zurzycki from the KNOW  

2017: Award for the distinction in the poster presentation during the Gliwice Scientific Meeting

2017: Scholarship of the Rector of the Jagiellonian University for the best doctoral students

2017: Award for the third place in the poster presentation during the III International Conference of Cell Biology

Membership in international and national scientific societies and organizations:

Member of the European Association for Cancer Research

Member of the Polish Biochemistry

Conferences – selected presentations:

2025 – 6th BIO meeting in Poznań; poster

2025 – EACR Conference: Innovative Cancer Science; poster

2020 – EACR-AACR-ASPIC Conference: Tumor Microenvironment in Lisbon; poster

2020 – Gliwice Scientific Meetings; oral presentation

2019 – 44th FEBS Congress in Cracow; oral presentation                                               

2017 – EMBL Conference: Cancer Genomics in Heidelberg; poster

Publications:

• 1. Górka J, Miękus K. Rola wpływu białka MCPIP1 na kluczowe elementy osi sygnalizacyjnej procesu przejścia epitelialno-mezenchymalnego w jasnokomórkowym raku nerki. Postępy Biochemii. 2025;71(1) doi:10.18388/pb.2021_594.
• 2. Górka J, Miękus K. Molecular landscape of clear cell renal cell carcinoma: targeting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Discov Oncol. 2025;16(1):524. doi:10.1007/s12672-025-02228-5.
• 3. Marona P, Myrczek R, Piasecka I, Górka J, Kwapisz O, Pospiech E, Rys J, Jura J, Miękus K. The endonuclease activity of MCPIP1 controls the neoplastic transformation of epithelial cells via the c-Met/CD44 axis. Cell Commun Signal. 2025 Jan 15;23(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s12964-025-02029-x. 
• 4. Górka J, Marona P, Kwapisz O, Ryś J, Jura J, Miękus K. MCPIP1 regulates focal adhesion kinase and Rho GTPase-dependent migration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Eur J Pharmacol. 2022;922:174804. doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.174804.
• 5. Górka J, Marona P, Kwapisz O, Waligórska A, Pośpiech E, Dobrucki JW, Ryś J, Jura J, Miękus K. MCPIP1 inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activity and modulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition during clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression by targeting miRNAs. Oncogene. 2021;40(50):6720-6735. doi:10.1038/s41388-021-02062-3.
• 6. Górka J, Marona P, Kwapisz O, Ryś J, Jura J, Miękus K. The anti-inflammatory protein MCPIP1 inhibits the development of ccRCC by maintaining high levels of tumour suppressors. Eur J Pharmacol. 2020;888:173591. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173591.
• 7. Marona P, Górka J, Kwapisz O, Jura J, Ryś J, Hoffman RM, Miękus K. Resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors promotes renal cancer progression through MCPIP1 tumor-suppressor downregulation and c-Met activation. Cell Death Dis. 2022;13(9):814. doi: 10.1038/s41419-022-05251-4.
• 8. Kwapisz O, Górka J, Korlatowicz A, Kotlinowski J, Waligórska A, Marona P, Pydyn N, Dobrucki JW, Jura J, Miękus K. Fatty Acids and a High-Fat Diet Induce Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Activating TGFβ and β-Catenin in Liver Cells. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(3):1272. doi:10.3390/ijms22031272.
• 9. Marona P, Górka J, Kotlinowski J, Majka M, Jura J, Miękus K. C-Met as a Key Factor Responsible for Sustaining Undifferentiated Phenotype and Therapy Resistance in Renal Carcinomas. Cells. 2019;8(3):272. doi:10.3390/cells8030272.
• 10. Marona P, Górka J, Mazurek Z, Wilk W, Ryś J, Majka M, Jura J, Miękus K. MCPIP1 Downregulation in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Promotes Vascularization and Metastatic Progression. Cancer Res. 2017;77(18):4905-4920. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-3190.