Dr hab. Katarzyna Miękus Dr hab. Katarzyna Miękus

Address:

 

Department of General Biochemistry

Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology

Jagiellonian University

ul. Gronostajowa 7

30-387 Kraków

 

Room: A116

Phone: 12 664 65 23

E–mail: katarzyna.miekus@uj.edu.pl

 

Education and Titles:

 

2006 - Ph.D. in Biology, Department of Cell Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, : "Intercellular communication and contact guided migration of rat prostate cancer cell line with different metastatic activity ", with honors

1999 – MSc in Biology, Jagiellonian Faculty of Biology and Earth Science, Institute of Molecular Biology Krakow, Poland: "Influence of homo- and heterotyping cell to cell interactions on motility of prostate cancer cells"

 

Positions:

 

Since 2013 - Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland

2007 - 2013 - Department of Transplantation, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Cracow, Poland

2001 – 2006 - Ph.D. program, Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Cracow, Poland

1999 - 2001 - Department of Cell Biology, Jagiellonian University Cracow, Poland

 

Honors and awards:

 

2011 - Scholar-in-Training Award by American Association for Cancer Research  - Orlando, FL, USA

2010 – European Molecular Biology Organization short term scholarship

2010 – Human Frontier Science Program short term scholarship

2010 – Conference Scholarship Foundation for Polish Science

2010 - Scholar-in-Training Award by American Association for Cancer Research – Arlington, VA, USA

2006 - PhD thesis with honors

 

Internships and work abroad:

 

2011 - Laboratori de Oncologia Molecular IDIBELL, Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain, 2 months

2004 – 2005 University of Louisville, Stem Cell Institute, Kentucky, USA 

2003 - Laboratory of Cellular and Tissue Engineering, Rydygier Hospital, Krakow - isolation and primary culture of keratinocytes and melanocytes, 1 month

2001 - Department of Pathomorphology, Hospital, Czestochowa - training in research and diagnosis of cancer and types of therapy, 1 month

 

Courses and trainings:

 

2013 - Techniques of protein analysis 

2013 - Training in writing scientific texts - Fundation for Polish Science, program SKILLS, Krakow 

2013 - Training of scientific research presentation, Fundation for Polish Science, program SKILLS, Warsaw 

2003 - Workshop on fluorescence and confocal microscopy, Olympus, Warsaw 

 
Professional Societies:
 
Member of Polish Society of Cell Biology 

2008-2011 - Treasurer of Polish Society of Cell Biology (local section in Krakow)

Member of American Association for Cancer Research

Member of Women in Cancer Research American Association for Cancer Research

 

Subject of interest:

  • The role of growth factors receptors, chemokine and chemokine receptors and MCPIP1 in tumorigenesis

  • The role of stem cells in tumorigenesis

 

Most significant publications:

 

1. Miekus K, Lukasiewicz E, Jarocha D, Sekula M, Drabik G, Majka M. The decreased metastatic potential of rhabdomyosarcoma cells obtained through MET receptor downregulation and the induction of differentiation. Cell Death Dis. 2013 Jan 17;4:e459. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2012.199. PMID: 23328666

 

2. Wysoczynski M, Miekus K, Jankowski K, Wanzeck J, Bertolone S, Janowska-Wieczorek A, Ratajczak J, Ratajczak MZ. Leukemia inhibitory factor: a newly identified metastatic factor in rhabdomyosarcomas. Cancer Res. 2007 Mar 1;67(5):2131-40. PMID: 17332343

 

3. Ratajczak J, Miekus K, Kucia M, Zhang J, Reca R, Dvorak P, Ratajczak MZ. Embryonic stem cell-derived microvesicles reprogram hematopoietic progenitors: evidence for horizontal transfer of mRNA and protein delivery. Leukemia. 2006 May;20(5):847-56. PMID: 16453000

 

4. Miekus K, Czernik M, Sroka J, Czyz J, Madeja Z. Contact stimulation of prostate cancer cell migration: the role of gap junctional coupling and migration stimulated by heterotypic cell-to-cell contacts in determination of the metastatic phenotype of Dunning rat prostate cancer cells. Biol Cell. 2005 Dec;97(12):893-903. PMID: 15907197

 

5. Kucia M, Reca R, Miekus K, Wanzeck J, Wojakowski W, Janowska-Wieczorek A, Ratajczak J, Ratajczak MZ. Trafficking of normal stem cells and metastasis of cancer stem cells involve similar mechanisms: pivotal role of the SDF-1-CXCR4 axis. Stem Cells. 2005 Aug;23(7):879-94. Epub 2005 May 11. Review. PMID: 15888687

 

Publications from last 4 years:

1. Ligeza J, Marona P, Gach N, Lipert B, Miekus K, Wilk W, Jaszczynski J, Stelmach A, Loboda A, Dulak J, Branicki W, Rys J, Jura J. MCPIP1 contributes to clear cell renal cell carcinomas development. Angiogenesis. 2017 Feb 14. doi: 10.1007/s10456-017-9540-2. PubMed PMID: 28197812

 

2. Miekus K. The Met tyrosine kinase receptor as a therapeutic target and a potential cancer stem cell factor responsible for therapy resistance (Review). Oncol Rep. 2017 Feb;37(2):647-656. doi: 10.3892/or.2016.5297. Epub 2016 Dec PubMed PMID:27959446

 

3. Miekus K, Pawlowska M, Sekuła M, Drabik G, Madeja Z, Adamek D, Majka M. MET receptor is a potential therapeutic target in high grade cervical cancer. Oncotarget. 2015 Apr 30;6(12):10086-101. PubMed PMID: 25888626

 

4. Skrzypek K, Kusienicka A, Szewczyk B, Adamus T, Lukasiewicz E, Miekus K, Majka M. Constitutive activation of MET signaling impairs myogenic differentiation of rhabdomyosarcoma and promotes its development and progression. Oncotarget. 2015 Oct 13;6(31):31378-98. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.5145. PubMed PMID: 26384300

 

5. Sekuła M, Miekus K, Majka M. Downregulation of the CXCR4 receptor inhibits cervical carcinoma metastatic behavior in vitro and in vivo. Int J Oncol. 2014 Jun;44(6):1853-60. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2014.2383. Epub 2014 Apr 11. PMID: 24728301

 

6. Miekus K, Lukasiewicz E, Jarocha D, Sekula M, Drabik G, Majka M. The decreased metastatic potential of rhabdomyosarcoma cells obtained through MET receptor downregulation and the induction of differentiation. Cell Death Dis. 2013 Jan 17;4:e459. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2012.199. PMID: 23328666

 

7. Pyrzynska B, Banach-Orlowska M, Teperek-Tkacz M, Miekus K, Drabik G, Majka M,  Miaczynska M. Multifunctional protein APPL2 contributes to survival of human glioma cells. Mol Oncol. 2013 Feb;7(1):67-84. doi: 10.1016/j.molonc.2012.08.003. Epub 2012 Sep 5. PMID: 22989406