First place in the “Eureka! DGP – Discovering Polish Inventions” competition!!!

The innovative technology for obtaining autologous adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells, AT-MSCs, developed by our Team led by Prof. Ewa Zuba-Surma, with the significant contribution of Dr Anna Łabędź-Masłowska, won first place in the 13th edition of the “Eureka! DGP – Discovering Polish Inventions” competition.

The competition, organised by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, promotes Polish inventions with strong implementation potential, developed at universities, research institutes and scientific institutions, and submitted to the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland. The award ceremony took place on 29 June 2026 at the editorial office of DGP.

The awarded invention concerns the “MesoCellA-4U Platform” — an optimised method for obtaining human AT-MSCs for use in regenerative medicine and in the development of advanced therapy medicinal products, ATMPs. The platform has already been used in the manufacture of “MesoCellA-Ortho”, a cellular medicinal product intended for the treatment of osteoarthritis, applied in patients within the BioMiStem-CT clinical trial, NCT05081921. The clinical study confirmed the product’s high safety profile and therapeutic potential, including reduced knee joint pain, increased physical activity and improved quality of life.

The award highlights the implementation potential of technologies developed at the Jagiellonian University and their importance for the advancement of modern regenerative therapies. It also underlines the value of combining basic research, intellectual property protection, technology development, clinical translation and commercialisation activities.

The award was accepted on behalf of the winning team by Dr Anna Łabędź-Masłowska from the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology of the Jagiellonian University and Dr Klaudia Polakowska from the CITTRU Technology Transfer Centre of the Jagiellonian University.

Award for the project “MesoCellA-Ortho - a cellular advanced therapy medicinal product for use in orthopaedics” in the competition “Polish Product of the Future” (category “Product of the Future jointly developed by higher education and science institutions and entrepreneurs”).

The award was granted by a jury comprising representatives from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development and the National Centre for Research and Development in Warsaw in 2023.

“MesoCellA-Ortho – a cellular advanced therapy medicinal product for orthopedic applications” submitted by Jagiellonian University and GALEN-ORTOPEDIA Sp. z o.o.MesoCellA-Ortho is a new cellular drug that constitutes a biological advanced therapy medicinal product. The active substance of the drug consists of human mesenchymal/stem cells derived from adipose tissue in accordance with GMP standards (i.e., under the regulatory regime required for medicines). The product is intended for use in orthopedics – for the treatment of cartilage-bone defects in patients with osteoarthritis, which is a global civilization problem. The preparation will support the regeneration of hyaline cartilage, improve joint mobility, and thereby enhance quality of life. It may also eliminate the need for knee joint implant surgery. This drug offers a significant advantage over currently used preparations.

Information about the projects that received awards, including the MesoCellA-Ortho project, has been published on the following website HERE. 

Prof. Ewa Zuba-Surma was awarded with the prestigious Kościuszko Foundation fellowship!!!

Prof. Ewa Zuba-Surma was awarded with the prestigious Kościuszko Foundation fellowship, which enables scientists, experts and artists to carry out postdoctoral research in the USA. As part of the fellowship, Prof. Zuba-Surma will go to the University of Nevada in order to conduct research on the pre-regenerative role of extracellular vesicles – EVs, secreted by human stem cells obtained from various sources. The nomination was presented to her by the US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski and the Kościuszko Foundation President and Executive Director Marek Skulimowski.

More information has been published on the website HERE.

Economic Award of the President of the Republic of Poland in the Research + Development category. The interdisciplinary BioMiStem Project Team, led by Prof. Ewa Zuba-Surma, was awarded for developing a new “cell-based medicinal product” called MesoCellA–Ortho.

The award was granted in Łańcut in 2023.

The interdisciplinary BioMiStem Project Team, which includes scientists from the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and researchers from the Galen–Ortopedia Clinic Ltd. in Bieruń, has developed a new "cell-based drug" called MesoCellA–Ortho. This is an innovative advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP), whose active substance consists of human autologous mesenchymal cells prepared under GMP conditions. The product is intended for use in orthopedics, specifically for the treatment of cartilage–bone defects in patients with osteoarthritis, which is a global civilizational problem.

Information about the selected projects, including MesoCellA-Ortho, has been published on the website HERE.