Bartłomiej Tomasik

During the first years of my studies, I have been drawn to basic research in oncology. My journey started when I became involved in the projects carried out in the Laboratory of Immunopathology, Department of Pediatrics, Oncology, Hematology and Diabetology, Medical University of Lodz. In the fourth year of medicine, I have begun to work with Prof. Fendler in the framework of Individual Course of Studies. Thanks to this cooperation, I have become interested in biostatistics and conducted my first research projects. In 2014 I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Medical University of Lodz. In 2019, I defended my doctorate thesis “Identification and application of circulating microRNAs in monitoring complications of radiotherapy in patients with oropharyngeal cancer” at this University. This work has been recognized by the Polish Society of Clinical Oncology as the best PhD thesis defended in 2019. Additionally, in 2020 I graduated from the Postgraduate School of Molecular Medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw. Together with my research work, I continued my clinical training, which led me to becoming board-certified radiation oncologist in 2020.

I believe that my most important scientific achievements are Diamond Grant awarded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (project: “The relationship between NBN gene variability and the clinical course of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children”) and Preludium grant, awarded by the National Science Centre (project: “MicroRNA profile in oropharyngeal cancer and its utility in radiotoxicity monitoring”). I have undergone scientific internships and worked in the laboratories of University of Greifswald, Germany and University of Granada, Spain. In 2019, I received a START scholarship awarded by the Foundation for Polish Science for my achievements. Since December 2020, I have been pursuing my research and clinical work on a six-month scholarship at the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA, USA) awarded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange under the Professor Franciszek Walczak Programme.

In my current research work, I focus on the role of microRNAs as biomarkers of early and late toxicity in the course of radiation therapy for the head and neck cancers as well as biology and clinical course of HPV-dependent cancers. In addition, I deal with issues relating to the cellular response to fractionated total body irradiation (techniques such as TBI - total body irradiation and TMI - total marrow irradiation).