The Institute’s research focuses on selected problems in biomedicine with particular attention paid to their application in clinical medicine. In the field of neuroscience, research is focused on ionic changes and diffusion parameters in the CNS during physiological and pathological states, nonsynaptic transmission in the CNS, ion channels and receptors, the function of glial cells, the role of glutamate receptors and calcium ions in communication between neurons and glial cells, as well as the morphological and functional characteristics of nerve cells in the auditory system and their damage by pathological processes.
In the field of stem cell research, the Institute, in cooperation with the Centre for Cell Therapy and Tissue Repair, devotes significant effort to embryonic stem cells and the regulation of the cell cycle during gametogenesis and differentiation, the differentiation and implantation of neural and embryonic stem cells, the construction of tissue replacements based on hydrogels, as well as autologous chondrocytes and biodegradable matrices from unwoven nanofibres.
In the field of cell biology, research is concentrated on the structural-functional organization of the cell nucleus as well as on the molecular mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis and susceptibility towards neoplasia. Recent research has also been directed towards the identification of early markers indicating malignant transformations, which could be useful for early diagnostics of cancer. The molecular mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis and susceptibility towards neoplasia have also been investigated.
Other research areas include the genotoxic and embryotoxic effects of xenobiotics and the mechanisms underlying the origin of congenital defects, the origin and course of toxic reactions at cellular and tissue levels, the histochemistry and pharmacology of enzymes as markers of biochemical processes, and the effect of pharmaceuticals on the immune reaction during infectious diseases.
In the field of biotechnological innovations the work of the Institute has focused on technology transfer and the support of collaborations between the IEM CAS and the business sphere in the area of regenerative medicine, by means of education and joint R&D activities.
