Researchers from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, in cooperation with partners from Croatia and Slovenia, will investigate how the HPV virus affects protein trafficking in cells, whilst a research team from the University of Wrocław, in cooperation with German partners, will conduct comparative research on winged altarpieces from Upper Lusatia, Silesia, and Franconia.
Dr hab. Justyna Broniarczyk will lead the Polish part of the research in the project entitled "Alterations in Host Protein Trafficking during Human Papillomavirus Infection and Oncogenesis." The Polish team will receive nearly PLN 1.5 million for its implementation. On the Slovenian side, the research will be led by Martina Bergant Marušič from the University of Nova Gorica, whilst on the Croatian side the team will be headed by Vjekoslav Tomaić from the Ruđer Bošković Institute.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for nearly 5% of malignant tumours, including cervical cancer and head and neck cancers. The viral proteins E6 and E7 play a key role in the process of cellular transformation. Recent studies show that HPV may disrupt protein trafficking within the cell – previous analyses have demonstrated that the E6 and L2 proteins interact with the sorting nexins SNX27 and SNX17, which affects protein localisation and cell function. The aim of the project is to understand the mechanism of these disruptions and their significance in tumour development. The researchers will employ biochemical methods, in vivo imaging, 3D organotypic raft cultures, and clinical sample analysis. The results may assist in identifying new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and point to potential therapeutic targets in HPV-related diseases, particularly in head and neck cancers, for which an increase in incidence is projected. The roposal was reviewed by the Slovenian agency ARIS (Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency), whilst NCN and the Croatian agency HRZZ (Croatian Science Foundation) accepted the results of this review as part of the collaboration under the Weave funding scheme.
In the second of the awarded projects, entitled "Retabulum: An Interdisciplinary Comparative Research on Winged Altarpieces from Upper Lusatia, Silesia, and Franconia – Examining Joining Techniques, Materiality, and (Inter)mediality of Wooden Altar Shrines with the Assistance of Dendrochronology," the Polish part of the research will be led by Dr Agnieszka Patała from the University of Wrocław, whilst on the German cooperation partners' side the team will be managed by Dr Thomas Eißing from the University of Bamberg.
The project focuses on the study of late Gothic winged altarpieces (known as retabula), which are complex works of art combining painting and sculpture. Retabula, placed above or behind a Christian altar, enjoyed a period of particular flourishing in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries in Central and Western Europe, frequently taking the form of monumental triptychs or pentaptychs with closing wings. They also served an important religious, didactic, and decorative function within church interiors. The researchers will analyse 34 examples from Upper Lusatia, Silesia, and Franconia dating from approximately 1450 to 1530. Combining methods from art history, the natural sciences, and conservation studies, they will examine previously less well-understood technological aspects of these objects, such as the construction of wooden shrines and wings, the materials used, carpentry techniques, metal fittings, and the origin of the wood, which will be established through dendrochronological research. The analysis will enable more accurate dating of the retabula, the identification of material sources and craft standards, and an understanding of the transfer of technology between regions. The research will also help assess the role of carpenters in the creation of winged altarpieces and the functioning of these works in religious practice on the eve of the Reformation. The application was evaluated by the German agency DFG (German Research Foundation), whilst NCN accepted the results of this evaluation as part of the collaboration under the Weave programme. The Polish budget for the project amounts to nearly PLN 300,000.
Weave-UNISONO and Lead Agency Procedure
Weave-UNISONO is a result of multilateral cooperation between the research-funding agencies associated in Science Europe and aims at simplifying the submission and selection procedures in all academic disciplines, involving researchers from two or three European countries.
The winning applicants are selected pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure according to which one partner institution performs a complete merit-based evaluation of proposals, the results of which are subsequently approved by the other partners.
Under the Weave Programme, partner research teams apply for parallel funding to the Lead Agency and their respective institutions participating in the Programme. Joint research projects must include a coherent research program with the added value of the international cooperation clearly identified.
Weave-UNISONO is carried out on an ongoing basis. Research teams intending to cooperate with partners from Austria, Czechia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium-Flanders are urged to read the call text and apply for funding.