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Welcome to Department of Cell Biology and Imaging. Latest news and announcements regarding our activities you can find on the "News" page.
A short history of our Department
Our Department was organised in early 50's of 20'th century by prof. Zygmunt Grodziński who was at that time Head of the Department of Comparative Anatomy of Jagiellonian University. His idea was to organise Cytophysiology Department, a subdivision of the Comparative Anatomy Department. Dr Andrzej Pigoń was a candidate to lead the new department, and became Head of this institution in 1955, after his habilitation in 1954. Ten years later, during structural reorganization on Jagiellonian University, Department of Cytophysiology become an independent unit located in a new building of Zoology Institute. In 1966 Head of the department, dr hab. Andrzej Pigoń, moved to the USA, and Department of Cytophysiology was temporally closed, leaving Faculty of Biology and Earth Science without a subunit focused on animal cytology.
When Laboratory of Electron Microscopy and Laboratory of Scanning Microscopy where formed, their supervisor, prof. dr hab. Wincenty Kilarski, was also asked to give a cytology and histology lectures for the students. This made an oportunity to restore cytology department. In 1986 Department of Cytology and Histology was formed, and two laboratory mentioned before become part of this new structure. Prof. Wincenty Kilarski become head of this new Department. Since then Department gain some more electron microscopes (four), and new inventory that allowed studies at cell levels and, in small range, at molecular level.
Main projects of the Department were: structure of vertebrates muscle, morphologic organisation of yolk in vertebrates, structure of cell membrane in amphibian oocytes, structure of cardiac muscle in fish, and lately (1990 – 2001) analysis of gap junctions dynamics in uterus of humans and rodents. Since 2001 Department is led by prof. dr hab. Elżbieta Pyza. Apart from continuation of previous studies, there are also new reaserches focused on vertebrates and invertebrates nervous system, specialy on synaptic and neuronal plasticity. In addition, there are also reaserch in bone osteogenesis, as well as in ecotoxycology.
On 1st April 2011 the name of the Department was changed into Department of Cell Biology and Imaging
Membership in scientific societies:
- American Orthopedic Research Society
- Polskie Stowarzyszenie Biomateriałów w Medycynie i Weterynarii
- Society for Neuroscience
- Society for Research on Biological Rhythms
- Society of Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
- European Microbeam Analysis Society
- Radiation Physics Society
- European Microscopy Society
- Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
- Federation of European Neuroscience Societies
- Polskie Towarzystwo Badań Układu Nerwowego
- Polskie Towarzystwo Etologiczne
Current fundings:
- MNiSW N N301 121438: Molekularny mechanizm okołodobowej plastyczności neuronalnej w układzie wzrokowym Drosophila melanogaster – rola genów ebony i black” (2010-2012) (prof. dr hab. Elżbieta Pyza)
- MNiSW N N303 814840: Regulacja rytmów okołodobowych w pierwszej warstwie płata wzrokowego (płytka lamina) Drosophila melanogaster (2011-2012) (prof. dr hab. Elżbieta Pyza)
- MNiSW N N304 038440: Toksokinetyka metali u bezkręgowców: modele i fizjologia – In collaboration with prof. dr hab. Ryszard Laskowski (2011-2014) (prof. dr hab. Elżbieta Pyza)
- MNiSW N N301 038240: Rola białka Bruchpilot (BRP w plastyczności synaptycznej w układzie wzrokowym Drosophila melanogaster (2011-2014) (prof. dr ha. Elżbieta Pyza)