About me
I graduated with Master’s of Pharmacy degree from the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. Next, I did my Ph.D. as a Marie Curie Fellow with Prof. Nicholas M. Barnes at the University of Birmingham and Celentyx Ltd., UK (immunological and neuropharmacological studies on therapeutical drugs and targets, including orphan G protein-coupled receptors, GPCRs).
I had my first post-doctoral stay in the lab of Prof. Agnieszka Chacinska at the IIMCB, Warsaw, Poland (protein biogenesis in synaptoneurosomes). In August 2017, I joined Prof. Gunnar Schulte's lab for my second post-doc (pharmacology of class F Frizzleds GPCRs).
In February 2022, I received Higher doctorate (Doctor of Science; D.Sc.) in medical sciences from the Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
Research description
In my post-doctoral research in the Schulte lab, I have been focusing on exploring pharmacology of Frizzleds by employing structural-functional analysis. To this end, I like to merge my own ideas with conceptual and methodological approaches previously applied with success in other classes of GPCRs.
I am currently setting up my independent line of research on orphan GPCRs' role in health and disease.
Teaching portfolio
2023 - present: I am a course responsible for the elective Advanced Receptor Pharmacology module (2.5 weeks; 4 ECTS); I also teach Bioinformatics course; International Master’s Programme in Translational Physiology and Pharmacology; Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2022- present: I have been leading seminars on pharmacokinetics; Pharmacology and Toxicology course; Bachelor's Programme in Biomedicine; Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2021 – present: I have been supervising students in the project on a literature search of a public health-related question; BV1 course; Läkarprogrammet; Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2019 – 2022: I was leading seminars on pharmacokinetics and pharmacology of receptors; DSM2.1 course, Gamla läkarprogrammet; Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2022 - I completed a 14-week “Teaching and learning in higher education, distance” course (Grundläggande högskolepedagogik, distant).
Education
02/2022: Higher doctorate/D.Sc. (Medical Sciences), Medical University of Lublin, Poland
09/2013-07/2017: Ph.D. (Clinical and Experimental Medicine), University of Birmingham, UK, Marie Curie Initial Training Programme DECIDE project no 315902
09/2007-02/2013: Master’s (Pharmacy), Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
Academic honours, awards and prizes
Molecular Pharmacology Highlighted Trainee Author, January 2020
Funding
Karolinska Institutet Research Foundation Grant 2022
Vetenskapsrådet starting grant 2022
BPS Pharmacology 2022 bursary
Stiftelsen Lars Hiertas Minne 2021
Karolinska Institutet Research Foundation Grant 2020
Stiftelsen Lars Hiertas Minne 2020
Cancerfonden Postdoctoral Position 2020
Svenska Sällskapet för Medicinsk Forskning Postdoctoral Grant 2020
Alex and Eva Wallström Foundation 2020
Stiftelsen Lars Hiertas Minne 2019
Karolinska Institutet Research Foundation Grant 2018
Karolinska Institutet Travel Grant 2018
Editorial board membership
BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology
FEBS Open Bio (Editorial Advisory Board)
Farmacja Polska
Publications
30. Grätz L, Sajkowska-Kozielewicz JJ, Wesslowski J, Kinsolving J, Bridge LJ, Petzold K, Davidson G, Schulte G, Kozielewicz P. NanoBiT- and NanoBiT/BRET-based assays allow the analysis of binding kinetics of WNT-3A to endogenous Frizzled 7 in a colorectal cancer model. British Journal of Pharmacology 2023 bph.16090
29. Bowin CF, Kozielewicz P*, Grätz L*, Kowalski-Jahn M, Schihada H, Schulte G. WNT stimulation induces conformational dynamics of Frizzled-Dishevelled interaction. Science Signaling 2023 16;779
28. Kozielewicz P, Schulte G. NanoBRET and NanoBiT/BRET-Based Ligand Binding Assays Permit Quantitative Assessment of Small Molecule Ligand Binding to Smoothened. Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.) 2022 2374; 195-204
27. Xu L*, Chen B*, Schihada H*, Wright SC*, Turku A, Wu YR, Han GW, Kowalski-Jahn M, Kozielewicz P, Bowin CF, Zhang XJ, Li C, Bouvier M, Schulte G, Xu F. Cryo-EM structure of constitutively active human Frizzled 7 in complex with heterotrimeric G(s). Cell Research 2021 31;10
26. Schulte G, Kozielewicz P. (editors) Pharmacology of the WNT Signaling System. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 2021
25. Kozielewicz P, Schihada H, Schulte G. Employing Genetically Encoded, Biophysical Sensors to Understand WNT/Frizzled Interaction and Receptor Complex Activation in: Pharmacology of the WNT Signaling System. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 2021 269; 101-115
24. Kozielewicz P #, Shekhani R, Moser S, Bowin CF, Wesslowski J, Davidson G #, Schulte G #. Quantitative Profiling of WNT-3A Binding to All Human Frizzled Paralogues in HEK293 Cells by NanoBiT/BRET Assessments. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science 2021 4;3 1235-1245
23. Turku A, Schihada H*, Kozielewicz P*, Bowin CF, Schulte G. Residue 6.43 defines receptor function in class F GPCRs. Nature Communications 2021 12;1 3919-
22. Alexander SP, Christopoulos A, Davenport AP, Kelly E, Mathie A, Peters JA, Veale EL, Armstrong JF, Faccenda E, Harding SD, Pawson AJ, Southan C, Davies JA, Abbracchio MP, Alexander W, Al-Hosaini K, Bäck M, Barnes NM, Bathgate R, Beaulieu JM, Bernstein KE, Bettler B, Birdsall NJM, Blaho V, Boulay F, Bousquet C, Bräuner-Osborne H, Burnstock G, Caló G, Castaño JP, Catt KJ, Ceruti S, Chazot P, Chiang N, Chini B, Chun J, Cianciulli A, Civelli O, Clapp LH, Couture R, Csaba Z, Dahlgren C, Dent G, Singh KD, Douglas SD, Dournaud P, Eguchi S, Escher E, Filardo EJ, Fong T, Fumagalli M, Gainetdinov RR, Gasparo M, Gerard C, Gershengorn M, Gobeil F, Goodfriend TL, Goudet C, Gregory KJ, Gundlach AL, Hamann J, Hanson J, Hauger RL, Hay DL, Heinemann A, Hollenberg MD, Holliday ND, Horiuchi M, Hoyer D, Hunyady L, Husain A, IJzerman AP, Inagami T, Jacobson KA, Jensen RT, Jockers R, Jonnalagadda D, Karnik S, Kaupmann K, Kemp J, Kennedy C, Kihara Y, Kitazawa T, Kozielewicz P, Kreienkamp HJ, Kukkonen JP, Langenhan T, Leach K, Lecca D, Lee JD, Leeman SE, Leprince J, Li XX, Williams TL, Lolait SJ, Lupp A, Macrae R, Maguire J, Mazella J, McArdle CA, Melmed S, Michel MC, Miller LJ, Mitolo V, Mouillac B, Müller CE, Murphy P, Nahon JL, Ngo T, Norel X, Nyimanu D, O'Carroll AM, Offermanns S, Panaro MA, Parmentier M, Pertwee RG, Pin JP, Prossnitz ER, Quinn M, Ramachandran R, Ray M, Reinscheid RK, Rondard P, Rovati GE, Ruzza C, Sanger GJ, Schöneberg T, Schulte G, Schulz S, Segaloff DL, Serhan CN, Stoddart LA, Sugimoto Y, Summers R, Tan VP, Thal D, Thomas WW, Timmermans PBMWM, Tirupula K, Tulipano G, Unal H, Unger T, Valant C, Vanderheyden P, Vaudry D, Vaudry H, Vilardaga JP, Walker CS, Wang JM, Ward DT, Wester HJ, Willars GB, Woodruff TM, Yao C, Ye RD. THE CONCISE GUIDE TO PHARMACOLOGY 2021/22: G protein-coupled receptors. British Journal of Pharmacology 2021 178 Suppl 1; S27-S156
21. Kozielewicz P, Bowin CF, Turku A, Schulte G. A NanoBRET-Based Binding Assay for Smoothened Allows Real-time Analysis of Ligand Binding and Distinction of Two Binding Sites for BODIPY-cyclopamine. Molecular Pharmacology 2020 97;1 23-34
20. Wesslowski J*, Kozielewicz P*, Wang X, Cui H, Schihada H, Kranz D, Karuna M P, Levkin P, Gross JC, Boutros M, Schulte G, Davidson G. eGFP-tagged Wnt-3a enables functional analysis of Wnt trafficking and signaling and kinetic assessment of Wnt binding to full-length Frizzled. The Journal of Biological Chemistry 2020 295;26 8759-8774
19. Sajkowska-Kozielewicz JJ, Kozielewicz P, Makarova K, Stocki M, Barnes NM, Paradowska K. Geissospermiculatine, a New Alkaloid from Geissospermum reticulatum Bark. Molecules 2020 26;1
18. Kuzniewska B, Cysewski D, Wasilewski M, Sakowska P, Milek J, Kulinski TM, Winiarski M, Kozielewicz P, Knapska E, Dadlez M, Chacinska A, Dziembowski A, Dziembowska M. Mitochondrial protein biogenesis in the synapse is supported by local translation. EMBO Reports 2020 21;8 e48882-
17. Kozielewicz P, Turku A, Schulte G. Molecular Pharmacology of Class F Receptor Activation. Molecular Pharmacology 2020 97;2 62-71
16. Schulte G, Kozielewicz P. Structural insight into Class F receptors - What have we learnt regarding agonist-induced activation? Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology 2020 126 Suppl 6; 17-24
15. Kozielewicz P, Turku A, Bowin CF, Petersen J, Valnohova J, Cañizal MCA, Ono Y, Inoue A, Hoffmann C, Schulte G. Structural insight into small molecule action on Frizzleds. Nature Communications 2020 11;1 414-
14. Wright SC*, Kozielewicz P*, Kowalski-Jahn M, Petersen J, Bowin CF, Slodkowicz G, Marti-Solano M, Rodríguez D, Hot B, Okashah N, Strakova K, Valnohova J, Babu MM, Lambert NA, Carlsson J, Schulte G. A conserved molecular switch in Class F receptors regulates receptor activation and pathway selection. Nature Communications 2019 10;1 667-
13. Kozielewicz P. Comment on: Triazoles bind the C-terminal domain of SMO: Illustration by docking and molecular dynamics simulations the binding between SMO and triazoles. Life Sciences 2019 225; 132-
12. Kozielewicz P #, Grafton G, Sajkowska-Kozielewicz JJ, Barnes NM. Overexpression of Orphan Receptor GPR61 Increases cAMP Levels upon Forskolin Stimulation in HEK293 Cells: in vitro and in silico Validation of 5-(Nonyloxy)Tryptamine as a Low-Affinity Inverse Agonist. Pharmacology 2019 104;5-6 377-382
11. Alexander SPH, Christopoulos A, Davenport AP, Kelly E, Mathie A, Peters JA, Veale EL, Armstrong JF, Faccenda E, Harding SD, Pawson AJ, Sharman JL, Southan C, Davies JA, CGTP Collaborators. THE CONCISE GUIDE TO PHARMACOLOGY 2019/20: G protein-coupled receptors. British Journal of Pharmacology 2019 176 Suppl 1; S21-S141
10. Tzeli D, Kozielewicz P, Zloh M, Antonow D, Tsoungas PG, Petsalakis ID. Naphthalene Peri Annelated N,N- and N,O-Heterocycles: The Effect of Heteroatom-Guided Peri-Fusion on Their Structure and Reactivity Profiles-A Theoretical Endoscopy. ChemistrySelect 2018 3;33 9743-9752
9. Tzeli D, Tsoungas PG, Petsalakis ID, Kozielewicz P. Intramolecular single H bonding vs bifurcation in tuning the conformation of 2,2'-dihydroxybenzophenone and its derivatives: a DFT insight. Structural Chemistry 2017 28;4 925-943
8. Kozielewicz P #, Alomar H, Yusof S, Grafton G, Cooper AJ, Curnow SJ, Ironside JW, Pall H, Barnes NM. N-glycosylation and expression in human tissues of the orphan GPR61 receptor. FEBS Open Bio 2017 7;12 1982-1993
7. Tzeli D, Kozielewicz P, Zervou M, Potamitis C, Kokkotou K, Rak B, Petrou A, Tsolaki E, Gavalas A, Geronikaki A, Petsalakis ID, Tsoungas PG. 2, 2 '-Dihydroxybenzophenones and Derivatives. Efficient Synthesis and Structure Endoscopy by DFT and NMR. Credentials as Potent Antiinflammatory Agents. ChemistrySelect 2016 1;10 2426-2438
6. Sajkowska-Kozielewicz JJ, Kozielewicz P, Barnes NM, Wawer I, Paradowska K. Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, and Antiproliferative Activities and Total Polyphenol Contents of the Extracts of Geissospermum reticulatum Bark. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity 2016 2016; 2573580-
5. Kozielewicz P #, Grafton G, Kutner A, Curnow SJ, Gordon J, Barnes NM. Novel vitamin D analogues; cytotoxic and anti-proliferative activity against a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell line and B-cells from healthy donors. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2016 164; 98-105
4. Tzeli D, Tsoungas PG, Petsalakis ID, Kozielewicz P, Zloh M. Intramolecular cyclization of beta-nitroso-o-quinone methides. A theoretical endoscopy of a potentially useful innate 'reclusive' reaction. Tetrahedron 2015 71;2 359-369
3. Kozielewicz P, Tzeli D, Tsoungas PG, Zloh M. Arene-fused 1,2-oxazole N-oxides and derivatives. The impact of the N-O dipole and substitution on their aromatic character and reactivity profile. Can it be a useful structure in synthesis? A theoretical insight. Structural Chemistry 2014 25;6 1837-1846
2. Kozielewicz P, Tsoungas PG, Tzeli D, Petsalakis ID, Zloh M. beta-Nitroso-o-quinone methides: potent intermediates in organic chemistry and biology. The impact of the NO group on their structure and reactivity profile: a theoretical insight. Structural Chemistry 2014 25;6 1711-1723
1. Kozielewicz P #, Paradowska K, Eric S, Wawer I, Zloh M. Insights into mechanism of anticancer activity of pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids of Uncaria tomentosa by means of a computational reverse virtual screening and molecular docking approach. Monatshefte fur Chemie 2014 145;7 1201-1211
* - equal contribution
# - corresponding author