Inauguration of the PERFECTION project – the first Centre for Chemical Biology within the Polish Academy of Sciences is being established

We are proud to announce that on June 3, 2025, we officially launched the PERFECTION project, initiating the creation of the first Centre for Chemical Biology within the Polish Academy of Sciences at our Institute.

The Kick-off Meeting was attended by directors and vice-rectors of partner research institutions, representatives of the Polish Academy of Sciences, along with scientists, PhD students, and staff from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences (IChF).

During the event, the IChF Director, Prof. Adam Kubas, and the project coordinator, Prof. Robert Hołyst, spoke about the background and motivation behind the launch of the project and the establishment of the new Centre. Prof. Marcin Drąg, who leads the newly formed unit, outlined its scientific framework, while project manager Agnieszka Tadrzak presented the opportunities that the project offers to IChF, its staff, and its scientific and business partners.

The inauguration was highlighted by a keynote lecture delivered by Prof. Donald Hilvert from ETH Zurich, a world-renowned expert in enzyme design. In his talk, titled “Designing Enzymes de novo,” he demonstrated how advanced methods of computational protein design and directed evolution make it possible to create entirely new biocatalysts tailored to the needs of modern, sustainable chemistry.

During the meeting, the project’s Advisory Board was also introduced, and its first session was held with the participation of:

• Prof. Maria Anna Ciemerych-Litwinienko, Warsaw University, Poland;
• Prof. Galia Blum, Hebrew University, Israel;
• Prof. Jim Huntington, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom;
• Prof. Boris Turk, Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia;
• Prof. Bartosz Grzybowski, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea.

“We are satisfied with how the inauguration went and especially proud of the distinguished guests who attended — including directors from the Nencki Institute and the Institute of Organic Chemistry, vice-directors of other scientific institutes, and the Vice-Rector for General Affairs of Wrocław University of Science and Technology,” noted Prof. Marcin Drąg, ERA Chair holder and head of the new Centre. “Two members of our Advisory Board, Prof. Maria Anna Ciemerych-Litwinienko and Prof. Jim Huntington, participated in person, while others joined us online. Our main guest, Prof. Donald Hilvert from ETH Zurich, gave a brilliant, visionary, and inspiring lecture that was exceptionally well-received. We also presented the long-term vision behind the Centre and its scientific direction — something that resonated with the audience. People were very curious about how we plan to build and develop this Centre, what our goals are, and who we aim to collaborate with. I believe we did a good job answering all their questions — including many that continued during the breaks — and this sets a solid foundation for future partnerships. This is undoubtedly the right moment — chemical biology is at the top. Last year’s Nobel Prize went to chemical biology, and three years ago as well. I think many scientists want to work in this field. And what about AI? There is still a lot it has to learn to even begin to enter this area — something that Prof. Hilvert’s lecture clearly demonstrated.”

The invited guest speaker, Prof. Donald Hilvert, offered a compelling perspective on the role of chemical biology today, and on the innovative work being developed within the PERFECTION project:

“Chemical biology is important because it applies our understanding of chemistry to questions of biological importance, helps us better understand the world, and utilize our understanding to make new things that nature didn’t think of. Marcin (Prof. Drąg) is central in this area because his work on artificial peptides containing non-natural amino acids opens up new worlds.”

Reflecting on the audience’s interest at IChF, Prof. Hilvert noted: “My lecture was about enzymes and designing new ones. The discussion afterwards was very stimulating — there were more questions than usual, and very specific ones. The level of interaction was very high. People clearly grasped the key points and challenges in this area.”

Asked why he chose this field, he added: “I’ve been interested in enzymes since I was an undergraduate — I have been fascinated by how they work and the possibility of mimicking their properties. So that is basically what I have been doing since I became a scientist. It’s a very difficult problem, but also a really exciting set of problems to solve. It’s also fun!”

And how would he explain this complex science to a child? “If I wanted to explain this subject to a four-year-old, I’d say the kinds of enzymes that Marcin works with are molecular scissors — they cut proteins, destroying them. This can be very good; for example, you have enzymes that cut proteins in your stomach and thus help you digest your food. But they can also be very bad, because they can cut the wrong molecules and inactivate them. It all depends on the molecular context. What Marcin is doing is to block the scissors to prevent them from cutting, to turn them off when they are not needed or when they are harmful.”

The Kick-Off meeting provided an excellent opportunity to present the project’s objectives, exchange ideas, and identify potential areas for scientific collaboration, both within the PERFECTION project and the newly established Centre. PERFECTION promises to be a groundbreaking initiative with the potential to significantly advance the field of chemical biology in Poland and across Europe. It also represents an important step toward strengthening the position of the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences as a leader in innovative research at the interface of chemistry and biology.

As emphasized by Patrycja Nitoń, one of the event’s organizers:

“We are very pleased with how the event turned out — the auditorium was full, with a strong presence of IChF staff, including PhD students, team leaders, postdocs, and Institute leadership, as well as guests from other scientific institutions. Director Adam Kubas opened the meeting, welcoming guests and presenting how the project fits into the Institute’s broader research and development strategy. Prof. Hołyst described how the idea of applying for this grant was born, referring to the success of IChF’s previous ERA Chairs project led by Prof. Maciej Wojtkowski, which today continues to grow as a Centre of Excellence. He also shared the story behind the decision to expand into chemical biology at the Institute and the challenging process of persuading Prof. Marcin Drąg to jointly apply for this ambitious project. One of the most exciting moments was the excellent lecture by Prof. Hilvert — it sparked a lively discussion and many insightful questions from the audience.”

Dr. Joanna Rutkowska, part of the three-person team coordinating PERFECTION — together with Patrycja Nitoń and Agnieszka Tadrzak — summed up the event in two words: “Perfection. Period.”

About the Project

The PERFECTION project (“In search of PERFECTION – the phenomenon of unnatural amino acids in chemical biology for biological and medical applications ”) aims to establish a new Centre for Chemical Biology at IChF, led by Prof. Marcin Drąg — a renowned chemical biologist and inventor of a technology platform that uses natural and unnatural amino acids to monitor the activity of proteolytic enzymes (proteases).

The Centre for Chemical Biology, in collaboration with other research teams at IChF, will conduct research on new chemical tools for biological and medical applications, contributing to the development of next-generation therapeutic and diagnostic tools.

The project will involve a network of international partners consisting of 14 academic institutions and 6 companies. The collaboration will include joint research, scientist training, and access to advanced research infrastructure, accelerating innovation in the fields of therapy and diagnostics.

PERFECTION is co-funded by the European Commission under the ERA Chairs programme through Horizon Europe (Grant No. 101186564), with a total budget of € 2.5 million.

Author: Dr. Joanna Rutkowska

Interviews conducted by Dr. Anna Przybyło-Józefowicz