Laboratory of Polymers & Biomaterials

Paweł Łukasz Sajkiewicz, Professor  

The head of the group

Room 334

e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

tel. (+ 48-22) 826-12-81 ext. 171

Since I am not so young as the rest of my team, let me be a little bit philosophically. My work is a part of my life. May be this is trivial, but has great logical consequence. The story of my professional activity is just a story of the evolution of my personality under the live experiences. Many years ago, it was mid of 80s of XX-th century, I started my adventure with science as a young man, curious about the world, being fascinated with basic aspects  on the intersection of materials science and polymer physics. At this time, making my PhD, I tried to explain some peculiarities of crystallization and melting of  long polymer molecules under the influence of orienting fields. Then, I was going deeper and deeper into the sea of basic problems of phase transitions in polymers. The experimental reality provided me with more or less clear information on the physical phenomena and those information I tried to face with some models. Sometimes working well, sometimes not. One day, I felt that so far I have collected relatively large basic knowledge and it is the high time to switch to more applied research. Simply, to do something which can be useful for the society. To feel satisfaction from the use of the basic knowledge. And also not be in a trouble when my teenage son, Łukasz, asked me from time to time about the aim of my work. Thinking about the possible area of our activity, I consider from the one side the dramatically increasing health problems of an aging population, and from the second one - fast growing field of tissue engineering being a part of regenerative medicine with extremely high potential in therapeutic strategies aimed at the replacement, repair, maintenance, and/or enhancement of tissue function. My natural decision was location of the scientific activity just in the field of tissue engineering defined as interdisciplinary field that applies the principles of materials science and life sciences toward the development of biological substitutes that restore, maintain, or improve biological tissue function or a whole organ. My idea was supported by the new location of our Institute from 2009, which is now surrounded by other institutes of Polish Academy of Sciences with biological profiles (BioCentrum Ochota), being natural partners for our cooperation. Additionally, I have friend and scientific partner, prof. Tomasz A. Kowalewski, who was a pioneer in our Institute, and may be even in Poland, of the electrospinning as a technique of formation of polymeric nanofibers, being suitable materials for scaffolds. Bringing my ideas into action I started to build the strong team with interdisciplinary profile as well as to increase of equipment facilities. The change of the activity field forced me to broaden my knowledge, mostly related to the biology of cells and the mechanisms of their interactions with materials. It was natural come back to my old fascinations with biology, realizing many years ago during high school education in the class with biological profile as well as during my university education at the Technological University when I was taking parallel additional classes at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW). Finally, the dreams came true. Me and my wonderful team, we are really happy to have possibility to use our knowledge for the new solutions in the field of biodegradable polymers for regenerative medicine, having in mind closer or further perspective of alleviation of human suffering. Finally, I feel that I arrived to the satisfaction and happiness from my professional activity realizing the words of my great spiritual master, Mahatma Gandhi, who said: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

My credo

The mottos from Mahatma Gandhi which are extremely important for my life:

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” or in other words of Mahatma “My life is my message”

“See the good in people and help them” or in other words of Mahatma “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Labels

scientist, advocate of meditation, mystical and natural way of life, harmonious development.

Education

M.Sc. (Materials Science), Warsaw University of Technology, Materials Science Department, Warsaw, Poland, 1982

Ph.D. (Materials Science), Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Warsaw, Poland, 1989

D.Sci. (habilitation in Materials Science, Polymer Physics), Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Warsaw, Poland, 2004

Full Professor, 2016

Professional experience

• Warsaw University of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Research Fellow, 1982-1984
• Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Laboratory of Polymer Physics, PhD study, 1984-1988
• Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Laboratory of Polymer Physics, Research Fellow, 1988-1989
• Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Laboratory of Polymer Physics, senior researcher, 1989-2004
• University of Tennessee, Materials Science and Engineering Dept., Knoxville (USA), Postdoctoral Research Associate, 1993-1994
• Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Laboratory of Polymer Physics, Assistant Professor, 2005-2010
• Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Laboratory of Polymer Physics, Associate Professor, from 2010

Research visits

Japan, Kyoto University, Polymer Chemistry Dept., participation in the polish - japanese cooperation (“Fundamentals of Structure Fromation in Polymeric Fibers”) in the frame of governmental bilateral agreement, five one-month stay at Kyoto University, 1997-2004

Italy, Institute of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, CNR, Pozzuoli, Coordinator of the bilateral polish-italian cooperation in the field of non-isothermal crystallization of polymers Italy), 3x10 days visits, 2004-2006

Italy, Institute of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, CNR, Pozzuoli, Two short-term research grants funded by CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) - two 10-days scientific visits at the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, CNR in Pozzuoli, 2006, 2008

Italy, Institute of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, CNR, Pozzuoli, Coordinator of the bilateral polish-italian cooperation between the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) and the Polish Academy of Sciences (Non-isothermal crystallization of natural biodegradable polymers”, 3x10 days visits, 2010-2012

Coordinator of the bilateral polish-ukrainian cooperation between the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Polish Academy of Sciences visits at the Inst. for Applied Problems of Mechanics and Mathematics, Lwów, years 2009-2013

Supervisor of two defended PhD thesis

Arkadiusz Gradys, "Polymorphic transitions in low-molecular substances and polymers," review and the acceptance of PhD thesis - 2005, thesis defended 19.11.2010

Dorota Kołbuk, "The effect of electrospinning conditions on the structure and properties of one- and two-component polymer nanofibers for use in tissue engineering", review and the acceptance of PhD thesis - 06.2010, thesis defended 28.02.2013

Consultant for the PhD thesis

,,Fabrication, Characterization, and Mechanical Analysis of Polyvinyl Alcohol / NanoHydroxy apatite BioComposite Electrospun Scaffolds Reinforced by Cellulose NanoFibers for Bone Tissue Engineering" being under preparation by MohammadSaeid Enayati, MSc, a doctoral candidate at the University of Isfahan, Iran, and at the same time his research tutor at the IPPT PAN

Other professional activity

The reviewers of scientific papers, research projects, PhD Thesis and habilitations

The research tutor (2011 – 2017) of the monthly summer student internships. The scope of works was related to research of the electrospinning process of polymer nanofibers and the structure and properties of these materials, including biological investigations in vitro conditions of cells behavior seeded on the scaffolds.

The active participant (2010-2016) in the Science Festivals, providing lectures and laboratory classes - demonstrations for elementary schools, middle schools and high schools.
The Organizer and Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Conference "Nano-biomaterials, Modeling and Visualization in Biomechanics", 6.07.2012, IPPT PAN, Warsaw

The Coordinator and Lecturer at the International Centre for Mechanical Sciences (CISM), Udine, Italy. „Electrospinning: Exploiting Electrohydrodynamics and Rheology for the Control of Nanofiber Structural and Physical Properties”,

8-hours lectures during one-week course for MSc and PhD students, Septemper 1-5 th, 2014, Udine, Italy.

The major awards

Special Award of the Scientific Secretary of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 1982

The Award from the Director of the IPPT PAN for the scientific activity and publication records during years 1999, 2009, 2010, and 2013

The Award from the Director IPPT PAN for the organizational activity, 2015

Research Skills and Interests

• experimental studies of phase transitions in polymers
• kinetics of non-isothermal and isothermal crystallization of polymers
• polymers and biopolymers for medicine
• formation of nanofibers by electrospinning
• polymeric scaffolds for tissue engineering
• effect of orientation on polymer crystallization

Current research and related projects (main topics - last five years)

,,Elektroprzędzenie dwuskładnikowych nanowłókien - polimer syntetyczny/biopolimer z wykorzystaniem alternatywnych, niedenaturujących i niecytotoksycznych rozpuszczalników'', NCN OPUS 6, Kierownik, 04.2014-03.2017

Project CePT - Centrum Badań Przedklinicznych i Technologii, Structural Funds Project, NCBiR, coordiinator/leader at the IPPT PAN, POIG.02.02.00-14-024/08, 2009 – 2015

,,Matematyczny model degradacji poliestrów alifatycznych jako narzędzie do przedklinicznej oceny biodegradowalnych implantów dla inżynierii tkankowej”, Grant Badawczy NCN, główny wykonawca, lata 2011-2015

Projekt Spin-Tech „Utworzenie spółki celowej „Synergia Biomedycyny i Technologii”, Konsorcjum IPPT PAN i Wojskowego Instututu Medycznego, kierownik zadania „Analiza dojrzałości technologii wytwarzania skafoldów dwuskładnikowych formowanych z nietoksycznych rozpuszczalników oraz z nowych poliuretanów a także możliwości ich komercjalizacji”, Grant NCBiR, 01.10.2013-30.09.2014

"Investigation of the effects of electrospinning conditions on the structure and selected properties of polymeric blended nanofibers for tissue engineering" (ESNANOTIS), SCIEX-NMS, 2010-2011, Host Institution: Eidgenossische Material Prufungsanstalt (EMPA), St. Gallen, Switzerland, principal investigator from polish side

Selected Publications (last 5 years)

Ca. 60 papers published in international journals including Journal Polymer Science, Journal Material Science, Polymer, Colloid and Polymer Science, Polymer Bulletin, International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials, Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition, e-Polymers, Acta Crystallographica, Thermochimica Acta, European Polymer Journal, Polymer Testing

Denis P., Dulnik J., Sajkiewicz P., Electrospinning of bicomponent polycaprolactone/gelatin nanofibers using alternative solvent system, International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials, 64, 2015, 354-364

Kolbuk D., Guimond-Lischer S., Sajkiewicz P., Maniura-Weber K., Fortunato G., The Effect of Selected Electrospinning Parameters on Molecular Structure of Polycaprolactone Nanofibers, International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials, 64, 2015, 365 – 377

Sajkiewicz P., Kołbuk D., Electrospinning of gelatin for tissue engineering – molecular conformation as one of the overlooked problems, Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition, 25, 2014, 2009-2022

Sajkiewicz P., Brzeska J., Denis P., Sikorska W., Kowalczuk M., Rutkowska M., The preliminary studies of a structure and electrospinning of new polyurethanes based on synthetic atactic poly[(R, S)-3-hydroxybutyrate], Bulletin of The Polish Academy of Sciences, Technical Sciences, 62, 2014, 55-60

Alhazov D., Gradys A., Sajkiewicz P., Arinstein A., Zussman E., Thermo-Mechanical Behavior of Electrospun Thermoplastic Polyurethane Nanofibers, European Polymer Journal, 49, 2013, 3851–3856

Kołbuk D., Sajkiewicz P., Denis P., Choińska E., Investigations of Polycaprolactone/Gelatine Blends in terms of their Miscibility, Bulletin of The Polish Academy of Sciences, Technical Sciences, 61, 2013, 629-632

Gradys A., Sajkiewicz P., Determination of the Melting Enthalpy of Beta Phase of Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride), E-Polymers, 13, 2013, 203-216

Kołbuk D., Sajkiewicz P., Maniura-Weber K., Fortunato G., Structure and Morphology of Electrospun Polycaprolactone/Gelatine Nanofibres, European Polymer Journal, 49, 2013, 2052–2061

Kołbuk D., Sajkiewicz P., Kowalewski T.A., Optical Birefringence and Molecular Orientation of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Fibers by Polarizing-Interference Microscopy, European Polymer Journal, 48, 2012, 275-283