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On May 27th, 2025, the results of the National Science Centre (NCN) grant competition were announced, and we found out that the project titled “(Bio)functionalized mineral and organic adsorbent-based floating islands as a nature-based, passive treatment system for the removal of pharmaceuticals from urban water reservoirs”, submitted by Prof. Tomasz Bajda from AGH University in Krakow - with our laboratory as a project partner - has received funding. The project leader at the University of Warsaw is Przemyslaw Decewicz. This is another joint project with the team from AGH (https://mit.agh.edu.pl/), but also a completely new adventure for us - we’re entering the field of materials engineering and its applications in environmental biotechnology. Congratulations, Przemek!!!

As part of the research project “The role of urban recreational reservoirs in the accumulation, dissemination and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes”, led by Dr. Przemysław Decewicz, our team conducted a yearly field sampling campaign across selected urban lakes in Poland. We collected surface water and sediment samples for comprehensive microbiological, chemical, and molecular analyses. Urban reservoirs are often exposed to various anthropogenic pressures, making them potential hotspots for the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Our studies will focus on identifying and quantifying antibiotic resistance genes, assessing their ability to transfer horizontally, and investigating the environmental conditions that may promote their persistence in these ecosystems.

Recently, Przemyslaw Decewicz and Agata Bluszcz visited the local Primary School, SP23, and organized workshops in the first-grade classes. They talked about bacteria around us, how they influence our lives, and how scientists study their prevalence and characteristics. With some help, young explorers could check and see how versatile and numerous bacteria are around them.

Our group members - Agata Bluszcz, Karol Ciuchcinski, Anna Rokowska, Karol Piekarski, Filip Romaniuk, and Julia Rydz - presented their works at the Advancements in Microbiology 2025 conference in Warsaw (Poland) (https://www.advmicro2025.pl). Additionally, Przemyslaw Decewicz served as a session chair.