Ryszard Słomski

Ryszard Slomski (born January 21, 1950 in Poznan) – Polish Professor, holder of the PhD degree, lecturer at the Poznań University of Life Sciences.

Biography

Having graduated from the Karol Marcinkowski Secondary School in Poznań, known as “Marcinek”, Ryszard Słomski took up studies in the field of biology in the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, which he completed in 1973. He then undertook PhD studies at the Poznań University of Medical Sciences and in 1974 he started working under the supervision of Professor Antoni Horst in the newly opened Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Since 1986 he has been the deputy director for scientific affairs in the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In 1992 he started working in the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the Agricultural Academy in Poznań, currently the Poznań University of Life Sciences, and since 1997 he is head of the Department. Professor Słomski is also an active staff member of the NanoBioMedical Centre of the Adam Mickiewicz University. In 1976 Professor Ryszard Słomski was awarded a doctoral degree in medical sciences, and in 1982 he received a postdoctoral degree at the Poznań University of Medical Sciences. In 1990 he obtained a professorial degree. In 2000 he became a full professor at the Poznań University of Life Sciences. In 1992 he set up the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, the first private laboratory conducting DNA tests for forensic medical purposes. Ryszard Słomski is a full professor, head of the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the Poznań University of Life Sciences, deputy director for scientific affairs in the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań, expert witness in the field of human genetics and a specialist in laboratory genetics. Professor Słomski is a Polish pioneer in conducting DNA tests for diagnostic purposes and promoting molecular diagnostics. He was the first to conduct in Poland studies related to DNA fingerprinting (1987) and DNA amplification with the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR, 1989). His current areas of interest include molecular diagnostics of genetic diseases, description of new human genes, biotechnology, forensic medical tests and studies on fossil DNA. Professor Słomski has completed academic trainings at the University of Chicago in La Rabida Children Hospital (1978), in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology of the University of Illinois at Chicago (numerous times since 1979), in the Institute of Human Genetics of the University of Goettingen as a Humboldt Foundation fellow (1990–1991), in the Division of Experimental Medicine at the Harvard Medical School in Boston (1996–1997), in the PienGen Biomedical Corporation in Knoxville (from 1998) and in Max-Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine in the Gene Mapping Centre in Berlin-Buch (2002). In the period from 1989 to 2008 Professor Ryszard Słomski organised 25 Summer Schools devoted to molecular studies on human, plant and animal DNA, which were attended by almost 1000 participants from all over Poland. This experience made it possible for Professor Słomski to write books on DNA analysis, with experiment descriptions and result presentations, which are very popular among academics and students conducting studies on DNA. The last textbook, “Analiza DNA – Teoria i Praktyka” (Eng. “DNA Analysis – Theory and Practice”), published in 2008 by the University Publisher - Poznan University of Life Sciences (Pol. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego w Poznaniu), was reissued many times. In 2008 it was awarded a prize in the “Best university textbook and course book contest” at Book Fairs in Cracow. In 2014 Professor Słomski wrote and edited another book, “Analiza DNA – Praktyka” (Eng. “DNA Analysis – Practice”), which was published by the University Publisher - Poznan University of Life Sciences and which builds on the earlier experiments. The University Publisher - Poznan University of Life Sciences received a prestigious distinction for this book in the best university textbook contest during the 18th Poznań Days of Scientific and Non-Scientific Books on October 5, 2014. There is a strong interest in the results of studies in the field of medical biotechnology relating to the cloning of rabbits and obtaining transgenic animals, including pigs, for the purposes of xenotransplantation conducted by Professor Słomski in cooperation with Professor Zdzisław Smorąg of the National Research Institute of Animal Production. Professor Ryszard Słomski has recently been taking part in projects aimed at obtaining new generation bio-ethanol from sorghum and Miscanthus and developing new painkillers based on cannabinoids in cannabis. It should be stressed that all the studies are conducted in Polish laboratories. The research in the field of biotechnology resulted in a dozen or so patent applications in Poland and two in the USA. For a couple of years now Professor Słomski has been involved in research studies whose goal is to recreate the aurochs. The genetic material obtained from the available remains of the animal enabled the characterisation of its mitochondrial DNA. The difficulties in analysing the genetic material from the available remains of extinct organisms show how important it is to protect free ranging animals. For his scientific achievements Professor Słomski has received several prestigious awards, including twice the Award of the Scientific Secretary of the Polish Academy of Sciences (1976 and 1977), twice the Jędrzej Śniadecki Award (1988 and 2000), twice the Award of the 6th Department of the Polish Academy of Sciences (1979 and 1982) as well as the Włodzimierz Mozołowski Award of the Polish Biochemical Society (1975). In 1999 Professor Słomski’s team received the Scientific Award of the City of Poznań. In 2002 Professor Słomski was awarded the Jędrzej Śniadecki Medal, and in 2003 he received the Medal of the National Education Committee. In 2009 Professor Słomski received the 1st class individual Award of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for scientific achievements in biochemistry and biotechnology. In 2012 Professor Słomski and his team received the prestigious award of the Marshal of the Wielkopolska Province, “i-Wielkopolska – the Innovative for Wielkopolska”, for “obtaining transgenic pigs and using their skin and heart valves in medicine”. In 2012 he was awarded a Medal of Merity of Poznan University of Life Sciences, in 2013 he received a Gold Medal for Long Service, and in 2014 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. Professor Ryszard Słomski, PhD, is a founding member of the Polish College of Laboratory Medicine, Polish Society of Human Genetics as well as the Polish Technology Platform for Innovative Medicine. Professor Słomski is a member of the National Chamber of Laboratory Diagnosticians, specializes in laboratory medical diagnostics and is a certified expert witness in the field of human genetics. Since 2013 he has been a member of the 3rd Biological, Agricultural, Forestry and Veterinary Sciences Section of the Central Commission for Degrees and Titles. He is the President and founder of the Foundation for the Development of Biotechnology and Genetics POLBIOGEN. Since 1992 Professor Ryszard Słomski has been a member of the Committee of Human Genetics and Molecular Pathology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and since 2007 he has been its chairman. Since 2011 Professor Słomski has also been a member of the Committee of Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Professor Słomski is a member of the Polish Biochemical Society (since 1974) and a member of the research councils of the Institute of Genetics and Animal Breeding of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants (chairman since 2009), Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as a member of the Council of the Faculty of Agronomy and Bioengineering of the Poznań University of Life Sciences. Professor Słomski was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Genetics and is a member of the editorial board of the Annals of Animal Science and Herba Polonica.