Paulina Jędrak, PhD student at the Faculty of Biology at the University of Gdańsk, received a priza from the Kosciuszko Foundation in the finals of the FameLab competition for a lecture “The secret of the elixir of youth” about the role of telomeres in the aging of the organism.

PhD student during the finals told the participants about the aging of the body and the role of chromosomal ends – telomeres in this process. Some cells, e.g. cancerous, produce an enzyme called telomerase, which rebuilds lost telomere fragments after each division. – In my speech, I was wondering if we could use telomerase to design new anticancer therapies or extend human life – explained the PhD student.

FameLab is an international competition, during which the scientists face the jury and the audience to present their research work in three minutes speech. In Poland, FameLab is organized by the Copernicus Science Center.