Scientific internships, awards, membership in scientific societies:

Previous employment and internships:

• 10/2019 – 11/2019 – Visiting Scholar, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
• 04/2012 – 01/2018 – Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Medical Research Council Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
• 08-09/2016 – Visiting Scholar, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
• 10/2008 – 03/2012 – PhD Student, (1) The Physiological Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (2) School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
• 10/2007 – 06/2008 – Three 3-month internships as an MRes Student, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology / Department of Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
• 06/2006 – 06/2007 – Visiting Graduate Student, 1-year internship, Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

Awards:

• 2020 – Polish Award of Intelligent Development
• 2018 – Scholarship from the Minister of Science and Higher Education (Poland) for Outstanding Young Scientists
• 2016 – The Academia Europaea Burgen Scholar Award received in recognition of excellent academic achievement

Editorial work:

• 07/2020 – 06/2023 – Reviewing Editor in The Journal of Physiology (ISSN 1469-7793)
• 07/2018 – 06/2020 – Editorial Board Fellow in The Journal of Physiology (ISSN 1469-7793)
• 2019/2020 – Guest Editor in Frontiers in Physiology (ISSN 1664-042X): Spotlight on the Background Actors - Physiology and Pathophysiology of Supporting, Accessory and Less Common Cell Types in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Scientific Interests:

• Calcium signalling in physiology and pathophysiology of the pancreas
• Biology of pancreatic stellate cells and mechanisms that underlie pancreatic fibrosis
• Acute / chronic pancreatitis
• Pancreatic cancer

Publications:

2022

1. Ferdek PE*, Krzysztofik D, Stopa KB, Kusiak AA, Paw M, Wnuk D, Jakubowska MA. (2022). When healing turns into killing - the pathophysiology of pancreatic and hepatic fibrosis. J Physiol, 600(11): 2579-2612. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP281135
2. Du W, Liu G, Shi N, Tang D, Ferdek PE, Jakubowska MA, Liu S, Zhu X, Zhang J, Yao L, Sang X, Zou S, Liu T, Mukherjee R, Criddle DN, Zheng X, Xia Q, Berggren PO, Huang W, Sutton R, Tian Y, Huang W, Fu X. (2022). A microRNA checkpoint for Ca2+ signaling and overload in acute pancreatitis. Mol Ther, 30(4): 1754-1774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.01.033
3. Yang X, Yao L, Yuan M, Zhang X, Jakubowska MA, Ferdek PE, Dai L, Yang J, Jin T, Deng L, Fu X, Du D, Liu T, Criddle DN, Sutton R, Huang W, Xia Q. (2022). Transcriptomics and Network Pharmacology Reveal the Protective Effect of Chaiqin Chengqi Decoction on Obesity-Related Alcohol-Induced Acute Pancreatitis via Oxidative Stress and PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway. Front. Pharmacol, 13:896523. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.896523

2021

1. Martyniak A, Andrysiak K, Motais B, Coste S, Podkalicka P, Ferdek P, Stępniewski J, Dulak J. (2021). Generation of microRNA-378a-deficient hiPSC as a novel tool to study its role in human cardiomyocytes. J Mol Cell Cardiol, 160: 128-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjmcc.2021.07.007

2020

1. Kusiak AA, Szopa MD, Jakubowska MA, Ferdek PE*. (2020). Signaling in the Physiology and Pathophysiology of Pancreatic Stellate Cells - a Brief Review of Recent Advances. Front Physiol, 11:78. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00078
2. Stopa KB, Kusiak AA, Szopa MD, Ferdek PE*, Jakubowska MA*. (2020). Pancreatic Cancer and Its Microenvironment-Recent Advances and Current Controversies. Int J Mol Sci, 21(9): 3218. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21093218
3. Yang X, Yao L, Fu X, Mukherjee R, Xia Q, Jakubowska MA, Ferdek PE, Huang W. (2020). Experimental Acute Pancreatitis Models: History, Current Status, and Role in Translational Research. Front Physiol, 11:614591. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.614591
4. Jakubowska MA, Pyka J, Michalczyk-Wetula D, Baczyński K, Cieśla M, Susz A, Ferdek PE, Płonka BK, Fiedor L, Płonka PM. (2020). Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals alterations in the redox state of endogenous copper and iron complexes in photodynamic stress-induced ischemic mouse liver. Redox Biol, 34: 101566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2020.101566
5. Wójcik-Pszczoła K, Chłoń-Rzepa G, Jankowska A, Ślusarczyk M, Ferdek PE, Kusiak AA, Świerczek A, Pociecha K, Koczurkiewicz-Adamczyk P, Wyska E, Pękala E, Gosens R. (2020). A Novel, Pan-PDE Inhibitor Exerts Anti-Fibrotic Effects in Human Lung Fibroblasts via Inhibition of TGF-β Signaling and Activation of cAMP/PKA Signaling. Int J Mol Sci, 21(11):4008. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21114008
6. Ferdek P, Gareau MG, Gonzalez J, Wilson C. (2020). Shaping the future of physiology. J Physiol, 598(13): 2511-2512. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP280152
7. Ferdek PE, Jakubowska MA, Huang W, Petersen OH. (2020). Editorial: Spotlight on the Background Actors - Physiology and Pathophysiology of Supporting, Accessory and Less Common Cell Types in the Gastrointestinal Tract. Front Physiol, 11:766. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00766

2019

1. Jakubowska MA, Kerkhofs M, Martines C, Efremov DG, Gerasimenko JV, Gerasimenko OV, Petersen OH, Bultynck G*, Vervliet T*, Ferdek PE*. (2019). ABT-199 (Venetoclax), a BH3-mimetic Bcl-2 inhibitor, does not cause Ca2+ -signalling dysregulation or toxicity in pancreatic acinar cells. Br J Pharmacol, 176(22): 4402-4415. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.14505

2018

1. Vervliet T, Gerasimenko JV, Ferdek PE, Jakubowska MA, Petersen OH, Gerasimenko OV, Bultynck G. (2018). BH4 domain peptides derived from Bcl-2/Bcl-XL as novel tools against acute pancreatitis. Cell Death Discov, 4:58. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41420-018-0054-5

2017 and earlier

1. Ferdek PE*, Jakubowska MA*. (2017). Biology of pancreatic stellate cells - more than just pancreatic cancer. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol, 469(9): 1039-1050. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-017-1968-0
2. Ferdek PE*, Jakubowska MA, Nicolaou P, Gerasimenko JV, Gerasimenko OV, Petersen OH. (2017). BH3 mimetic-elicited Ca2+ signals in pancreatic acinar cells are dependent on Bax and can be reduced by Ca2+-like peptides. Cell Death Dis, 8(3): e2640. https://doi.org/10.1038/cddis.2017.41
3. Ferdek PE*, Jakubowska MA, Gerasimenko JV, Gerasimenko OV, Petersen OH. (2016). Bile acids induce necrosis in pancreatic stellate cells dependent on calcium entry and sodium-driven bile uptake. J Physiol, 594(21): 6147-6164. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP272774
4. Jakubowska MA, Ferdek PE, Gerasimenko OV, Gerasimenko JV, Petersen OH. (2016). Nitric oxide signals are interlinked with calcium signals in normal pancreatic stellate cells upon oxidative stress and inflammation. Open Biol, 6(8): 160149. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.160149
5. Gerasimenko JV*, Gryshchenko O*, Ferdek PE*, Stapleton E, Hebert TO, Bychkova S, Peng S, Begg M, Gerasimenko OV, Petersen OH. (2013). Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channel blockade as a potential tool in antipancreatitis therapy. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 110(32): 13186-13191. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1300910110
6. Ferdek PE, Gerasimenko JV, Peng S, Tepikin AV, Petersen OH, Gerasimenko OV. (2012). A novel role for Bcl-2 in regulation of cellular calcium extrusion. Curr Biol, 22(13): 1241-1246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.05.002
7. Gerasimenko JV, Lur G, Ferdek P, Sherwood MW, Ebisui E, Tepikin AV, Mikoshiba K, Petersen OH, Gerasimenko OV. (2011). Calmodulin protects against alcohol-induced pancreatic trypsinogen activation elicited via Ca2+ release through IP3 receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 108(14): 5873-5878. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1016534108
8. Gerasimenko J*, Ferdek P*, Fischer L, Gukovskaya AS, Pandol SJ. (2010). Inhibitors of Bcl-2 protein family deplete ER Ca2+ stores in pancreatic acinar cells. Pflugers Arch, 460(5): 891-900. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-010-0859-4
9. Baumgartner HK, Gerasimenko JV, Thorne C, Ferdek P, Pozzan T, Tepikin AV, Petersen OH, Sutton R, Watson AJ, Gerasimenko OV. (2009). Calcium elevation in mitochondria is the main Ca2+ requirement for mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening. J Biol Chem, 284(31): 20796-20803. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M109.025353
10. Johnson JR, Ferdek P, Lian LY, Barclay JW, Burgoyne RD, Morgan A. (2009). Binding of UNC-18 to the N-terminus of syntaxin is essential for neurotransmission in Caenorhabditis elegans. Biochem J, 418(1): 73-80. https://doi.org/10.1042/BJ20081956
11. Hughes JE, Srinivasan S, Lynch KR, Proia RL, Ferdek P, Hedrick CC. (2008). Sphingosine-1-phosphate induces an antiinflammatory phenotype in macrophages. Circ Res, 102(8): 950-958. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.107.170779

Research Projects:

1. 2020-2024: A star or a villain: why do pancreatic stellate cells turn "evil" after activation?
   Source:            National Science Centre (Poland)
   Host:                Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
    
2. 2018-2021: Targeting alcohol-induced pancreatic fibrosis – the role of pancreatic stellate cells, intracellular calcium signals and Bcl-2 family proteins
   Source:            Foundation for Polish Science (Poland)
   Host:                Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
    
3. 2016: Development of a 3D in vitro organoid model of pancreatic cancer - Interactions between cancer and stellate cells
   Source:            Seedcorn Fund, School of Biosciences
   Host:                Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
    
4. 2007-2011: Bcl-2 family proteins, role in pathology and physiology in pancreatic acinar cells
   Source:            The Wellcome Trust, UK
   Host:                University of Liverpool, Cardiff University, UK