On behalf of the entire Jury of the L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science, as well as its Partners: the Polish Environmental Committee for UNESCO, the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, we are pleased to announce that Marika Turek, MA received a doctoral scholarship in the jubilee of the 20th edition of the L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science programme for her scientific research on: "Win the fight against hypertension and COVID-19: Co-crystallisation and co-amorphisation of angiotensin II receptor antagonists leading to better soluble compounds with a two-function effect". The programme aims at promoting the scientific achievements of up-and-coming female scientists and researchers, encouraging them to continue their work towards the development of science through financial support in the form of a scholarship.
Ms. Turek carries out her doctoral thesis under the supervision of Prof. Piotr Bałczewski at the Faculty of Science and Technology of Jan Dlugosz University in Częstochowa. Since 2020, she’s been heading the Prelude 17 project, in which she uses co-crystallisation and co-amorphisation to obtain new, better soluble and dual-function drugs. The drug thus obtained contains in its composition the main active substance (angiotensin II receptor antagonist) and an additional component, called co-former, which has a number of health-promoting properties and additionally contributes to the increase in the initial solubility of the drug. The antihypertensive drugs that are the subject of the project are currently undergoing a number of clinical trials around the world and may be helpful in treating SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection. On the basis of retrospective studies, it is concluded that they can be effective in the fight against coronavirus because they affect the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) system, and especially the ACE2 protein, which is also a receptor for sars-cov-2 coronavirus to facilitate its penetration into the cell. In this year's edition of the Programme, 6 people were awarded, in 3 categories: Master’s degree (1 person), Doctoral degree (2 persons) and Habilitation degree (3 persons).
The official announcement of the 20th anniversary edition of the L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Programme took place at a virtual gala on April 14, 2021.
About the L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Programme:
Since 2001, the L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science has aimed to promote the scientific achievements of talented researchers, encourage them to continue their work on the development of science and provide financial support. By 2020, 105 scientists have been awarded in Poland. The selection is made every year by the Jury under the leadership of Prof. Ewa Łojkowska.
Poland is one of 118 countries where scholarships for talented researchers are awarded every year. The Women in Science Programme is part of the Global For Women in Science Initiative, which was established through the L'Oréal partnership and UNESCO. National edition scholarships have a chance to win international awards: the International Rising Talents award (there are already three Poles in their group: dr hab. Bernadeta Szewczyk - 2016, dr Joanna Sułkowska - 2017 and dr Agnieszka Gajewicz - 2018) and L'Oréal-UNESCO Award, awarded yearly in Paris as part of For Women in Science Week 5 laureates whose discoveries provide answers to the key problems of humanity.