171. Nobel Prizes in Chemistry and Medicine from two perspectives

Abstract:

In the first part, Sabina will discuss the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, focusing on regulatory T cells (Tregs), their role in maintaining immune tolerance, and diseases associated with Treg dysfunction. She will also explain why this discovery is considered a landmark in immunology, revealing the mechanisms that prevent the immune system from turning against our own tissues.

In the second part, Adam will introduce this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded for the discovery and development of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). He will explain how one gram of MOF material can provide several square meters of active surface area. He will outline what MOFs are, why they are unique, their key advantages, and their broad applications — including opportunities and current limitations in drug delivery and biomedical technologies. Finally, he will briefly connect these advances to immunology and highlight strategies relevant to his own research projects.

About the authors:

Adam Sułek

Dr. Adam Sułek is a medicinal chemist who completed his PhD in 2022. His scientific interests focus on antimicrobial and anticancer therapies, with particular emphasis on the design and development of novel small-molecule compounds. He integrates synthetic chemistry, mechanistic studies, and biological evaluation with modern computational approaches, including AI-assisted molecular design and data-driven discovery platforms. His work bridges chemistry, biology, and machine learning to accelerate the development of next-generation therapeutics.

Sabina Lichołai

Her scientific interests focus on epigenetic dysregulation in pathogenesis of human diseases. She implemented high-throughput biological measurements as well as bioinformatics and computing techniques in order to obtain molecular profiles characteristic for particular human conditions. She is a genetics consultant for Sano. She was involved in various Polish and international scientific projects.