Within the Matsumae International Foundation (MIF) Research Fellowship Program, I had the opportunity to work on a six-month research project on a novel method inhibiting and developing synucleinopathy in a mouse model of multiple system atrophy (MSA). I implemented the project with the team of Prof. Koichi Wakabayashi at the University of Hirosaki in the Department of Neuropathology.
During this stay, I had the opportunity to participate in brain-cutting sessions – macroscopic examinations of the post-mortem harvested brain from patients with various diagnoses. I also participated in the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neuropathology in Kyoto. Visiting Kyoto was also an excellent opportunity to meet traditional Japanese architecture and culture.
During the trip organized by the MIF to Hiroshima, I had the chance to learn about the scale of damages and individual injuries caused by the “Little Boy” atomic bomb. From Hiroshima, I traveled by Shinkansen to the biotechnology hub in Kobe. I spent my vacation on the Japanese island of Okinawa, one of the five blue zones in the world. I had a lot of opportunities to experience Japanese culture during the tea ceremony, the Ningyo Joruri Bunraku puppet theater, or participating in the Neputa Festival. My fascination with Japan drove me to start learning Japanese. During an intensive course organized by the University of Hirosaki, I got to know the hiragana and katakana writing systems, and I hope to continue learning kanji in Poland.
Professor, Poznan University of Medical Sciences
