From the Institute of Molecular Biology of the Jagiellonian University to the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology UJ – 52 years of history

This article presents the history of the establishment and development of the Institute of Molecular Biology at Jagiellonian University, describes the reasons for the transformation of the Institute into the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, and provides information on the current scientific and teaching potential of the Faculty and prospects for further develop- ment.

The establishment of the Institute of Molecular Biology was in line with the efforts to create a modern scientific unit at the Jagiellonian University, whose main objective was to develop research at the molecular and cellular level in the field of biochemistry and physiology (from plant physiology and biochemistry to medical biochemistry), as well as the development of a new scientific discipline in Poland at that time, biophysics.
The first director of the Institute of Molecular Biology was Professor Jan Zurzycki. The Institute was part of the then Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences. At the time of its foundation, the Institute employed 27 researchers, seven of them independent. The subjects of the research carried out at that time were a continuation of those previously carried out in the chairs of which the Institute had been formed. The main research directions concerned such issues as structure, metabolism, and functions of animal glycoproteins and glycopeptides, acute phase proteins, lysosomal enzymes, sulfur metabolism in animal cells (Department of Animal Biochemistry); magnetic properties of biological systems, including physicochemical and biological properties of melanins, development of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) and its application to the analysis of transition-metal ion complexes, development of a method for EPR measurement of live amphibian oocytes and embryos (Department of Biophysics); plant enzyme inhibitors, metabolism of nucleic acids (Department of Plant Biochemistry); mechanism of chloroplast movement, formation of photosynthetic apparatus, mechanisms of light reactions of photosynthesis (Department of Plant Physiology); structure of DNA and plasmids, After its establishment, the Institute of Molecular Biology became an attractive place to work. A large part of its scientific staff were people who had studied or completed internships abroad in very good academic and scientific centres. The skills acquired there and the scientific cooperation built up resulted in publications in good journals with an international reach, despite the difficulties of acquiring at that time modern instruments and importing from abroad the reagents necessary for research. Undoubtedly, Prof. Ignacy Reifer's obtaining funds in foreign currency (100 000 USD) for the purchase of an electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer, an amino acid analyser, an uvicord for monitoring the separation of ultraviolet absorbing compounds, an ultracentrifuge, and several other modern instruments was a great help in carrying out modern research.
The up-to-date research topics and the high level of research conducted at that time made the Institute a very attractive place of work for many talented young scientists and doctoral students. It was also a popular place for master's theses among students. The consequence of this popularity was a rapid increase in the number of staff, doctoral students, and students. In a short time, the historic building of Collegium Iuridicum, where the Institute was located, filled to capacity, and the lack of space began to be a very serious factor restricting the Institute's further development. An equally significant problem that limited development was the condition of the occupied building, which was completely unsuitable for its current function. Shortly after the Institute was established, the Collegium Iuridicum building began to threaten with structural collapse. Beam-supported ceilings in the laboratories were our everyday reality. Additionally, Collegium Iuridicum is a high-class historical building and is strictly controlled by the conservator of historic monuments, which made any alterations or repairs very difficult. The situation called for quick and radical solutions. At that time, the construction of a new building was out of the question due to the lack of financial resources, so the only option left was to move to a larger building, better adapted to the research specifics of the Institute. The new location of the IMB turned out to be the building of the Silesian Seminary (Seminarium Śląskie), situated in Krakow on Mickiewicza Avenue, number 3 (Photo 2). The Katowice Curia, after the transfer of the Seminary to Silesia, agreed to lease the seminary building to Jagiellonian University for the purpose of housing the Institute of Molecular Biology there, for a period of 25 years. The move of the Institute, from Grodzka Street to the building of the Silesian Seminary, took place in 1982.
The Institute's accommodation in the building of the Silesian Seminary improved for a time because of its larger volume, but it remained highly unsatisfactory in technical terms. The rented building contained hotel-type rooms, not at all suitable for laboratory work. There was still a lack of basic equipment and facilities necessary for the Institute's normal functioning, such as a cold store, an animal house, plant breeding rooms and many others, and the ceilings could not bear the weight of heavy instruments (centrifuges). Nevertheless, under the new conditions, the Institute was developing rapidly, thanks to its excellent scientific staff and very good students. In these difficult conditions, the dynamic and actively developed international cooperation was invaluable. Particularly noteworthy is the long-standing and extensive cooperation with the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and the University of Georgia, Athens. Cooperation with these units has provided opportunities to train young scientific personnel and access to the most modern research techniques. Over the years, it has resulted in several hundred joint publications and many doctorates and habilitations based on research conducted there. International cooperation has always been very important in the Institute's scientific activities and, of course, has not been limited to the two American institutions mentioned above. Due to the extensive international contacts of the Institute's staff, we have been visited by many outstanding scientists from leading academic and research centres from all over the world.
The high position of IMB in the international arena and the quality of its research was confirmed in 2000, when the Institute was awarded the status of a European Centre of Excellence. It should be added that in the first competition for Centres of Excellence announced by the European Union, IMB was the only Polish university institute to be awarded such status. The acquisition of substantial, as for those times, financial resources in the framework of the Centre of Excellence with the acronym BIER (Biotechnology -Integration of Education and Research) and the accompanying SPUB money enabled a further dynamic development of international cooperation, in particular supplementing that cooperation with an extremely important, and so far missing, element, inviting scientists from abroad for research stays of several months in IMB. After initial difficulties (distrust as to the possibility of conducting research at a high scientific level at IMB), such cooperation developed very dynamically; some of the cooperation and contacts initiated at that time have continued up to the present time. The acquisition of the status of European Centre of Excellence by IMB was an extremely important stage in its activities, a milestone that opened the Institute to the world and consolidated its international position.
In the 32 years since its establishment, the Institute has greatly strengthened its staff potential, proved to be very effective in obtaining funding, the Council of the Institute has been authorised to confer degrees in biochemistry and biophysics, and, importantly, the number and especially the quality of publications authored by Institute staff has increased significantly. IMB's overall output consists of over 1500 original publications and over 1000 other types of papers. The Institute also ran a specialisation in Molecular Biology within the field of Biology. All these premises were the basis for the IMB's application to run its own course of study. The Institute was undoubtedly the strongest scientifically in the field of biochemical research, and therefore these efforts concerned the possibility of running a biochemistry major. At that time, there was no biochemistry on the ministerial list of fields of studies, and the Institute's efforts to obtain permission to set up such a course outside the official list were unsuccessful. Therefore, the Institute decided to apply for permission to run Biotechnology, which was on the ministerial list. A Phare-Tempus grant, "Creation of curriculum in biotechnology", dedicated to that field of studies, which was opened in 1995, was extremely helpful in establishing the biotechnology major through the efforts of Prof. Adam Dubin, then the Institute's Vice-Director for Student Affairs.
At the end of the 1990s, the Institute of Molecular Biology was one of the most dynamically developing institutes of the then Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, both in terms of publication output and efficiency in obtaining national and international grants. Motivational principles were implemented, making the amount of money from the fund for statutory activities received by the Departments and Laboratories dependent on the quality of the published work (Impact Factor). The Institute's Council was authorised to grant doctorates and habilitations in biochemistry, and biophysics, the Institute ran its own course of studies (biotechnology), postgraduate courses in molecular biology, and specialisations. The Institute also underwent structural reorganisation, with five departments being set up in place of the two previously existing ones. The prospect of obtaining a new building fully adapted to the functioning of a unit dealing with life sciences was not far off. The move into this building (Photo 3), one of the first structures erected on the site of the 3rd Campus of the 600th Anniversary of the Jagiellonian University Renewal (7 Gronostajowa Str.), took place in the autumn of 2001. After this move, in February 2002, the Institute of Molecular Biology changed its name to the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, in accordance with the investment title of its new premises.
In the last three years preceding the establishment of the Faculty of Biotechnology, IMB received the first category in the ranking of the then Scientific Research Committee, and the Institute's employees published 296 publications with the total IF of 472. The number of research grants obtained was significantly increasing. In 1999 the staff of IMB carried out 32 projects obtained from the State Committee for Scientific Research, for a total amount of 1 348 000 PLN. These numbers increased in 2001 to 55 projects and 2658780 PLN, respectively. In total, in 2001, IMB received grants from Polish institutions for a total amount of more than 6 million PLN, which was a large amount for those times. It should be noted that in addition to grants from domestic institutions, IMB employees also obtained several foreign grants, among them prestigious grants such as Welcome Trust, Foggarthy, projects financed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, or the European Centre of Excellence grant mentioned earlier. The Institute has also grown in terms of staff and organisation. In 2001 the Institute employed more than 100 people (including more than 70 research and teaching staff) and consisted of 10 departments, 1 institute laboratory and 3 in-house laboratories. It should be added that, throughout the years of its history, some IMB employees have held important positions in the authorities of the Jagiellonian University. Prof. Aleksander Koj was the rector of Jagiellonian University three times and Prof. Maria Sarnecka-Keller was the first woman pro-rector in the history of Krakow University. Prof. Jan Zurzycki and Prof. Wojciech Froncisz also served as pro-rectors of the Jagiellonian University.
The premises mentioned above determined that the main point of the Institute's development programme for the years 1999-2002, adopted by the Institute's Council in November 1999, was to take steps aimed at separating the Institute of Molecular Biology from the structure of the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, which was very heterogeneous in terms of the research topics pursued, and to transform it into a new Faculty. The Institute's upgrade to the rank of a faculty, apart from its undoubted prestige, was associated, among other things, with greater autonomy, the chance to obtain a higher position in the ministerial ranking, and therefore better financing, as well as the possibility of applying for some categories of projects reserved for such units (the so-called basic activity units, which included only faculties).
Efforts to transform the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology into a Faculty of Biotechnology were crowned with a positive decision of the Jagiellonian University Senate on 24 April 2002. On this basis, on 8 May 2002, the then Rector, Prof. Franciszek Ziejka, issued an ordinance establishing, as of the new academic year, another faculty, the Faculty of Biotechnology. The last director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and the first dean of the Faculty of Biotechnology was the author of these words. All IMB directors and faculty deans are listed in Table 1.
Transformation of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology into the Faculty of Biotechnology took place with the understanding and approval of the Photo 3. Current building of the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology (photo Kazimierz Strzałka).

Institute of Molecular Biology:
• Jan Zurzycki, 1970-1972• Maria Sarnecka-Keller, 1972-1977• Aleksander Koj, 1977-1981• Włodzimierz Korohoda, 1981-1984• Zdzisław Żak, 1984-1987• Wojciech Froncisz, 1987-1991and 1991-1993• Tadeusz Sarna, 1993-1996and 1996-1999• Kazimierz Strzałka, 1999-2002  then Council of the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, with one reservation, however. The Faculty had to adopt a different name because otherwise, as was argued, one could get the impression that molecular biology was practised only at the newly created Faculty, which did not correspond to reality, as such research was also conducted at some other institutes of the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences. In view of the course of study (biotechnology) and the future character of this dynamically developing branch of science, it was decided to call the new Faculty the Faculty of Biotechnology. This name was expanded in 2006 to include additional elements, and since then our Faculty has been called the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology, which for many years corresponded with the three fields of study conducted by the Faculty: biotechnology, biophysics, and biochemistry. It should be emphasized that FBBB is so far the only Faculty in Poland, which has established a separate programme of studies in biochemistry. In the following years, the didactic offer of the Faculty was extended, and currently, apart from the aforementioned majors, students can also study bioinformatics. The current teaching offer of the FBBB is presented in Table 2.
The move to a modern building at the 3rd Campus of the 600th Anniversary of the Jagiellonian University Renewal, with an area more than twice as large as the building of the Silesian Seminary, as well as the gaining of faculty status, provided a very strong developmental impulse. Parallel to the expansion of the didactic offer presented above, the number of people employed at the Faculty, the number of students and PhD students were increasing, as well as the number of departments and laboratories. A manifestation of the great importance attached by the Faculty authorities to the internationalisation of research and teaching was the creation in 2006 of the post of Vice-Dean for International Cooperation, in addition to the previously existing posts of Vice-Dean for Students and Vice-Dean for General Affairs.
Both IMB and FBBB have always been very active in developing scientific cooperation with various national and international centres. This was reflected in the numerous cooperation agreements signed with renowned academic and research centres from all over the world. Throughout the existence of IMB and FBBB, several dozen such agreements were signed. Scientific exchange with very good foreign research centres was promoted. It should also be noted that as a result of an agreement with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the only laboratory in Poland in the field of life sciences -Labo-ratoire International Associe -was established, as well as the active participation of the FBBB in the establishment of Max Planck's Laboratory, which is now located in the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology. The Institute and the Faculty have often been visited by eminent scholars from all over the world, including Nobel Prize winners (in recent years these have included James Watson, Robert Huber, Ada Yonath). For the development and strengthening of cooperation in the national and international arenas, as well as for increasing the prestige, significance, and recognition of IMB/FBBB in the world, the membership of the employees of both units in scientific councils and research committees of various institutions, as well as work in editorial committees of many national and international journals, were of great importance.
In the years leading up to the 20th anniversary of its founding, FBBB increased not only its staff, the number of departments, and its teaching offer. It should also be emphasized the creation of new (e.g. bioinformatics, structural biology) and further dynamic development of previously existing research directions, which translates into an increased number and, what is very important, quality of publications. Among them, there are papers published in top ranked journals (Nature, Science). In recent years, the Faculty staff have published annually about 180 peer-reviewed scientific articles.
For many years, the Faculty has occupied leading positions in rankings of scientific and didactic activity. Even before the introduction of categorisation of scientific entities, FBBB was highly rated in rankings. In 2007, it topped the ranking list of university units governed by the then Ministry of Science and Higher Education, operating in the Bio area. Since then, FBBB has maintained its high position consistently, being awarded an A+ category in two consecutive parameterizations con- The successes achieved by the FBBB also concern the teaching sphere. Thus, in 2012 the Bachelor's programme in Biochemistry and in 2013 the Bachelor's programme in Biotechnology took first place in the competition of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. In 2014, and then in 7 consecutive years, the biotechnology course taught at the FBBB was awarded 1st place in the journal "Perspektywy" Educational Foundation ranking.
As of December 31, 2021, the Faculty employed 267 people, including 170 research and research-and-teaching staff, 4 teaching staff, 68 scientific-technical staff, 19 administrative staff, and 6 support staff. The number of professors with titles was 22, habilitated doctors 32, 124 people held a doctoral degree, and 57 a master's degree. In all fields of study conducted by the Faculty, there are about 700 students, and 105 doctoral students carry out their doctoral theses.
Currently, the FBBB consists of 16 departments, 3 faculty laboratories, and the Animal Lab. Research conducted by the faculty members is focused on such thematic areas as biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, biophysics, immunology, microbiology, and tissue and cell biology. A detailed list of departments and laboratories and the main research topics carried out is presented in Table 3.

Department of Physical Biochemistry
• Molecular mechanisms of eukariotic gene transcription regulation by Yin Yang 1 and Yin Yang 2 (YY1 and YY2) • Influence of the cellular environment on the structure and function of YY1 • Thermodynamics of molecular recognition in a model system: recombinant lipocalin -ligand (role of ionization, hydration, dimerization) • Obtaining new beta-lactoglobulin variants with given properties (increasing stability, changing the quaternary structure, increasing the affinity to selected ligands) • Mechanisms activating signal transduction pathways involving GPCRs and G proteins • Mechanism of formation of signal platforms for GPCRs and G proteins with biomembranes • Role of lipids in signal transduction from GPCRs • Role of the membranes in homo and hetero oligomerization of GPCRs • Oligomerization of GPCRs: Influence of anti-psychotic drugs • Interaction between nanoparticles and target cells -optimizing nanocarriers for controlled transport of therapeutic agents • Optimization of nanocarriers for transporting therapeutic agents through the blood-brain barrier Faculty staff are very active and effective in obtaining research projects, both from domestic and foreign sources. These include prestigious grants, such as the recently obtained IRC grant and the Dioscuri competition won by the faculty candidate. In 2021, faculty members carried out 136 research projects worth approximately PLN 150 million. It should be emphasised that the FBBB, together with the Faculty of Biology, the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics (JCET) and the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre, actively performs research within the priority research area: Structural and Translational Biology, which is a consequence of the Jagiellonian University obtaining the status of a research university.
Among numerous initiatives of all-university importance, the major contribution of the FBBB to the establishment of the Jagiellonian University Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology (MCB) occupies a special place. The initiative to apply for EU funds for the construction of the MCB from the "Innovative Economy" operational program came from the FBBB and the faculty members made the greatest contribution to the preparation and implementation of this project. The project obtained on the establishment of MCB, worth 100 326 130.00 PLN, is the biggest project implemented by the FBBB so far.
A large number of IMB/FBBB employees were honoured for their work with prestigious decorations, awards, and distinctions. They included honorary doc- One of the important areas of activity of the Institute, and later the Faculty, was the organization of scientific events such as conferences, congresses, and scientific workshops. The IMB/FBBB employees have been very active in this field organizing numerous scientific events, not only domestic but also prestigious conferences and congresses of international scope, including the privilege of organizing, which has to be won in difficult contests. One of the undoubted achievements of the IMB/FBBB employees is that they were entrusted with the organization of conferences and congresses outside Poland and participated in numerous organizing and scientific committees of such scientific events. It is also worth mentioning that the then Faculty of Biotechnology JU was a co-inventor and co-organizer of a cyclic scientific event of international scope -European Congress of Life Sciences -EUROBIOTECH, held in Krakow, as well as International Workshop on EPR in Biology and Medicine.
Among the events organized by the Institute and later by the Faculty, the Winter Schools occupy a special place. From the very beginning of the Institute's existence, there was a desire to integrate the Institute's departments, which had very different origins. On the initiative of the assistants, a winter seminar was organized for the first time in 1970, i.e. before the formal establishment of the Institute, in the creative work houses (Domy Pracy Twórczej) of the Jagiellonian University in Rabka. After the creation of the Faculty, the seminar was renamed the FBBB Winter School and has continued until the present day. The IMB Seminars, and later the Winter School of the Faculty, have over the years changed their form and formula, as well as their venue. In the initial phase, the seminars took place in the JUowned creative work houses in Rabka and were attended mainly by IMB employees and a few employees of other institutes of the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences. The papers were given in Polish, and the presented contents were made available in the form of a volume containing typescripts of the speeches. Over the years, the Seminars changed their location to finally settle permanently in Zakopane. The formula of the Seminars was extended, eminent scholars from other academic and scientific centres, both in Poland and abroad, were invited, and doctoral students and undergraduates began to participate. The number of participants sometimes exceeded 200 significantly. English slowly made its way in, initially as the language of only some of the sessions attended by foreign scientists, but later it was extended to include all the papers presented, and the materials from the Winter Schools began to be published as special issues of international journals. Throughout the more than 50-year history of the IMB Seminars and FBBB Winter Schools, only one thing has remained the same, which contributes to their attractiveness -the scientific sessions start in the afternoon, and before noon there is free time to spend on walks, excursions, and skiing.
In September 2021, with a one-year delay due to restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, celebrations were held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Institute of Molecular Biology of Jagiellonian University (Photo 4). The celebrations were accompanied by a scientific conference entitled "The latest achievements in biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology -50 years of history of the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology". These ceremonies and the conference were a great opportunity to summarize the previous activities of the Institute and the Faculty and to outline further development prospects. The facts presented in this article, as well as the speeches and materials presented during the conference, clearly confirm that the decision of the Jagiellonian University Senate in 1970 to establish the Institute of Molecular Biology was necessary and right. The Institute, and later the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology after a little over 50 years of its existence, is counted among the best institutions of its kind in the country and is recognized in Europe and worldwide. The new fields of study and specialization, the publication and organizational achievements, as well as the recently awarded prestigious ERC and Dioscuri grants confirm • Anaesthetic systems based on the use of isoflurane • Post-operative rack • Laminar flow chambers • Incubator for cell cultures • Centrifuges, laboratory balances and small laboratory equipment.