Katarzyna NIESPODZIANA, PhD
Division of Immunopathology, Dept. of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
Private Docent for Infection Immunology, Medical University of Vienna
Education:
Ph.D. Degree: Medical University of Vienna
Postdoctoral Training: Karolinska Institutet, Stocholm, Sweden
Research Interests:
• Basic properties of viral antigens and immune recognition of viral antigens
• Investigation of the role of respiratory viruses in exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases
• Development of diagnostic tools for respiratory virus infections
• Development of novel vaccination strategies for viral infections
Biography:
Katarzyna Niespodziana, PhD, is a senior Postdoc at the Medical University of Vienna. After she graduated from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, in Poland in 2007, she came to Vienna and joined the international PhD program "Inflammation and Immunity" at the Medical University of Vienna. Her doctoral thesis was mainly dedicated to the development of a novel type of allergy vaccines based on recombinant fusion proteins consisting of viral carrier proteins and non-allergenic peptides derived from the surface of major allergens. For her work, she has received two prestigious national awards: "Award of Excellence 2011" from the Austrian Minister of Science and "Clemens von Pirquet Award" from the Austrian Society for Allergology and Immunology (ÖGAI). Furthermore, she was nominated by the Austrian Academy of Sciences as one of the best young Austrian researchers for the participation at “64th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting” in Lindau, Germany. Currently, her research interest focuses on investigating immune responses to rhinoviruses (RV), which are major triggers not only for common colds but also for acute exacerbations of asthma. Katarzyna has published several highly cited publications in the field of rhinovirus research, is the author of two international patent applications and has developed the first antibody assay to diagnose rhinovirus infections. Presently, she is expanding her research on other respiratory viruses, such as human bocaviruses and influenza viruses.
Proposed PhD research projects:
Development of novel vaccination strategies for viral infections
Selected publications:
- Niespodziana, K., C.R Cabauatan, P. Pazderova, P.C. Vacal, J. Wortmann, W. Keller, P. Errhalt, and R. Valenta R. 2022. Identification of Epitopes on Rhinovirus 89 Capsid Proteins Capable of Inducing Neutralizing Antibodies. Int J Mol Sci. 23:5113. PMID: 35563505
- Niespodziana, K., K. Stenberg-Hammar, N. G. Papadopoulos, M. Focke-Tejkl, P. Errhalt, J. R. Konradsen, C. Söderhäll, M. van Hage, G. Hedlin, and R. Valenta. 2021. Microarray Technology May Reveal the Contribution of Allergen Exposure and Rhinovirus Infections as Possible Triggers for Acute Wheezing Attacks in Preschool Children. Viruses 13:915. PMID: 34063445
- Niespodziana, K., K. Stenberg-Hammar, S. Megremis, C. R. Cabauatan, K. Napora-Wijata, P. C. Vacal, D. Galerano, C. Lupinek, D. Ebner, T. Schlederer, C. Harwaneg, C. Söderhall, M. van Hage, C. Hedlin, N. G. Papadopoulos, and R. Valenta. 2018. PreDicta chip-based high resolution diagnosis of rhinovirus-induced wheeze. Nat Commun. 9:2382. PMID: 29915220
- Niespodziana, K., K. Napora, C. Cabauatan, M. Focke-Tejkl, W. Keller, V. Niederberger, M. Tsolia, I. Christodoulou, N. G. Papadopoulos, and R. Valenta. 2012. Misdirected antibody responses against an N-terminal epitope on human rhinovirus VP1 as explanation for recurrent RV infections. FASEB J. 26: 1001-8; PMID: 22121050
- Niespodziana, K., B. Linhart, M. Focke-Tejkl, V. Civaj, K. Blatt, P. Valent, M. van Hage, H. Grönlund, and R. Valenta. 2011. A cat allergy vaccine based on Fel d-1 derived peptides fused to a PreS domain of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). J Allergy and Clin Immunol. 127:1562-1567. PMID: 21411130
