Modelling of SARS-CoV-2 infection as a tool to reveal new viral mechanisms

Dr. Tomasz Turowski holds a Master Degree in Molecular Biology (from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun). In 2013 he was awarded his PhD in Chemistry at the Warsaw University of Technology (Institute of Biotechnology), working on coupling between tRNA transcription and decay under the supervision of Prof. Magdalena Rakowska-Boguta. He carried out his postdoctoral training at the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK) in the group of Prof. David Tollervey. During this time, he got interested in biochemistry and bioinformatics.  Tomasz’s research interests include transcription elongation of RNA polymerase I and III, which are relatively unique transcription systems in higher organisms. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic he participated in a collaborative effort to characterize SARS-CoV-2 host-virus interactions during viral infection. His recent work combines an interdisciplinary approach utilising UV cross-linking in vivo, bioinformatics and mathematical modelling. Tomasz was awarded a Polish Return grant funded by NAWA and in August 2021 started his own group at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. The Laboratory of Transcription Mechanisms headed by Dr. Turowski is interested in understanding how the transcription affects gene regulation. They apply basic knowledge to problems such as SARS-CoV-2 transcription and RNA polymerase III-related leukodystrophy.