Head
Agnieszka Bronisz PhD  - phone: +48 22 60 86 567, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; room B-603

Research Staff
Klaudia Kiel PhD - phone +48 22 60 86 419; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; room B-610

Project manager / Administration
Elżbieta Lewandowska-Gnatowska PhD  - phone +48 22 60 86 502; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; room B-625

PhD students
Arpita Balakrishnan MSc,  - phone +48 22 60 86 419; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; room B-610

Former Lab Members
Kamil Krawczyński PhD; phone 22 60 86 419

NCN OPUS Scholarship Holders:
Marcin Ciećwierz

Research profile

The Tumor Microenvironment Laboratory investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing communication between cancer cells and their microenvironment, with a particular focus on glioblastoma (GBM) and glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs).

The main research areas include:

• heterogeneity and plasticity of glioblastoma cells;
• the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in intercellular communication and modulation of immune responses;
• mechanisms of tumor response to stress, hypoxia, cytotoxic therapies, and immunotherapy;
• the role of non-coding RNAs, including miRNAs and circRNAs, in cancer biology;
• immunopeptidomics and MHC class I-mediated antigen presentation;
• the use of oncolytic viruses and extracellular vesicles in glioblastoma immunotherapy;
• development of patient-derived models, 3D cultures, and organoids for functional assessment of antitumor responses;
• integration of transcriptomic, single-cell, proteomic, and immunopeptidomic data;
• identification of biomarkers of treatment response and development of strategies aimed at preventing glioblastoma recurrence.

The Laboratory combines studies of fundamental biological mechanisms with their validation in preclinical models and patient-derived material, with a strong emphasis on the development of translational strategies.

Current Research Projects

Co-targeting the tumor microenvironment during adaptation to hypoxia sensitizes glioblastoma to oncolytic virus immunotherapy

Funding programme: National Science Centre, Poland (NCN), OPUS 23
Project number: 2022/45/B/NZ5/04226
Project period: 2023–2026
Principal Investigator: Agnieszka Bronisz, PhD, DSc

Factory of extracellular vesicles for personalized anti-cancer recurrence vaccine (CROSSFIRE)

Funding programme: Medical Research Agency, TRANSMED I
Project number: 2024/ABM/08/00106
Project period: 2026–2029
Principal Investigator: Jakub Godlewski, PhD, DSc
R&D Manager: Agnieszka Bronisz, PhD, DSc

Assignment of glioblastoma cell transcriptional states in response to experimental immunotherapy using scRNA-seq

Programme: PLGrid / ACK Cyfronet AGH
Grant ID: plgscrnaseqgbm
Grant number: PLG/2026/019718
Principal Investigator: Agnieszka Bronisz, PhD, DSc

Completed Research Projects

The role of non-coding RNA in the epigenetic regulation of tumorigenesis

Funding programme: National Science Centre, Poland (NCN), OPUS
Project number: 2018/29/B/NZ1/01016
Project period: 2019–2023
Principal Investigator: Agnieszka Bronisz, PhD, DSc

Ex vivo-modified extracellular vesicles as an anticancer vaccine stimulating the immune response

Funding programme: National Science Centre, Poland (NCN), PRELUDIUM
Project number: 2021/41/N/NZ6/02682
Project period: 2022–2025
Principal Investigator: Klaudia Kiel, MSc

Mapping the Extracellular Vesicle Landscape: An Atlas of Immune Response in Glioblastoma Following Oncolytic Virus Therapy Funding programme: MMRI PAS Internal Research Fund
Project number: FBW 01/2024
Project period: 2024-2025
Principal Investigator: Klaudia Kiel, PhD, DSc

Ex vivo-modified extracellular vesicles as a vaccine enhancing antitumor immune responses

Funding programme: MMRI PAS Internal Research Fund
Project number: FBW 001
Project period: 2021–2022
Principal Investigator: Agnieszka Bronisz, PhD, DSc

Induction of glioblastoma cell death: regulation of ferroptosis-related genes in glioblastoma stem-like cells as a potential therapeutic strategy

Funding programme: MMRI PAS Internal Research Fund
Project number: FBW 003
Project period: 2022–2023
Principal Investigator: Kamil Krawczyński, PhD

Research Methods

• patient-derived ex vivo models (organoids) and in vivo models (humanized mice);
• isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles;
• multiparameter flow cytometry and spectral flow cytometry;
• single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq);
• spatial transcriptomics;
• proteomics and mass spectrometry;
• MHC-I immunopeptidomics;
• qPCR, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry;
• bioinformatics and multi-omics data integration;
• oncolytic viruses and immunotherapeutic strategies.

National and International Collaborations

• Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland – spectral flow cytometry, high-dimensional immune-cell profiling, and single-cell analyses;
• Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań, Poland – spatial transcriptomics, molecular profiling, and omics analyses;
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA – neuro-oncology, oncolytic viruses, extracellular vesicles, and translational glioblastoma research;
• National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (PIM MSWiA), Warsaw, Poland – acquisition of patient-derived material, preclinical studies, and translational implementation.

Patents and Translational Development

• US Patent Application 18/031,054 (2023) – Compositions and Methods Targeting circ2082 for the Treatment of Cancer; co-inventor: Agnieszka Bronisz, PhD, DSc.

Interactive Data Resources

The Laboratory develops and provides interactive tools for exploration and visualization of omics data:

• Ferroptosis Data Platform: https://bioinfo.imdik.pan.pl/ferroptosis/

•      Circular RNA Data Platform: https://circrna.netlify.app/

Selected publications

1. Bronisz A, Kiel K, Godlewski J. Psychological distress as a putative host-state determinant of cancer immunotherapy response. Front Immunol. 2026;17:1891642. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1891642.
2. Szczepaniak A, Karwowski J, Bronisz A, Godlewski J. Circular RNA dynamics in breast-to-brain metastatic cascade. BMC Biology. 2026;24:152. doi: 10.1186/s12915-026-02666-9.
3. Kiel K, Małuszek M, Piwocka K, Godlewski J, Bronisz A. A standardized single-tube 17-color spectral flow cytometry workflow for integrated immunophenotyping of human PBMCs and mixed co-culture systems. Frontiers in Immunology. 2026;17:1799028. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1799028.
4. Kiel K, Piranlioglu R, Godlewski J, Bronisz A. Harnessing immunotherapy: cancer vaccines as novel therapeutic strategies for brain tumor. Frontiers in Immunology. 2025;16:1588081.
5. Balakrishnan A, Winiarek G, Hołówka O, Godlewski J, Bronisz A. Unlocking the secrets of the immunopeptidome: MHC molecules, ncRNA peptides, and vesicles in immune response. Frontiers in Immunology. 2025;16:1540431.
6. Olejniczak B, Balakrishnan A, Augustyniak J, Salińska E, Bronisz A, Godlewski J. Transcriptomic analysis of the TRP gene family in human brain physiopathology. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. 2025;18:1576941.
7. Kiel K, Król SK, Bronisz A, Godlewski J. miR-128-3p: a gray eminence of the human central nervous system. Molecular Therapy – Nucleic Acids. 2024;35(1):102141.
8. Godlewski J, Farhath M, Ricklefs FL, Passaro C, Kiel K, Nakashima H, Chiocca EA, Bronisz A. Oncolytic virus therapy alters the secretome of targeted glioblastoma cells. Cancers. 2021;13(6):1287.
9. Bronisz A, Rooj AK, Peruzzi PP, Krawczyński K, Nakano I, Purow B, Chiocca EA, Godlewski J. The nuclear DICER-circular RNA complex drives the deregulation of the glioblastoma cell microRNAome. Science Advances. 2020;6(51):eabc0221.
10. Ricklefs FL, Alayo Q, Krenzlin H, et al., Bronisz A, Lawler SE, Chiocca EA. Immune evasion mediated by PD-L1 on glioblastoma-derived extracellular vesicles. Science Advances. 2018;4(3):eaar2766.

Student Internships and Research Opportunities
Students interested in internships, MSc or PhD research projects, or participation in ongoing research projects are invited to contact the Laboratory.
Lab Manager: Elżbieta Lewandowska-Gnatowska
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.