Leszek Rychlewski
| Leszek Rychlewski | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 February 1971 Poznań |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Polish |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Humboldt University of Berlin |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Leszek Jerzy Rychlewski (born February 10, 1971 in Poznań) is a Polish scientist and entrepreneur. He is the founder CEO of the BioInfoBank Institute.
Early years & Academic career[edit]
In 1988, Rychlewski entered the medical faculty (Charité) at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He graduated in 1996 and defended his MD dissertation under the supervision of Prof. Cornelius Frömmel two years later[1][2]. From 1996 to 1998, during his doctoral studies, he worked as a research fellow at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, USA, under the supervision of Prof. Adam Godzik and Prof. Jeffrey Skolnick. His research focused on the development of methods for protein structure prediction from the sequence of amino acids. He then held the appointment of postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Godzik's research group at the University of California, San Diego, USA (1998-1999), where he continued his research on the enhancement of protein structure and function prediction methods. Upon returning to Poland in 1999, he created the Laboratory of Bioinformatics at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw and led it until 2001[1][2].
BioInfoBank Institute[edit]
In 1999, Dr Rychlewski founded BioInfoBank Institute – a private non-profit research institution functioning in the field of bioinformatics. In its first months the institute was providing software for pharmaceutical companies[3]. Since 2002 BioInfoBank engaged in several R&D projects, which were funded through Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development to the tune of a few million EUR and resulted in several dozens of articles in prestigious scientific journals[4]. During this time the Institute applied for categorization as a scientific institution and financial assistance from domestic authorities, encountering a multitude of complications on the part of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development[3][4]. The history of Institute's difficulties from that time was described in The Tale of Polish Science (pl. Bajka o polskiej nauce). After a decade of endeavour, BioInfoBank Institute was awarded the status of a scientific institution (pl. jednostka naukowa) in 2010, with the highest category (A) provided for by the respective laws. This allowed BioInfoBank to apply for research grants within the programmes organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the National Centre for Research and Development, although with very limited success[4]. The Institute's research activity was in part financed by the Foundation for Polish Science; however, funding programmes with decision-making centres localized outside Poland, such as the aforementioned Framework Programmes, remained the principal source of Institute's financial resources[3].
The main achievements of Dr Rychlewski and BioInfoBank in the field of bioinformatics include setting up and maintenance of popular bioinformatics web services for the prediction of protein structure and function, such as Meta-Server....[5], 3D-Jury[6] and GRDB[7]. As a part of its commitment for popularization of science, the Institute maintained a social network for scientists (BioInfoBank Library) between 2006 and 2009, which was later extended to include e-learning components. In 2009, at the height of its popularity, it was the second most frequently visited bioinformatics web service, with more than 100 000 visitors daily[8].
Starting from 2012, the centre of gravity for BioInfoBank's activity gradually shifted towards IT and applied research, especially blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies[9]. Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) using 55nm and 28nm technology, dedicated for generating cryptocurrencies based on SHA-256 hash function (such as bitcoin), were designed within the Institute. Total production volume reached several tens of millions of such circuits, which were responsible for generating ca. 50% of bitcoin network hashrate computing power in 2013[10]. In the following years, the Institute focused on setting up innovative efficient blockchain systems, such as ESC (Enterprise Service Chain), utilized for micropayments, for example in Adshares network[11].
BIB Seed Capital[edit]
In 2007, together with Marcin Hoffmann, he founded BIB Seed Capital - a seed capital fund focused on supporting Polish scientific and engineering thought in such fields as bioinformatics, molecular biology, chemistry and computer science, alongside with facilitating its transfer to small and medium-sized enterprises[12]. Well-aimed investments allowed the company to multiply its financial resources, and some of the startups it had funded became global players, such as:
- Medicalgorithmics S.A. – a Polish high-tech company, an expert in and a supplier of systemic and algorithmic solutions in cardiac diagnosis; the company is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange[13].
- Proteon Pharmaceuticals S.A. – a Polish pharmaceutical company, which carries out research of bacteriophages and uses them as a basis for developing novel formulations - successful substitutes for antibiotics[14].
Activity toward medical cannabis legalization[edit]
In 2013, in cooperation with Polish Free Cannabis Association (Stowarzyszenie Wolne Konopie), BioInfoBank started a research project SOS-THC, aiming at the assessment of long-term effects of cannabinoids from marijuana on intelligence level and cognitive processes in adult humans[15]. The study was supposed to take 10 years and enrol 10 000 subjects who had been smoking cannabis for years before. In February 2013, a registered farm of selected varieties of Cannabis indica was set up in Kierzkowo (ca. 25 kilometres from Gdańsk). Despite a fully legal character of the research (conducted in close cooperation with Voivodeship Pharmaceutical Inspectorate in Gdańsk (Wojewódzki Inspektorat Farmaceutyczny w Gdańsku), as a result of Chief Farmaceutical Inspector's (Główny Inspektor Farmaceutyczny) notification, on October 30, 2013, the police entered the farm. The crops were destroyed and a few people were arrested, but released without charges soon after[16]. As a result of plants' devastation, the experiment was not completed in its entirety, yet it has contributed to the intensification of actions toward liberalization of legislation concerning medical cannabis availability in Poland[15][17].
Scientific achievements[edit]
Dr Rychlewski is the author or co-author of over 100 scientific publications (173 according to Google Scholar, 142 – Scopus, 139 – Web of Science), including articles in the most prestigious scientific journals such as Nature[18], Science[19][20][21] and Cell[22]. They have been widely cited (10630 citations – Google Scholar, 7695 – Scopus, 6577 – Web of Science), which yields 61,45, 54,19 or 47,32 citations per publication and the h-index of 49, 42 or 38, respectively[23]. He is also a co-author of several patent applications in the European Union and in the USA[24][25]
He created the Laboratory of Bioinformatics at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw and led it over the period 1999-2001[26]. He established and coordinated the Centre for Innovative Technologies CITech - a network of scientific institutions and biotechnology companies, which was recognized as Centre of Excellence by State Committee for Scientific Research in 2004[27]. In 2009, his BioInfoBank Institute was awarded the Poznań Entrepreneurship Leader prize in the category of small enterprises[28]
Personal life[edit]
In 2012 Rychlewski's, his parents' and his brothers' genomes were fully sequenced and published[29]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 IIMCB 2001.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 IIMCB 2002.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Kuzdraliński 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Majda 2011.
- ↑ Bujnicki, J.M.; Elofsson, A.; Fischer, D.; Rychlewski, L. (August 2001). "Structure prediction meta server". Bioinformatics. 17 (8): 750–1. PMID 11524381.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- ↑ Ginalski, K.; Elofsson, A.; Fischer, D.; Rychlewski, L. (May 2003). "3D-Jury: a simple approach to improve protein structure predictions". Bioinformatics. 19 (8): 1015–8. PMID 12761065.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- ↑ von Grotthuss, M.; Pas, J.; Wyrwicz, L.; Ginalski, K.; Rychlewski, L. (2003). "Application of 3D-Jury, GRDB, and Verify3D in fold recognition". Proteins. 53 Suppl 6: 418–23. doi:10.1002/prot.10547. PMID 14579330.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- ↑ Leszek Rychlewski; Remigiusz Dudek; Ewelina Rodakowska. "BioInfoBank Library - narzędzie dla naukowców i uczelni wyższych" [BioInfoBank Library - a tool for scientists and higher education institutions] (PDF). lib.psnc.pl (in polski). Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ "Polskie Stowarzyszenie Bitcoin - Członkowie" [Polish Bitcoin Association - Members]. bitcoin.org.pl (in polski). Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ "100th". picostocks.com. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ Leszek Rychlewski; Jacek Zemło; Maciej Kaźmierczyk. "Enterprise Service Chain" (PDF). adshares.net. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ "BIB Seed Capital". Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ "Medicalgorithmics". Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ "Proteon Pharmaceuticals". Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Palestra 2014.
- ↑ Pilarczyk 2013.
- ↑ "Jędrzej Sadowski o pracy podkomisji zdrowia nad ustawą o medycznej marihuanie" [Jędrzej Sadowski on the work of the Subcomittee on Health on the medical cannabis law]. 2016-11-20. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ Bowler, C.; Allen, A.E.; Badger, J.H.; Grimwood, J. et al. (November 2008). "The Phaeodactylum genome reveals the evolutionary history of diatom genomes". Nature. 456 (7219): 239–44. doi:10.1038/nature07410. PMID 18923393.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- ↑ Wyrwicz, L.S.; von Grotthuss, M.; Pas, J.; Rychlewski, L. (January 2004). "How unique is the rice transcriptome?". Science. 303 (5655): 168. doi:10.1126/science.303.5655.168b. PMID 14715990.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- ↑ von Grotthuss, M.; Wyrwicz, L.S.; Pas, J.; Rychlewski, L. (June 2004). "Predicting protein structures accurately". Science. 304 (5677): 1597–9. doi:10.1126/science.304.5677.1597b. PMID 15192202.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- ↑ von Grotthuss, M.; Rychlewski, L. (March 2006). "Influenza mutation from equine to canine". Science. 311 (5765): 1241–2. doi:10.1126/science.311.5765.1241. PMID 16513967.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- ↑ von Grotthuss, M.; Wyrwicz, L.S.; Rychlewski, L. (June 2003). "mRNA cap-1 methyltransferase in the SARS genome". Cell. 113 (6): 701–2. PMID 12809601.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)
- ↑ As of 2018-10-15
- ↑ "Justia Patents - Leszek Rychlewski". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ "European Patent Office - Leszek Rychlewski". worldwide.espacenet.com. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ Rychlewski 2010.
- ↑ "Wykaz koordynatorów Centrów Doskonałości" [The list of coordinators of the Centres of Excellence] (PDF). nauka.gov.pl (in polski). Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ "Laureaci w kategorii "Mały przedsiębiorca"" [Laureates in the "Small enterprise" category]. poznan.pl (in polski). Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- ↑ Polish Personal Genome Project, retrieved 2018-10-17
Bibliography[edit]
- Adam Kuzdraliński (2011-05-27). "Wywiad: Polska bioinformatyka stosowana" [An interview: Polish applied bioinformatics]. e-biotechnologia.pl (in polski). Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- Blanka Majda (2011-09-16). "Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego hamuje rozwój innowacyjnych firm" [The Ministry of Science and Higher Education hinders the development of innovative enterprises]. biotechnologia.pl (in polski). Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- Mateusz Pilarczyk (2013-11-05). "Poznański BioInfoBank prowadził eksperymenty z marihuaną. Plantację zlikwidowała policja" [BioInfoBank from Poznań conducted experiments with cannabis. The farm was closed down by the police]. gloswielkopolski.pl (in polski). Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- Palestra Polska (2014-04-25). "Marihuana w ramach kontratypu czyli eksperyment BioInfoBank Institute" [Cannabis as justification, or the experiment of BioInfoBank Institute]. gloswielkopolski.pl (in polski). Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- Leszek Rychlewski (2010-10-28). "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). bioinfo.pl (in polski). Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- IIMCB (2002). "Annual report 2001". iimcb.gov.pl. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- IIMCB (2001). "Annual report 2000". iimcb.gov.pl. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
External Links[edit]
- BioInfoBank Institute (official website)
- BioInfoBank Institute. Information Processing Centre database.
- Leszek Rychlewski publications indexed by Google Scholar
- "Leszek Rychlewski". Information Processing Centre database (in polski).
- Leszek Rychlewski's publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
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