PANERIS Winter School 2025 has just finished!

On March 3–7, 2025, the PANERIS Winter School on “Addiction: underlying mechanisms and search for novel therapies” was held in the IP PAS and in the CEPHARES laboratories. The event was attended by students and PhD students representing the PANERIS project partner institutions from Lisbon, Vilnius and Krakow, who had the opportunity to expand their knowledge and gain valuable experience in the international scientific environment.

We have 5 intensive days behind us, which were full of fascinating lectures and practical classes.

The practical classes included workshops conducted in the CEPHARES laboratories:

High-resolution imaging of stress-induced synapsis plasticity. An introduction to confocal microscopy.

During the workshop, participants were introduced to the theoretical foundations of microscopic imaging and methods of inducing a chronic stress model in primary cultures of cortical and hippocampal neurons. Then, they conducted laboratory experiments – from treating primary cultures with stress-inducing factors, through cell staining, to recording high-resolution images using a confocal microscope and analyzing the morphology of dendritic spines.

Application of mass spectrometry in proteomics. Data-independent Acquisition 4D Proteomics – the knowledge beyond protein identification.

The workshop included both a theoretical introduction and practical preparation of biological samples for proteomic analyses, including protein digestion in polyacrylamide gel, in solution and using FASP and SP3 techniques. Participants also became familiar with DDA and DIA measurement techniques, available software for analyzing this type of data and methods of biostatistical processing of obtained results.

Basis of rodent behavioral research. An introduction to rodent behavioral studies’ design, conduct and interpretation.

The workshop aimed to familiarize participants with key aspects of each stage of rodent behavior research. The course covered theoretical foundations, design and preparation of studies, conducting experiments, data analysis and interpretation of results. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to learn about innovative behavioral approaches, such as ultrasonic communication of rodents and the use of deep learning algorithms in behavior analysis.

and classes developing soft skills concerning Open Science and the use of Artificial Intelligence in grant writing.

For our participants, it was a time for learning and honing skills as well as a time for exchanging experiences, unofficial conversations and integration. We hope that the contacts established during the PANERIS Winter School will result in research cooperation and joint projects in the near future.