Piotr Kowalski

Dr. Piotr Kowalski is an Associate Professor in Advanced Therapies at the School of Pharmacy, University College Cork (UCC), and a Funded Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland. His research focuses on developing biomaterials for nucleic acid-based therapies, including mRNA, siRNA, and circular RNA delivery systems targeting diseases such as cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and sepsis. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Groningen (2014) and completed postdoctoral training at MIT’s Koch Institute under Professors Daniel Anderson and Robert Langer. Notable achievements include founding the biotech startup Orna Therapeutics and securing a prestigious European Research Council Starting Grant to advance circular RNA therapeutics. His work bridges biomaterials engineering with clinical applications, emphasizing translational research for unmet medical needs.

Dr. Kowalski’s research interests include:

• Design of lipid-based nanoparticles and RNA delivery platforms
• Development of oral RNA therapies via the GENEGUT consortium
• Targeted drug delivery strategies for inflammatory and oncological disorders
• Circular RNA stabilization and therapeutic applications

Recent work highlights include:

• Innovative aerosol delivery systems for lung-targeted RNA therapies
• Advances in mRNA and siRNA delivery for in vivo applications
• Patented lipid-based systems for tissue-selective nucleic acid delivery

Key awards and grants:

• ERC Starting Grant (202X) for circular RNA therapeutics

His lab actively collaborates on projects such as the GENEGUT initiative, aiming to create first-in-class oral RNA treatments. Ongoing efforts emphasize clinical translation of advanced therapy medicinal products.