Katarzyna Gorczyca

I am a PhD student at the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of the University of Warsaw, working at the interface of microfluidics, liquid biopsy, and bioinformatics. My research focuses on the isolation and molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in triple-negative breast cancer.

A major part of my work involves the design, fabrication, optimization, and benchmarking of microfluidic platforms for label-free CTC enrichment. I work on microfluidic device design, fabrication of lithographic masters and chips, and experimental validation of their performance in terms of cell recovery, purity, viability, and reproducibility.

In parallel, I use single-cell transcriptomic and bioinformatic approaches to identify and characterize CTC populations and investigate their transcriptional heterogeneity, with particular interest in coding and non-coding RNA profiles and transcriptional programs associated with cancer cell plasticity and treatment response.

I have a background in chemical technology and medicinal chemistry, with BSc and MSc degrees from Warsaw University of Technology. Prior to my PhD, I gained experience in computational structural biology at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, where I worked on RNA–ligand interactions. My research interests include microfluidics, liquid biopsy, single-cell transcriptomics, and computational oncology.