On August 20, 2026, as part of the final meeting in the “Science on vacation” series at the Conference, Training, and Recreational Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Jurata, Luiza Handschuh, PhD, DSc, Assoc Prof., delivered a lecture titled “25 Years of Human Genome Research: Where Are We Now?”. This was an opportunity not only to summarize the current state of knowledge and technology in the field of genomics but also to familiarize the audience with the objectives of the “G4PL – Genomics for Poland” project, which Prof. Handschuh leads. As is the case every week, the hall was full, and the discussion lasted well into the late evening. Both after the lecture and the following day, attendees had the opportunity to submit a DNA sample in the form of saliva and thus participate in the largest population genomics project in Poland. Sixty people from various parts of the country took advantage of this opportunity. Samples have been collected since May, and over 350 have been gathered so far. The ultimate goal is to collect 6,000–7,000 samples, some of which will be added to the European genetic variation database being created as part of the European “Genome of Europe” project.
The open lectures in the “Science on vacation” series have been organized and led for many years by Prof. Jan Barciszewski, from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences. The event is co-funded by the Polish Academy of Sciences.
The G4PL – Genomics for Poland project is co-financed by the European Union under the European Funds for a Smat Economy program.
