Prof. Romuald Wojnicz
Professor of Medicine/Cardiology
Chief, Department of Histology and Cell Pathology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
Head of Silesian Nanomicroscopy Center in Zabrze, Silesia LabMed – Research and Implementation Centre, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
Short Bio
He is an internationally-recognized physician and scientist involved in inflammatory myocardial disease and heart failure research. He has had a long-standing interest in the study on the myopathic myocardium. His special line of research is related to searching for immunohistological and ultrastructural signs of chronic immune response in the myocardium in patients with unexplained acute and chronic heart failure. Moreover, his clinical effort is focused on using new markers of myocyte injury to search for new therapeutic strategies in patients with heart failure.
Professional Experince
- 1985-2006
Head of Laboratory of Electron Microscopy and Immunology
Silesian Center for Heart Disease, Zabrze, Poland - 1993-2006
Coordinator of the Heart Muscle Disease Study Group
Silesian Center for Heart Disease, Zabrze, Poland - 2006-Still
Chief of Department of Histology and Cell Pathology in Zabrze
Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland - 2022
Head of Silesian Nanomicroscopy Center
Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
Grant ID: NCN 2021/43/O/NZ5/02262 (Preludium Bis 3)
from The National Science Center.
“Impact of the selected cytokines on cardiac myocytes in context of chronic myocarditis and inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy development – a translational study”.
Principal Investigators / Doctorals student: Piotr Lewandowski.
Grant No. 4 S402 074 05/1993
from The State Committee for Scientific Research.
“New therapeutic and diagnostic strategy in patients with myocarditis using gallium 67 citrate cardiac scintigraphy”
Position: Principal investigator.
1. Wojnicz R, Kozielska E, Kuśnierz B, et al. Relationship Between Positive Gallium-67 Scintigraphy and Endomyocardial Biopsy Results in Patients with Clinically Suspected Myocarditis. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 1995: 2: 107.
2. Wojnicz R, Nowalany-Kozielska E, Szewczyk M, et al. Gallium-67 scintigraphy as a valuable test in qualifying patients with clinically suspected myocarditis for myocardial biopsy. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 1999; 6: 62.
Grant No. 4 P05B 084 11/1996
from The State Committee for Scientific Research.
“Myocarditis. The relationship between effectiveness of immunosuppressive therapy and up-regulation of immune response in the endomyocardial biopsy specimens”.
Position: Principal investigator.
1. Wojnicz R, Kozielska E, Szczurek K, et al. HLA, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 molecules in the endomyocardial biopsy specimens patients with clinically suspected myocarditis. Eur. Heart J. 1997; 18: 594.
2. R. Wojnicz, E. Nowalany-Kozielska, J. Wodniecki, et al. Immunohistological diagnosis of myocarditis. Potential role of sarcolemmal induction of the MHC and ICAM-1 in detection of autoimmune mediated myocyte injury. Eur Heart J 1998; 19: 1564-1572.
Grant No: 4 P05B 069 15/1998
from The State Committee for Scientific Research.
“Inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy. Prospective, randomised immunosuppressive therapy of patients with immunohistologically proven chronic myocarditis in biopsy specimens”
Position: Principal investigator.
1. Wojnicz R, Nowalany-Kozielska E, Wojciechowska C, et al. Randomized, placebo-controlled
study for immunosuppressive treatment of inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy. Two-years follow-up results. Circulation 2001, 104: 39-45.
Grant No: 4 P05C 033 19/2000
from The State Committee for Scientific Research.
“Coronary restenosis. Immunohistological examination of atherectomy and endarterectomy lesions in the relation to their restenosis predictability”.
Position: Principal investigator.
1. Zembala M, Wojnicz R, Ryfiński B, et al. Inflammatory components in endarterectomy lesions. An immunohistological study. Cardiovasc. Surg. 2002, 10: 203-205.
Grant No: 3 PO5B 061 24/2003
from The State Committee for Scientific Research.
“Prospective, randomized, controlled trial of low-molecular-weight heparin for stable congestive heart failure”
Position: Principal investigator.
1. Wojnicz R, Trzeciak P, Szyguła B, et al. Low molecular heparin treatment improves clinical outcomes of patients with inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy. Circulation 2004; 110: 601.
2. Wojnicz R, Nowak J, Wilczek K, et al. Adjunctive Therapy with Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure Secondary to Dilated Cardiomyopathy: One-Year Follow-Up Results of the Randomized Trial. Am Heart J. 2006; 152 (713): e1-e7.
Research Grant form Pfeizer, New York /2003
“An open, randomized, non-treatment controlled pilot study on the efficacy and safety of atorvastatin in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy”.
Position: Principal investigator.
1. Wojnicz R, Wilczek K, Nowalany-Kozielska E, et al. Usefulness of Atorvastatin in Patients with Heart Failure Due to Inflammatory Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Elevated Cholesterol Levels. Am J Cardiol 2006, 97: 899-904.
- „Patomorfologia przewlekłej niewydolności serca” and „Biopsja mięśnia sercowego i osierdzia” in: Niewydolność Serca, red. P. Podolec, P. Ponikowski, W. Banasiak, 2008
- “Myocarditis” in: Internal Medicine. Cardiology vol. II. Ed. P. Pruszczyk, 2010
- „Immunosuppressive Therapy For Heart Failure” in: Heart Failure Clinics. Myocarditis, By G.W. Dec, p. 449-456; Sounders, 2005 /ISBN: 1416026665