Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences

The Jerzy Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IF PAN) in Krakow is Poland’s leading research center specializing in neuropsychopharmacology. Its priority areas of research include the search for the etiology and treatment of mental illnesses (depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, psychoactive substance addiction, and others), neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease), and chronic pain.

Areas:
medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences

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The historic Rutkowski manor house, now home to the Department of Phytochemistry, with its adjacent medicinal plant garden

Our greatest achievements include identifying cellular mechanisms associated with the development of depression and the antidepressant effects of drugs, as well as developing a range of potential drugs that could be used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Twelve researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences were included in the list of the top 2% of the world’s best scientists compiled by Stanford University in collaboration with Elsevier and SciTech Strategies.

Immunohistochemical staining of brain sections

The institute in its present form was established in 1974 and has its roots in the Department of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, which was founded in 1954. It is located in Krakow-Bronowice on the grounds of a historic palace and park complex and includes, among others, the 19th-century Fischer-Benis Palace and the Rutkowski Manor House, built in the 1920s.

Analysis and separation of mixtures on an ultra-high performance liquid chromatograph coupled with a triple quadrupole mass detector

Scientific research is conducted in 14 departments and 6 specialized laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art research equipment. The institute also has a modern animal facility with separate breeding and experimental rooms for rodents. The institute carries out numerous projects funded by national and international research agencies and cooperates with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The unit educates doctoral students as part of the Krakow Interdisciplinary Doctoral School and is authorized to award doctoral and postdoctoral degrees in medical sciences and doctoral degrees in pharmaceutical sciences.

The use of cell cultures to study the mechanisms underlying chronic pain

The unit publishes the bimonthly journal Pharmacological Reports, one of the highest-ranked Polish scientific journals in the JCR Web of Science database. The institute actively participates in the popularization of science as an organizer of international scientific conferences, including the Central European Biomedical Congress, and popular science lectures as part of World Brain Day and the Festival of Science and Art.

High-resolution imaging of fixed cell and tissue preparations using fluorescence and confocal microscopy

The Institute established the Center for the Development of Pharmacotherapy of Central Nervous System Disorders (CEPHARES) thanks to co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund under Measure 4.2 of the Intelligent Development Operational Program 2014-2020, which began operating in 2024. Thanks to the expansion and modernization of IF PAN, modern laboratories were created – in the fields of IT, drug chemistry, bioanalysis, drug mechanisms of action, and in vivo imaging – equipped with unique, high-performance equipment for research on the etiology and therapy of central nervous system diseases.