Department of Reproduction of the UPWr hosted the second PhD student from Belgium for the research internship

On April 18, 2022 - May 7, 2022, Department of Reproduction of the UPWr hosted the second PhD student from Belgium – Hiba Ali Hassan (from the Department of Internal medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University). Hiba came for an research internship, focuses on improving feline semen cryopreservation by addition of a special compound protecting mitochondria from oxidative damage.


A PhD student wanted to assess in Wrocław’s laboratory samples collected and cryopreserved during her internship in Milan (also performed within NAWA APM Project). Unfortunately, the shipping company lost the container with the samples and when it was finally found, all the samples were destroyed. However, Hiba did not gave up and with the help of prof. Wojciech Niżański and his Team (especially Maria Eberhardt, Sylwia Prochowska and Barbara Smalec), she manage to collect new samples, which were analyzed during the last days of her stay.


For Hiba the most important outcome of this internship was meeting new researchers and Professors, and to see how other lab operates. Also, she had an opportunity to visit Department of Surgery and Department of Internal Medicine.

Although laboratory work took most of her time, there was an opportunity to leave Wrocław for a one-day mountain trip to see a local attraction called ‘Colorful Lakes’ and to try ‘pierogi’ (dumplings).