F · 01
Male infertility
Cellular and molecular determinants of impaired male fertility — from oligozoospermia and cryptozoospermia to non-obstructive azoospermia. Connecting clinical phenotype to underlying biology.
Clinical biology
Live · Poznań, PL · 52.41°N 16.93°EEditorial-scientific platformCentre for Advanced Technologies · AMU
No. 01 / Cover Subject
Karolina
Nowicka-Bauer.
Medical biology, proteomics & the biomarkers of male infertility.
A working scientist bridging reproductive biology, proteomic analysis, and translational biomedical research — looking for the protein signatures that could one day make male infertility a measurable, diagnosable, and clinically actionable condition.
FIG. 01 · Cover plate · 2024
Subject · Researcher
ORCID · 0000-0002-6299-013X
Field
Medical Biology
PhD — Medical Sciences
Identifier
0000-0002-6299-013X
ORCID
Output
20+ publications
International peer-reviewed
Funded
MINIATURA
NCN · 2021—2023
Base
AMU Poznań
Centre for Advanced Technologies
/ 02 · Profile
A researcher at the intersection of disciplines.
Two decades of laboratory craft, from molecular biology and human genetics to high-resolution proteomics — all aimed at one question: what makes a sperm cell fail to fulfill its biological promise?
dr Karolina Nowicka-Bauer holds a PhD in Medical Sciences in the field of Medical Biology, and works at the Centre for Advanced Technologies of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
Her scientific path began in human genetics at the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where she spent nearly a decade investigating the cellular and molecular underpinnings of human reproduction. That work shaped a lasting fascination with one of biology's most asymmetric processes — spermatogenesis — and with the protein machinery that decides whether a single male gamete will be functional, fertile, and clinically viable.
Today, her research moves between three planes: the proteomic landscape of sperm cells and seminal plasma, the redox chemistry of oxidative stress (with a particular focus on 4-hydroxynonenal), and the translation of these mechanisms into clinically actionable biomarkers for male infertility — a condition that still goes underdiagnosed and undertreated worldwide.
“The male germ cell is one of the most asymmetric, beautifully engineered cells in human biology — and one of the worst-understood, clinically.”
/ 03 · Research fields
Six lines of inquiry. One question.
From the molecular signatures of male germ cells to the redox chemistry that quietly compromises them — the work traces a single arc, from mechanism, to measurement, to medical relevance.
F · 02
Sperm & seminal-plasma proteomics
High-resolution mass-spectrometry mapping of the male reproductive proteome — the proteins that govern motility, capacitation, and fertilising potential.
Proteomics core
F · 03
Diagnostic biomarkers
Protein signatures in seminal fluid that distinguish fertility phenotypes — candidate markers for earlier, more granular andrological diagnostics beyond conventional semen analysis.
Translational pipeline
F · 04
Oxidative stress & 4-HNE
How 4-hydroxynonenal — a reactive aldehyde generated under oxidative stress — modifies sperm proteins and contributes to their functional decline.
Redox biology
F · 05
Reproductive biology
Spermatogenesis as a window into cell differentiation, chromatin remodelling, and the special biology of post-meiotic cells that carry the genetic future of the species.
Cellular mechanism
F · 06
Translational biomedicine
Carrying findings from the bench toward the clinic — collaborating with andrologists, urologists, and clinical chemists to turn mechanisms into measurable tools.
Bench to clinic
/ 04 · Selected publications
Peer-reviewed work, 2023.
A small selection of recent papers that map where the work currently sits — between photo-oxidation chemistry, clinical andrology, and the medicinal chemistry of next-generation therapeutics.
2023
Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Does the presence of a ground-state complex between a PR-10 protein and a sensitizer affect the mechanism of sensitized photo-oxidation?
Examines how stable molecular complexes between PR-10 proteins and a photosensitiser reshape the very mechanism by which oxidative damage is initiated — with implications for protein chemistry, allergen biology, and photodynamic processes in living systems.
DOI10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2023.01.022
2023
Translational Andrology and Urology
Proteomic approach towards identification of seminal-fluid biomarkers from individuals with severe oligozoospermia, cryptozoospermia and non-obstructive azoospermia: a pilot study.
A first-in-class proteomic comparison of seminal plasma across three severe male-infertility phenotypes, pointing to candidate protein biomarkers that could one day refine andrological diagnostics beyond the conventional semen analysis.
DOI10.21037/tau-23-130
2023
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Thiopurine analogues with an additional ring: synthesis, spectroscopic properties, and anticancer potency.
A collaborative chemistry-biology study introducing structurally modified thiopurine analogues — characterising their photophysics and screening for cytotoxic activity that could inform future oncological drug design.
DOI10.3390/ijms24108990
Full publication list · ORCID · Ludzie Nauki
/ 05 · Feature story
A single molecule. A clinical question.
How a reactive aldehyde — generated quietly by oxidative stress in the male reproductive tract — may rewrite sperm function, and how that signal might be read out as a clinical biomarker.
MINIATURA · National Science Centre, Poland
Role of 4-hydroxynonenal in the pathophysiology of male infertility.
Research objective
To characterise the role of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) — a reactive lipid-derived aldehyde generated under conditions of oxidative stress — in modifying sperm proteins, and to assess how those protein adducts correlate with measurable parameters of male fertility.
Translational significance
Beyond mechanism, the project asks whether 4-HNE-modified proteins could serve as a tractable, measurable signal in andrological diagnostics — opening the door to redox-aware biomarkers for couples facing unexplained or idiopathic male infertility.
STEP · 01
Oxidative stress
Imbalanced ROS production in the male reproductive tract.
STEP · 02
4-HNE formation
Lipid peroxidation releases a highly reactive aldehyde species.
STEP · 03
Protein adducts
Covalent modification of cysteine, lysine, histidine residues.
STEP · 04
Sperm dysfunction
Compromised motility, capacitation, fertilising potential.
OUTCOME
Biomarker potential
A redox-aware signal for andrological diagnostics.
/ 06 · Scientific journey
Sixteen years in motion.
A path that moved from human genetics to high-resolution proteomics — and from purely fundamental biology toward biomarkers that may eventually reach the clinic.
2008
MSc in Biology
Graduated from the Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. First serious encounter with molecular biology and the kind of careful experimental work that would define everything that followed.
Poznań, Poland
2010 — 2019
Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences
Nearly a decade as a researcher in one of Poland's leading reproductive-genetics groups — investigating the genetic and molecular underpinnings of human spermatogenesis, sperm function, and male infertility.
Poznań · IHG PAS
2019
PhD in Medical Sciences — Medical Biology
Doctoral degree awarded for work at the boundary of cell biology, andrology and molecular medicine. The thesis cemented a long-standing interest in the male germ cell as a unique experimental system.
Poznań
2019 — 2024
Adam Mickiewicz University
Five years of research and collaboration spanning the Faculty of Biology and the Centre for Advanced Technologies — focusing on sperm and seminal-plasma proteomics, oxidative stress, and biomarker discovery.
UAM Poznań
Present
Active research
Reproductive biology, proteomics, oxidative stress and the 4-HNE axis — with a steady focus on translating mechanistic findings into clinically meaningful biomarkers for male infertility.
AMU Centre for Advanced Technologies · Poznań
/ 07 · Scientific network
A network of disciplines.
Long-standing collaborators from human genetics, structural biology, organic chemistry, and clinical andrology — an interdisciplinary network that makes the work possible.
- Reproductive biology & genetics
- Chemistry & structural biology
- K. Nowicka-Bauer
FIG. 04 · Collaboration graphN = 10 collaborators · 2 clusters
- K. Nowicka-Bauer
- Maciej Kurpisz — Reproductive biology
- Agnieszka M. Malcher — Human genetics
- Marzena Kamieniczna — Andrology
- Natalia Rozwadowska — Reproductive biology
- Agnieszka J. Zimna — Cell biology
- Katarzyna Fiedorowicz — Reproductive biology
- Marta T. Ignasiak-Kciuk — Radiation chemistry
- Bronisław Marciniak — Photochemistry
- Mariusz Jaskólski — Structural biology
- Marta Grzechowiak — Structural biology
Research Notes
Short essays and field notes from the bench — written for readers who care about how reproductive science actually works. Long-form, peer-reviewed papers live in /04 Publications; this is the editorial counterpoint.
Proteomics as a window into male infertility.
A semen analysis tells you how many sperm are swimming. Proteomics tells you what each one is made of — and why some of them are quietly failing.
For most of modern andrology, the diagnostic toolkit has rested on a single measurement: count what you can see under a microscope. But the male germ cell is one of the most molecularly compressed objects in human biology — and most of its story is written in proteins. This essay walks through what modern mass spectrometry can read out of a single ejaculate, why those signatures matter for couples facing unexplained infertility, and where the field is moving next.
Biomarkers
Why biomarkers matter in reproductive medicine.
A clinical-friendly walk-through of what a "biomarker" actually is, how a candidate becomes a validated test, and why male infertility has been so slow to acquire ones we trust.
Redox biology
Oxidative stress and the molecular language of sperm cells.
What happens inside a sperm cell when its lipids start to oxidise — and how reactive aldehydes like 4-HNE quietly rewrite the proteins that decide fertilising potential.
Proteomics
Reading the signature of seminal plasma.
A short field guide to seminal-plasma proteomics — what we can already measure, what remains tantalisingly out of reach, and why the fluid surrounding the sperm cell may matter as much as the cell itself.
Editorial · K. Nowicka-Bauer · CMS-readyAll Research Notes
/ 09 · Collaboration & outreach
Open to conversation.
Whether you are a researcher, a student, or a clinical partner, the door is open — from joint proteomics projects to early-career mentoring and translational alliances.
For researchers
Open to joint projects in sperm and seminal-plasma proteomics, redox biology, biomarker validation, and exploratory work on oxidative-stress mediators of cellular dysfunction.
- Reproductive biology & proteomics
- 4-HNE and lipid-derived adducts
- Cross-platform validation studies
For students
Open to mentoring MSc and PhD students with a serious interest in molecular biology, andrology, proteomics, and the experimental craft of reproductive biomedicine.
- MSc and PhD project supervision
- Internships in proteomics workflows
- Conversations for early-career researchers
For medical partners
Open to translational partnerships with andrology clinics, IVF centres, diagnostic companies, and biomedical consortia interested in biomarker discovery and validation.
- Andrological diagnostics & biomarkers
- Interdisciplinary biomedical science
- Translation of mechanism into clinic
/ 10 · Contact
Let's discuss scientific collaboration.
Send a short note describing what you're working on and what kind of collaboration you have in mind. I read every message personally.