Professor repeatedly featured on academic journal covers

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To appear on the cover of an academic journal is an honor for most scientists, and The University of Toledo’s Dr. Jerzy Jankun has done it 11 times.

In one of his most recent works published on the cover of the International Journal of Molecular Medicine, Jankun, professor of urology, was assisted by second-year medical student Viktor Kondray. The study was based on the therapeutic qualities of black tea and how they differed with water used.

During the study, Kondray made tea with multiple water samples with different concentrations of minerals. They found that certain amounts of minerals deactivated some of the therapeutic qualities of the tea flavin, which can help patients with Alzheimer’s, Type 2 diabetes, kidney disorders and more.

Another recent article that was featured on the cover of Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine was based on a side project that Jankun worked on while collaborating in Saudi Arabia. While overseas studying the rise of diabetes diagnoses in the Middle East, he did additional research on plasma proteins in camels because of a personal interest in the animal.

When camels must go for long periods of time in high temperatures without water, the serum albumin found in their blood in plasma proteins helps regulate their blood pressure and is crucial to their survival. Jankun’s article looked into the possibility of the protein to be used therapeutically to regulate blood pressure in humans.

“It’s not the same weight, but if you have a cover on Time magazine, usually it has some meaning,” Jankun said. “Whenever an editor decides to put you on a cover, that means they appreciate the value of the research you’ve done.”

Jankun’s work also has been featured on the cover of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, The Journal of Urology, and other academic journals.

“Being on a cover means that your research is visible,” Jankun said. “It is pure satisfaction.”