Projects

The project aims to empower parents/caregivers of children with special needs in daily life, improve their parental skills and social inclusion, health and quality of life. Objectives are to use innovative educational approach for improving parental skills in dealing with children with special needs, with a newly created comprehensive training curiculum and materials and online platform for continuous e-learning in line with the parents’ individual needs and expectations.

Project leader : dr Marija Glibetić

Project collaborators:

Project number: OC/EFSA/DATA/2016/02

Duration of the project: 2016-2022.

Leading Institution:

Description of the project:

Project leader : dr Mirjana Gurinović

Project collaborators:

Project number: OC/EFSA/DATA/2016/03

Duration of the project: 2016-2022.

Leading Institution:

Description of the project:

Project leader: dr Hristina Obradović

Project collaborators:

dr Ivana Okić-Đorđević, Dragana Aleksandrović, Sanja Momčilović, Ivana Gazikalović (external team member), Nikola Jeftić (external team member)

Project number: 11073

Duration of the project: 2024 –2026

Leading Institution: Institute for medical research, University of Belgrade

Collaborating institutions:

Innovation Center, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy; University of Belgrade

Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia

Description of the project:

Despite their safety and feasibility for patients, existing breast reconstruction techniques following mastectomy carry the risk of potential complications, and do not significantly alter the likelihood of disease recurrence compared to mastectomy alone. Hence, these factors must be considered when evaluating the available breast reconstruction options post-mastectomy. The field of tissue engineering has been intensively growing primarily focusing on crafting diverse scaffolds that act as templates for tissue regeneration. For nearly a century, the amniotic membrane (AM) of the placenta has been utilized in skin and cornea regeneration, and numerous studies have demonstrated its antitumor, antifibrotic, antiinflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. AmnioPrintCare aims to develop the scaffold biomaterial using human AM homogenate that will preserve and exhibit its regenerative and antitumor effects over an extended period when applied. By establishing advanced 3D bioprinting techniques for scaffold fabrication, AmnioPrintCare will enable more accessible and personalized regenerative medicine practices in breast reconstruction. To achieve that, by using different technological methods and advanced 3D software and bioprinter, we will establish 3D printed bioscaffold based on hAM. Also, we will confirm its biocompatibility with the breast tissue niche cells and its regenerative potential in vitro related to adipogenesis and angiogenesis along with the antitumor effect towards breast cancer cell lines. We will further evaluate its regenerative and antitumor effect upon transplantation in mice. This interdisciplinary project will bring advancement in biotechnology that will lead to improvements in biomedicine and provide basis for better healthcare and survival rate among patients, novelties in the medical and biotechnological education, and improvement of biotech industry in Serbia as it could patent the new ‘’bioink’’ for commercially available bioprinters.

Project leader: Dr Ivana Okić Đorđević

Project collaborators:

Dr Hristina Obradović, dr Drenka Trivanović, dr Ivana Drvenica, dr med Sanja Momčilović, number: 337-00-110/2023-05/36

Duration of the project: Jul 2023 – Jun 2025

Leading Institution:

Institute for medical Research, University of Belgrade

Collaborating Institution: Institute of cell biology, University of Ljubljana

Description of the project:

Human amniotic membrane (hAM) is an available, inexpensive, and biocompatible collagen-based extracellular matrix with the cells derived from human placenta. hAM and its derivatives possess anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties. Until now, hAM has been used for post-operative and post-traumatic skin defects, intra-oral and genital reconstruction, and ophthalmologic disorders.

In recent decades, the regenerative and modulatory properties of stem cells (SCs) have gained the attention of scientists indicating the possibility of their use in cell therapy. Periodontal ligament SCs (PDLSCs), obtained after tooth extraction for orthodontic reasons are recently discovered cells playing a crucial role in oral tissue homeostasis. Since the outcomes of currently available wound healing treatment approaches of oral tissues are expensive and sometimes not predictable, the search for new molecules with regenerative potential is an important goal in oral tissue regeneration. For this purpose, the objectives of this project include the influence of hAM on wound healing and regenerative potential of PDLSCs.

Project leader: Dr Tamara Kukolj

Project number: “Start up for science” 2019/2020 funded by Philip Morris Company

Project collaborators:

Dr Jasmina Lazarević, dr Uroš Ralević, dr Nenad Lazarević from Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade

Duration of the project: Jun 2019 – 2020

Leading Institution:

Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade

Description of the project:

Analysis of the characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) at the level of individual cells using Raman spectroscopy with the aim of developing Raman spectroscopy as a fast, simple, and non-destructive Single Cell method for evaluating the regenerative potential of MSCs. Most biochemical changes, caused by physiological or pathological changes, are observed in the Raman spectrum under appropriate conditions, as a change in the intensity and/or position of the Raman mode. Therefore, the characteristics of MSCs originating from different tissues and donors will be investigated, as well as changes in age-related characteristics in MSCs populations. Changes in the Raman spectrum resulting from replicative age, i.e. prolonged cultivation in vitro, will be monitored, as well as changes in the spectrum caused by certain pharmacological substances used in the therapy of various diseases, which accelerate the aging process. Based on the obtained results, the correlation between the vibrational spectrum and the regenerative potential of primary MSCs will be determined, which will enable the establishment of Raman spectroscopy as a fast, simple, and non-invasive method for the qualitative analysis of the regenerative potential of a certain population of MSCs. This project will contribute to the detailed characterization of MSCs, to significantly speed up and facilitate their further application in cell therapy and tissue engineering.

Principal Investigator: Ivana Klun

Project team members:

Duško Ćirović, Oliver Tošković, Aleksandra Penezić, Stanislav Simin, Aleksandra Uzelac, Vladimir Ćirković, Dragana Miličić, Nikola Betić, Neda Bogdanović, Ilija Pantelić

Project number: 2424

Project duration: 2024-2026

Lead institution:

Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade

Collaborating institutions:

Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade; Faculty of Philosophy; University of Belgrade; Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad; Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology

Abstract:

Background: The increasing prevalence of food and waterborne parasitoses in humans and animals in Europe calls for the need for holistic surveillance to detect emerging threats and identify reservoirs of infection, so that public health authorities can be alerted in a timely manner. Systematic monitoring programs for most of the parasites which cause these diseases do not exist and most parasitoses are not notifiable, thus it is upon the scientific community to gather evidence of these silent epidemics, raise awareness and advocate for innovative and improved food safety measures to reduce disease burden.

Novelty: PARASITE_HUNTER aims to incorporate One Health principles in food safety, with a strong emphasis on environmental matrices, as the 21^st century is characterized by significantly perturbed ecosystems due to anthropogenic disturbances. The impact of ecosystem health and wildlife on food safety will be evaluated and communication with stakeholders will be established.

Methods: Standardized parasitological methods [sedimentation, (Mini)FLOTAC] and validated molecular techniques (multiplex qPCR, nested PCR) will be applied to detect, quantify, and assess viability (staining and in vitro culture) of food and waterborne parasites (FWP) of public health significance in various human and animal foods, water and soil in which the food is produced.

Impact: This project aims to establish a data driven surveillance framework for FWP to improve food safety beyond the current standard by including monitoring of vulnerable groups (humans and animals) not covered by the current food safety legislation. Stakeholders will be engaged through questionnaires to assess the level of awareness regarding FWP and help draft a white paper with proposals to reduce/control the FWP burden.

Expected results: A sustainable, state of the art FWP surveillance program for timely identification of emerging threats to public health, and stakeholder approved measures to improve food safety.

Project leader: Vesna Vučić

Project collaborators:

Danijela Ristić Medić, Aleksandra Arsić, Maja Milošević, Snježana Petrović, Nebojša Ivanović, Milica Kojadinović, Biljana Pokimica, Marija Paunović

Project number: 5050

Duration of the project: 2023 – 2026.

Leading Institution:

Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Serbia

Project Description:

The project is designed as a randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the anti-inflammatory nutritional intervention (in form of tailored diet or supplements) in managing nutritional status, clinical outcomes, and quality of life in breast cancer patients receiving aromatase inhibitors. The implementation of this project will help BRC patients to prevent the decline in nutritional status, to better tolerate the therapy, decrease side effects and risks of comorbidities, and thereby improve quality of life, clinical outcomes and survival rates.