Projects

Project leader: Dr. Ivana Drvenica

Project collaborators: Dr. Vesna Ilić, Dr. Steva Lević

Duration of the project: 1.6.2024-31.5.2025.

Leading institution: Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade

Collaborating institution: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade

Description of the project:

Slaughterhouse blood is generated in a very large volume all around the world. Within the EU meat industry, slaughterhouse blood is classified as a third-category animal by-product that has been deemed suitable for human consumption but is not intended for consumption due to either being not typically eaten or commercially sold. Unfortunately, in Western Balkan countries, it’s commonly treated as waste and completely disregarded, leading to serious environmental problems if not properly managed, due to its high pollutant capacity. On the other hand, our research demonstrated that slaughterhouse blood can be a sustainable source of biomolecules and biomaterials with significant nutritional/functional value if adequately managed.

We created technology to obtain completely preserved high-purity hemoglobin from slaughterhouse blood, a valuable source of heme- iron, the most bioavailable form of iron. Knowing that anemia due to iron deficiency is the most prominent nutritional deficiency, we are developing novel long-term stable solid-state complexes of low-cost sugar and recovered biologically active hemoglobin from bovine and porcine slaughterhouse blood, as potential dietary supplements. Our goal was to achieve the effectiveness of the current industry standard protein stabilizer, by using cost-effective sugar in tandem with the optimized process parameters of two drying methods of recovered hemoglobin. From the selected dried hemoglobins with satisfactory cost-benefit and techno-functional features, two products as a source of heme iron will be developed and tested for their sensory and technological characteristics. Thanks to the scalable and transferable technologies of the M2BoostHEM project, the production of such added-value food supplements could be performed in any geographical area in the world. Thus, the M2BoostHEM project has the potential to enhance the sustainability of the food industry and minimize its environmental footprint.

Project leader: Dr. Jelena M. Aleksić

Project collaborators: Dr. Nevena Mihailović-Stanojević, Dr. Zoran Miloradović, Dr. Milan Ivanov, Dr. Una-Jovana Vajić, Dr. Danijela Karanović, Dr. Jasmina Milenković, Dr. Ivana Živković

Duration of the project: 27.06.2024-26.02.2025.

Leading institution: Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade

Collaborating institutions: Institute for Forage Crops, Kruševac, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade

Description of the project:

Dopamine deficiency is a key factor in neurodegenerative and movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and restless legs syndrome, as well as in depression. Conventional treatments for these conditions use synthetic L-dopa, which causes numerous side effects. Natural L-dopa, which is present in certain plant species including faba bean, is a suitable alternative. On the other hand, in the nutraceutical and functional food industry, there is a rapidly growing demand for natural, bioactive compounds that have positive effects on human health, especially antioxidants such as polyphenols.

The project proved the concept that local faba bean populations from the Republic of Serbia differ in the content of L-dopa, polyphenols and other bioactive compounds, and that the content of desirable bioactive compounds can be increased in dry seed extracts by applying a cost-effective and scalable technology that, in addition, enables modeling of the composition of extracts for the purpose of optimization for various healthcare applications and market needs.

Faba bean extracts naturally enriched with desirable bioactive compounds represent natural dietary supplements that have positive effects on neurological health, dopamine regulation, and general well-being, and can also be used to increase the nutritional value of food products through enrichment with natural bioactive compounds and the production of functional foods. In addition to the beneficial effects of natural dietary products for neurological and chronic human conditions, additional benefits of their production include organic faba bean cultivation with improved soil health and reduced chemical inputs, as well as lower CO₂ emissions and reduced soil, air and water pollution through environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

Description of the project:

Multiple myeloma (MM), an incurable cancer of the bone marrow plasma cells, is the second most frequent hematological malignancy. Despite growing number of approved therapeutics, proliferative clonal myeloma plasma cells (MPCs) persist in bone marrow, even in patients where minimal residual disease (MRD) is not evident. Existing treatment options are generalized, often ineffective, and highly toxic, emphasizing the urgency for personalized oncology development. However, no bone marrow in vitro drug testing system has been available for extensive drug response assessment. This project aims to develop a miniaturized, xeno-free platform that mimics the myeloma bone marrow microenvironment for the growth of patient-specific MPCs using human platelet-released factors, adjusted oxygen levels, and patient-derived mesenchymal stromal cells as feeder layers. MPC quality is monitored through immunophenotype, proliferation, clonality, and DNA index analyses. The platform targets high-throughput, low-cost anti-myeloma drug screening and personalized response prediction for use in biopharma, clinical research, and healthcare settings, with a defined commercialization strategy at local and global levels.