Immunology

The research carried out in the Immunology Group is focused on аnalysis of structure of immunoglobulins and their reactivity with antigens in physiological conditions and infectious, autoimmune, metabolic diseases, and hematological malignancies. Basic research is carried out in parallel in several directions:

  • Immunoglobulin reactivity with microbial antigens with an aim to define the interconnection between this antimicrobial reactivity and reactivity with self-antigens.
  • Molecular constituents of the peripheral blood immune complex, by applying immunochemical, biochemical and “classical” physicochemical methods.
  • Implementation of photon correlation spectroscopy (synonym Dynamic Light Scattering; DLS) for analysis of the size of the immune complex.
  • Morphological and rheological characteristics of erythrocytes, as cells of crucial importance for the removal of immunocomplexes (immune adherence)
  • Effects on cellular and molecular environment on level and structure of monoclonal immunoglobulin secreted by myeloma cell lines
Applied research are focuesd on
  • Hemoglobin as heme iron-based: 1) Food supplement and 2) Cell culture aditive
  • Effectes of zeolites as food supplement on cattle immunity

NEXT THREE YEARS

In depth analysis of immunoglobulins in physiological conditions and in infectious, autoimmune, metabolic and malignant diseases by opening new directions of research:

  • Study of the role of immune complexes, as the main effectors of the humoral branch of the immune response, as modulators of neutrophils’ function.
  • Analysis of the antimicrobial reactivity of immunoglobulins of the oral region with the aim of defining their influence on the development of caries.
  • Identification of (auto)antigens in immunocomplexes by mass spectrometry.

 

  • Analysis of variable regions of immunoglobulin genes and analysis of polymorphism of Fc receptors with the aim to identify combinations of their genes’ variants that may be of pathological importance in the mentioned diseases.
  • Erythrocytes as immuno- and hemo-compatible delivery systems for drug of significance for immune system function.

Head of the Research Group

Principal research fellow

Vesna Ilić

Principal research fellow

Vesna Ilić

Vesna Ilić has PhD in biology. Since 2027, Head of the Immunology Group at IMR. For more than twenty-five years, she has been studying the structure and immunoregulatory function of immunoglobulins and immune complexes in physiological (aging, physical exercise, etc.) and pathological conditions (infectious diseases of humans and animals, autoimmune diseases, and malignancies of B lymphocytes and plasma cells). Her currently conducted basic research studies are focused on: 1) Assessment of the reactivity of immunoglobulins with microbial antigens, with the aim to more precisely explain interconnections between this reactivity and reactivity with self-antigens; 2) Analysis of the molecular composition (proteins, lipids, nucleic acids) of the immunocomplex; 3) application of the method of Dynamic Light Scattering (synonym Dynamic Light Scattering) for the analysis of the size of colloidal particles of immunocomplexes; 4) Analysis of the morphological and rheological characteristics of erythrocytes, as cells of importance for the removal of immunocomplexes (immune adherence). Beside the basic research studies, for almost thirty years, she has performed applied, biotechnological research where she has investigated biological/immunomodulatory/effects of extracellular hemoglobin, minerals, and newly synthesized drugs.

Email:vesnai@imi.bg.ac.rs

Group Members

Principal Research Fellow

Dragana Marković
Senior research associate

Ivana Drvenica
senior research associate

Dejana Kosanović
research associate

Sonja Mojsilović
Research associate

Marijana Kovačić
Research associate

Irina Maslovarić
Research associate

Biljana Ristic

Principal Research Fellow

Dragana Marković

Dragana Marković completed her B.Sc. degree in 1996 and awarded her PhD degree at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Serbia. She currently holds the position of an Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, and works in the Group for Immunology. Her expertise and interest lies in the field of proteomics, immunochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, and redox biology, in relation to inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases. Her research interest relates to local and systemic inflammatory diseases of bone tissues (chronic periodontal diseases, rheumatoid arthritis) and hematological malignancies (chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms, malignancies of B lymphocytes and plasma cells) as well as to the field of chronic psychological stress. Her work also refers to examination of antigenicity of tick salivary proteins. Special place in her research have neutrophils and their pathogenic and proinflammatory potential in chronic inflammatory disorders.

Email:dragana.markovic@imi.bg.ac.rs

Senior research associate

Ivana Drvenica

Ivana T. Drvenica (née Kostić) is a senior research associate in the Group for Immunology. She graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Belgrade (Pharmaceutical Technology module) in 2009 and received her PhD in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering in 2015 from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy at the same University. Her research interest is focused on the development of modern systems for extended/controlled delivery of conventional and unconventional biologically active substances, including the development of cellular drug carriers based on erythrocytes and erythrocyte membranes, as well as the introduction of sophisticated biophysical methods into the medical fields of research (characterization of erythrocytes, immunoglobulins, and immune complexes). Ivana Drvenica started innovative research into the optimal ways of stabilizing hemoglobin from sustainable sources (slaughterhouse blood) to develop a dietary supplement based on highly bioavailable heme iron, and the effects of extracellular hemoglobin on the proliferative, differentiation, and immunomodulatory capacity of mesenchymal cells.

Email:ivana.drvenica@imi.bg.ac.rs

senior research associate

Dejana Kosanović

Dejana Kosanovic, Senior Research Associate, got her PhD in Biology at the University of Belgrade (2015). In 2023. she joined Immunology Group of Institute for Medical Research, where she works on glycan expression on paraproteins from serum of patients with monoclonal gammopathies, and is a member of the Serbian Society of Cancer Researchers (SDIR). As a biology student, she spent an academic year at Georgia State University in Atlanta, USA, (Forecast EXCHANGE Program, 2007-2008) and a month at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, (Tempus Project H.E.R.B.S, 2009). She was employed at the Torlak Institute, Belgrade (2012-2021), and conducted postdoctoral research in proteomics, Laboratory for Medical Mycology, Maynooth University, Republic of Ireland (GOIPD/2018/115, 2018-2020). In 2021, she began working with data related to two oncological clinical studies on Medidata Rave and Veeva Vault EDC (Electronic Data Capture) systems.

research associate

Sonja Mojsilović

Research associate

Marijana Kovačić

Marijana Kovačić has PhD in biochemistry. In his scientific research work, he examines the content and structural and functional properties of proteins in body fluids and cells that are important for the functioning of the immune response of humans and domestic animals. Her research is mostly focused on examining the impact of the structural and functional characteristics of the immune complex in calves with bronchopneumonia, as well as examining the molecular composition of the immune complex in autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis). In this research, she analyzes the size of the constituents, the protein and lipid composition of the immune complex and their role. as a modulator of leukocyte function. In addition, he is analysis of lipid classes and fatty acid analysis of patients with multiple myeloma.

Email:marijana.buac@imi.bg.ac.rs

Research associate

Irina Maslovarić

Irina Maslovaric is a medical doctor, immunology specialist with a doctoral research degree in biological sciences. She is a researcher in basic immunology. Her research interest involves analysis of cellular and molecular mechanisms implicated in regulation of immune response in normal and pathological conditions, in animals and humans as well as immunochemical and physicochemical characterization of immunoglobulins, events responsible for their synthesis, and biological effects.

Email:irina.maslovaric@imi.bg.ac.rs

Research associate

Biljana Ristic

Biljana Ristić is a research associate in the immunology group. She received her PhD at the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade, studying the antitumor and antibacterial effects of graphene quantum dots in 2017. Biljana received the FOSTAR award for the best doctoral dissertation in the field of human molecular genetics and biomedicine. Previous research has been focused on investigating the role of autophagy in the survival and death of tumour cells, as well as the effects of autophagy modulation on viral infection, cancer therapy and neurodegenerative disorders. She is particularly interested in investigating the complex molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction of autophagy and the innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. Biljana is currently investigating the morphological and rheological characteristics of erythrocytes as cells for removing immune complexes, as well as investigating the biological/immunomodulatory effects of extracellular hemoglobin.

Email:biljana.ristic@imi.bg.ac.rs

Latest PROJECTS

Project HEMMAGINERO, No. 6066079 “Hemoglobin-based spectroscopy and nonlinear imaging of erythrocytes and their membranes as emerging diagnostic tool” from Program for excellent projects of young researchers in Republic of Serbia (PROMIS) funded by The Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia. (I. Drvenica, the project participant)

All projects of this group

Latest RESEARCH PAPERS

Immune complexes

  • Djukić T, Drvenica I, Kovačić M, Minić R, Vučetić D, Majerič D, Šefik-Bukilica M, Savić O, Bugarski B, Ilić V. Dynamic light scattering analysis of immune complexes in sera of rheumatoid arthritis patients. Analytical Biochemistry. 2023, 674: 115194. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2023.11519
  • Kovačić M, Fratrić N, Arsić A, Mojsilović S, Drvenica I, Marković D, Maslovarić I, Grujić Milanović J, Ivanov M, Ilić V. Structural characteristics of circulating immune complexes in calves with bronchopneumonia: Impact on the quiescent leukocytes. Research in Veterinary Science. 2020, 133: 63-74 doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.09.004

Immunoglobulins and microorganisms

  • Knežević S, Kosanović D, Dragačević L, Živković I, Ilić V, Hajduković L, Savić O, Minić R. Age and gender associated changes in immunoglobulin subclass levels specific to S. pneumoniae, serotype 1. Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2022, 87: 101834. doi: 10.1016/j.cimid.2022.101834
  • Nikodijević S, Blagojević V, Ćuruvija I, Kosanović D, Djukić T, Djordjević B, Ilić V, Minić R. Selectivity of polyclonal repertoire of anti-microbial IgA and its subclasses in saliva and serum in humans. Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. 2022, 96(6): e13223. doi: 10.1111/sji.13223

Hemoglobin and erythrocytes:

  • Radmilović MD, Drvenica IT, Rabasović MD, Ilić VL, Pavlović D, Oasa S, Vukojević V, Perić M, Nikolić SN, Krmpot AJ. Interactions of ultrashort laser pulses with hemoglobin: Photophysical aspects and potential applications. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2023, 244:125312. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125312.
  • Stančić AZ, Drvenica IT, Obradović HN, Bugarski BM, Ilić VL, Bugarski DS. Native bovine hemoglobin reduces differentiation capacity of mesenchymal stromal cells in vitro. Int J Biol Macromol. 2020 Feb 1;144:909-920. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.09.167.

Zeolites as cattle food supplement

  • Stojić M, Ilić V, Kovačić M, Gvozdić D, Stajković S, Vejnović B, Savić O, Fratrić N. Effects of oral supplementation with organically modified clinoptilolite during prepartum period on colostrum quality in primiparous dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Research. 2020, 87(4): 429-435. doi: 10.1017/S0022029920001077
  • Drvenica I, Stojić M, Fratrić N, Kovačić M, Grujić-Milanović J, Vejnović B, Marković D, Gvozdić D, Ilić V. Oral supplementation with organically modified clinoptilolite during prepartum period influences the redox status of peripheral blood and colostrum of primiparous dairy cows. Italian Journal of Animal Science. 2022, 21(1): 847-58. doi: 10.1080/1828051X.2022.2070034

Neutrophils

  • Marković D, Maslovarić I, Djikić D, Čokić VP. Neutrophil Death in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: Shedding More Light on Neutrophils as a Pathogenic Link to Chronic Inflammation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022; 23(3): 1490. doi: 10.3390/ijms23031490.
  • Marković DC, Maslovarić IS, Kovačić M, Vignjević Petrinović S, Ilić VL. Putative Role of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation in Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(5): 4497. doi: 10.3390/ijms24054497.

All papers

Interested in working with our research group?

Our team of experts is committed to advancing health and wellness through innovative research.
If you would like to join our team or cooperate with us, please contact us.
We look forward to cooperation with you!

 

This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site.