The ADVANCED team, in collaboration with colleagues
from CPN and the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, organized a series of workshops for elementary school students of lower and upper grades.
As part of the workshops “Cell Hunters” and “DNA Expedition – From Cell to the Code of Life”,
students had the opportunity to see how scientists study life and to step into the exciting world of molecular biology.
During the exhibition,
members of the ADVANCED team had the honor of hosting students from the “Patrijarh Pavle” Gymnasium.
The students showed great interest in the creative and symbolic ways of representing scientific processes and complex research.
An exhibition entitled
“Visualizing Research: Through the Eyes of Scientists” was opened on December 5 at the CPN Science Club and will run until December 20.
The exhibition is the result of a collaborative effort between members of the ADVANCED team, colleagues from CPN,
the University of Leipzig, and other collaborators with whom they work closely.
Dr Marija Mojić delivered a lecture entitled
“Complex Interactions Between Tumor and Immune Cells During Colorectal Cancer Progression” at the Third Scientific Meeting organized by the
Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, the Center for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research,
and the Serbian Society of Immunologists, held in Kragujevac on December 4.
Dr. Danijela Maksimović-Ivanić,
PI projekta ADVANCED, visited the School of Life and Health Sciences at Hubei University of Technology in Wuhan,
China, and participated in the Belt and Road International Forum on Biomedicine and Health Sciences,
where she presented the results of the project.
The two-day workshop titled
“Decoding Colorectal Cancer: From Molecular Origins to Model Organisms” was successfully held. Over the course of two intensive days,
participants had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying colorectal cancer,
as well as the modern model systems used to study this disease, through lectures, discussions, and practical insights.
We extend our sincere gratitude to all participants for their engagement, thoughtful questions, and active involvement throughout the program.
Special thanks go to our speakers, who generously shared their expertise, knowledge, and the latest scientific perspectives,
significantly contributing to the quality of the workshop.
We invite you to take part in the workshop
“Decoding Colorectal Cancer: From Molecular Origins to Model Organisms”, which will be held on November 13 and 14, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.,
in the IBISS library. The workshop is dedicated to key aspects of colorectal cancer pathogenesis, with a focus on the role of the tumor microenvironment,
contemporary therapeutic strategies, and experimental models (in vitro systems, genetically modified mice, PDX models, 3D models, and organoids).
Special emphasis will be placed on the translational relevance of these approaches and the limitations of existing methods.
The workshop is intended for master’s and PhD students, as well as researchers interested in cancer biology and experimental oncology.
Participation is free of charge, but the number of places is limited. Registration is mandatory via the application form — the link can be
found in the profile description.
Dr. Danijela Maksimović-Ivanić,
Dr. Marija Mojić, and Vuk Gordić participated in the Nature Conference: Engineered Models of Human Disease,
held on October 28–29, 2025. The conference brought together leading experts to discuss the latest advances in the development
of human-relevant in vitro disease models and their application in biomedical research. Vuk Gordić presented a poster entitled
“From tumors to organoids: Establishing an advanced colorectal carcinoma model to uncover molecular drivers of compensatory proliferation,”
through which he showcased part of the results obtained within the ADVANCED project.
During their stay in Germany,
the project principal investigator, Dr. Danijela Maksimović-Ivanić, and team member Dr. Sanja Mijatović had the opportunity
to meet with the project’s external collaborator, Prof. Dr. Goran Kaluđerović. At the meeting, they discussed the results
obtained so far and the experiments conducted, as well as plans and next steps within the project.
Marija Mojić and Dijana Bovan,
members of the ADVANCED project team, delivered invited lectures at the workshop “Tackling Drug Resistance in Cancer”,
organized within the DAADRAC project, which was held at the Science and Technology Park in Novi Sad.
Our team from
the ADVANCED project was proud to take part in the First Regional Congress of EACR-affiliated Serbian,
Croatian, and Turkish Societies (SDIR, HDIR, and MOKAD), held in Belgrade from October 8–10, 2025. The congress
brought together leading experts in oncology, molecular diagnostics, and translational research, encouraging regional
collaboration and the exchange of ideas on topics such as personalized cancer treatment, biomarkers, liquid biopsy,
and the development of new therapeutic strategies. Dijana Bovan participated as an invited speaker,
presenting her research titled “Dual targeting concept: hybrid molecules of cisplatin and anti-inflammatory drugs.”
Vuk Gordic delivered both an oral and a poster presentation of his work “The effects of a novel diclofenac-based
carborane-substituted prodrug on colon cancer cell lines and mouse-derived organoids.” We are proud to share that
he received the Second Prize for Best Poster, sponsored by the EACR. Ekatarina Mihajlovic presented her research during
the poster session titled “The establishment of an apoptosis-induced compensatory proliferation model: challenges, optimization,
and variabilities between different mouse cancer models.” We sincerely thank the organizers of MOKAD, SDIR, and HDIR,
as well as everyone who contributed to making this congress a truly inspiring event.
The Roche
initiative (RISE) hosted a one-day event at Ložionica in Belgrade on September 27, aimed at connecting
clinical innovations with scientific research. Through presentations delivered by Dr. Milica Pešić,
Dr. Aleksandra Uskoković, and Dr. Aleksandra Mladenović, the scientific achievements of IBISS were highlighted.
Dr. Danijela Maksimović-Ivanić, the principal investigator of the project, also gave a presentation in which she
introduced the work of the tumor biology research group and the ADVANCED project.
Ekatarina Mihajlović and Teodora Komazec,
representing the ADVANCED project team, participated in the EACR 2025 Congress, where they had the opportunity to present the project
to the wider scientific community, exchange ideas with international researchers, and gain
valuable insights into the latest advances in cancer research.
We are pleased to inform you that
the paper titled “Advances in Diclofenac Derivatives:
Exploring Carborane-Substituted N-Methyl and Nitrile Analogs for Anticancer Therapy” has
been published. The study explores the antitumor potential of compounds closely related to the
ADVANCED project.
Ekatarina Mihajlović,
a member of the ADVANCED project team, is this year’s recipient of the SDIR Award for the Best Publication in Cancer Research for 2024.
Congratulations to her and the other awardees!
Members of the ADVANCED project team,
by invitation of the organizers, participated in the International Research Camp Merseburg, where they had the opportunity to share their
knowledge in the field they specialize in with students.
As part of the IBISS Open Day,
Dr. Danijela Maksimović-Ivanić, PI of the ADVANCED project, had the opportunity to present the project to high school students
while also introducing them to the work of the tumor biology research group.
We were pleased to host an external
collaborator on the ADVANCED project, Prof. Dr. Goran Kaludjerović, from the University of Applied Sciences in Merzeburg, from Germany.
At
the 17th Science Festival, at the SDIR exhibit, as part of the "Talk to a scientist"
exhibit, visitors had the opportunity to meet the head of the ADVANCED project,
Danijela Maksimović-Ivanić, Ph.D., and project member Marija Mojić, Ph.D. Danijela
and Marija shared their knowledge and brought science closer to young people in an
interesting way.
During
the Second Scientific Meeting of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research,
in collaboration with the Serbian Immunological Society, project team member Dr. Sanja Mijatović
held a plenary lecture in which she presented the idea of the ADVANCED project.
At the
invitation of the University of Applied Sciences in Merseburg, Germany, Dr. Danijela Maksimović-Ivanić
and Dr. Sanja Mijatović participated in the International Research Camp (IRC) 2024, where they held
lectures and workshops for students and presented the work of their group and projects at to which they
are engaged.
The PI of the
project, Dr. Danijela Maksimović-Ivanić, and the member of the project team, Dr. Sanja Mijatović,
as part of a business trip to Wuhan (China), presented the ADVANCED project and the work of the group
they lead to their colleagues from abroad, thus opening the way for new collaborations.
In addition to
active work in achieving the project goals, an integral part of the activity are meetings where the
whole team discusses the previously performed experiments and obtained results, and at the same time
they work on planning future experimental setups.
As part of the
IBISS Open Day, the PI of the ADVANCED project, Danijela Maksimović-Ivanić, Ph.D., had the opportunity
to present the project to high school students and students, and at the same time bring them closer to
the work of the cancer biology group.
The members of
the ADVANCED project team were guests in the program "Nauka privredi", through which
they presented the project to the wider public and pointed out the importance of research supported
by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia. The link through which you can watch the entire show
and learn about the ADVANCED project.
In observance
of the Cancer Awareness Month members of the ADVANCED project team held a series of lectures in
the Roman Hall of the Library of the City of Belgrade.
PI, Dr. Danijela
Maksimović-Ivanić from the Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" – National Institute
of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade – "Inflammation-driven cancer repopulation: seeds
of progression and platform for therapy"
Prof. Dr. Duško Dundjerović
from the Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade – "From the microscope to personalized therapy for
colorectal cancer: a pathologist's perspective"
Dr. Sanja Mijatović from the
Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" – National Institute of the Republic of Serbia,
University of Belgrade – "Immortality of Death - The Phoenix Paradox in high-grade Tumors"
Doc. Dr. Andrija Antić from
the Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade – "Modern principles of – prevention, early detection
and treatment of colorectal cancer"
Dr. Marija Mojić from the
Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" – National Institute of the Republic of Serbia,
University of Belgrade – "If you can't beat them, join them: the role of inflammation in colorectal
cancer"
ADVANCED team
organized a kick-off
meeting to discuss project
activities on March,1st 2024.
ADVANCED's PI, Dr. Danijela
Maksimović-Ivanić and
team member Dr. Sanja Mijatović visited our collaborators from Germany, Prof. Dr. Evamarie
Hey-Hawkins and Prof. Dr. Kaluđerović on January, 31st 2024.
The ADVANCED team would like to thank Maja Stančik for the support in
creating
the website and Petra Jelača for the logo design.