National projects

Cholinesterases (ChEs) are polymorphic serine hydrolases that catalyse the hydrolysis of neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) and other esters. Two ChEs are found in vertebrates: acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrycholinesterase (BChE). Both enzymes are involved not only in physiological processes but also in several pathophysiological processes (e.g.  Alzhe...

Scientific background and problem identification. Despite considerable improvements in treatment and survival times, cancer still remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new drugs acting on new targets to improve treatment outcomes, especially against some aggressive types with no standard therapies, s...

The development of cancer metastasis is a disease hallmark, which predicts a poor outcome. Identifying novel therapeutic approaches that impair the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment and enhance the immune response is of pivotal need. Herein, we propose a novel pharmacological target in shaping these processes, namely the immunoproteasome. Immunoproteasome is...

The prevalence of degenerative disorders of the musculoskeletal tissues, in particular our joints, increases with age. Degenerative disorders such as osteoarthritis, affect normal function of the joints hence impair independent mobility in affected individuals. Pain is the main symptom of osteoarthritis and can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. According to the most recent report,...

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is a flavin-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of amines, and has an important role in the homeostasis of biogenic and exogenic amines. Two isoforms of MAO (i.e., MAO-A and MAO-B) are present in most mammalian tissues and are distinguished by their sensitivities to acetylenic inhibitors clorgyline and L-deprenyl, and by their subst...

The project NOBIL will therefore focus on the translational research in oncology to contribute to the discovery of novel biomarkers and innovative individualized therapeutic approaches to overcome the resistance of leukemia. The proposed project emerged from ongoing effort of academics and clinicians at Faculty of pharmacy (prof. Mlinarič-Raščan) and Institut...

The proteasome is an intracellular protease that represents a vital part of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. It degrades a wide range of proteins and has critical functions in many biological processes including cell cycle control, apoptosis, inflammation, and signal transduction. The constitutive isoform (cCP) of the proteasome is expressed in all eukaryotic cells ...

Periodontal disease is perhaps the most common human afflictions, and through its local and systemic effects, it can considerably deteriorate the overall quality of person’s life. Periodontal disease is a biofilm-induced chronic inflammation of the periodontium, where two factors are specifically linked with its pathogenesis: (i) a shift in the oral microbiota...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive degeneration of the dopaminergic projection between the substantia nigra compacta (SNc) and the striatum with associated movement impairments. It represents a very important health issue, as there is no cure for this devastating disease. Although the eth...

Memory and cognitive deficits of patients with AD are the result of severely decreased brain levels of ACh. Currently approved ChEs inhibitors in AD therapy (donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine) alleviate symptoms of the disease by increasing brain levels of ACh. They achieve this by preventing the breakdown of ACh through inhibition of the enzymes that hydrolyz...