National projects

Osteoporosis is the most common skeletal disease with deterioration of bone structure and increased risk of bone fractures. Even though the biology of osteoporosis has been well studied, effective personalized approach to prevention, diagnosis and particular anabolic drugs to prevent bone fractures are still lacking and there is an urgent need to identify novel targ...

Cancer remains an important cause of mortality and economic losses worldwide. The Bilateral Project provides excellent research in new anticancer discovery for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) carcinomas (colorectal, gastric, liver and pancreatic cancers), where hEag1 potassium channels are overexpressed in 75 to 100% cases. GI carcinomas are among the 10 most...

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...