Speakers

Biophysics Austria Society

Department of Medical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Linz, Austria

Title Three dimensional microscopy and lithography with sub-diffractional resolution for mimicking blood vessels

We are mimicking complex biological systems by integrating a microfluidics, nanolithography, cell biology, and nanoscopic observation of living cells. Therefore, our group develops medical applications for single molecule localisation microscopy and analysis. 3D tissue scaffolds consisting of functional polymers are fabricated using multiphoton nanolithography. The functionality of these polymers is modified using photochemical grafting.

Biophysical Society of Serbia

Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

Title Humoral factors of immunity as biophysical markers in personalized medicine

Prof. Pavle Andjus, PhD Full professor, Founder and head of Center for laser microscopy, Faculty of Biology University of Belgrade. Coordinated the first FP project in biomedicine in Serbia - FP6 project “NEUROIMAGE”, and now coordinates a H2020 MSCA RISE project “AUTOIGG” aiming to design a lab & optics-on-a-chip device using fluorescence signaling for the diagnostics of neurodegenerative diseases. Former president of the Biophysical Society of Serbia, Founding member of the Optical Society of Serbia, Member of University Graduate Studies Council Founded PhD programmes in Biophotonics and Biophysics at the University of Belgrade. Expertise: neurobiophysics of ion channels and cellular mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases and use of advanced microscopy in bioimaging.

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Theory Department, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title Multiscale simulations of biomolecular systems

Matej Praprotnik is the head of the Laboratory for Molecular Modeling at the National Institute of Chemistry and a full professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana. He studied physics and received his BS degree and PhD from University of Ljubljana. He carried out postdoctoral research in the Theory group at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany. He has held visiting scientist positions at the Computational Science & Engineering Laboratory (ETH Zurich), Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications (University of Minnesota), The Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (University of California, Santa Barbara), and Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics China (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing). Matej is former chair of the PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe) Scientific Steering Committee. He served as president of the Slovenian Biophysical Society from 2015 to 2019. He also serves as a council member of CECAM (Centre Européen de Calcul Atomique et Moléculaire) and as a scientific council member of the National Institute of Chemistry. He is recipient of the ERC Advanced Grant 2019 by the European Research Council. His research is focused on computer simulation of soft and biological matter. The focus is on developing and combining innovative computational and theoretical methods as well as their application to study complex molecular systems.

Slovak Biophysical Society

Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park of P.J. Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia

Title Single-molecule mechanics of proteins

As a passionate scientist, I am curious how proteins function, what makes them tick. This has naturally led me to doing postdoctoral research at the Department of Biochemistry, University Bayreuth and later at the Department of Molecular Biophysics, TU München, Germany, where I have been the leader of several interdisciplinary projects focusing on single-molecule protein nano-mechanics to gain new molecular insights into proteins. At the same time, I apply large numbers of approaches, including bioinformatics, protein engineering methods and single-molecule force assays. Some results of my group have been published in renowned journals, e.g., several times in PNAS, Biophysical Journal and Journal of Physical Chemistry B. Recently, I started as a group leader at the Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, which is a vivid place for the exchange of ideas.

Biophysics Austria Society

Gottfried Schatz Research Center – Biophysics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Title Bioelectronic chemo drug delivery for brain tumor treatment

My research aims to overcome unmet clinical needs in brain tumor therapy. In this multidisciplinary project, we develop bioelectronic devices for locally triggered drug release directly at the tumor site. This includes the characterization of different device prototypes for their physical properties and performance, the comparison of these parameters with computer simulations, and the evaluation of anti-cancer effects of locally triggered drug release in both in vitro and in vivo brain tumor models.

Biophysical Society of Serbia

Departments of Biology and Neurobiology, and Bio-X, Stanford University, Stanford, USA

Title Immune receptors in the brain and maintenance of E/I balance.

I am a Senior Research Scientist at Stanford University. My research focuses on molecular underpinnings of experience-dependent plasticity at the synapse. Of particular interest are innate immune molecules that have a role in pruning excitatory synapses during critical periods of development, but remain a part of adult learning mechanisms as well. Innate immune molecules have also been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and autism where they might contribute to synaptic dysfunction. I completed my PhD at Yale University, where I investigated dendritic summation mechanisms using voltage-sensitive dyes in the group of Dr. Dejan Zecevic.

Biophysical Society of Serbia

Synchrotron ALBA, Barcelona, Spain

Title Synchrotron based spectro-microscopies on a single cell - correlative imaging approach

Tanja Dučić, is a beamline scientist at Synchrotron ALBA, Barcelona, Spain. My primary research interest lies in elemental and ultrastructural studies of biological and bio-nanomaterials, particularly in redox active trace elements and nanoparticles and their interactions with biological samples of different origin. My investigations include active application and progress of methodologies for synchrotron based FTIR spectroscopy and microscopy, soft and hard X-ray microscopy, as well as different electron and light microscopies. My talk will include synergistic synchrotron approach which allows us to draw conclusions about the pathophysiological role of trace metals and organic bio-macromolecules in different neurological diseases.

Slovak Biophysical Society

Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park of P.J. Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia

Title Time-resolved detection of oxidative stress level in cancer cells

Research interests: Time-resolved imaging of oxidative stress in cells Monitoring of signaling pathways resulted in apoptosis in cancer cells Molecular mechanisms of photodynamic therapy, visualization of cell response, basic dosimetry Monitoring of cell/tissue oxygenation by steady-state and time-resolved microscopy

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title Nanomaterial Quarantining by Lung Epithelial Cells and in vitro Prediction of Chronic Inflammation after Nanomaterial Inhalation

Tilen Koklič has over 10 years of experience in the field of nanomaterial interaction with living cells and cellular barriers. As a part of a large EU project SmartNanoTox he contributed, as one of the corresponding authors, to discovery of the mechanism of chronic inflammation after exposure to metal oxide nanoparticles enabling one of the first animal-free in vitro/in silico assays for prediction of chronic inflammation. The work was selected as a frontispiece in a prestigious journal Advanced Materials.

Slovak Biophysical Society

Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia and Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia

Title Advances in understanding the conformational diseases mimicking model membranes

Norbert Kučerka received his Ph.D. degree from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia for his research of the inner structure of model biological membranes utilizing the small angle neutron scattering. He expanded the analytical approach by including the X-ray scattering while at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and neutron diffraction at the Canadian National Research Council in Chalk River, Ontario. He applied the developed techniques to explore the correlation between the structure and dynamics of biomembranes and the function taking place at their interfaces. Such an understanding necessarily improves also procedures in pharmacology and medicine, and eventually will help to increase the quality of human life. Presently, at the Joined Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia his work is focused on the structure and interactions in membranes playing a role in Alzheimer’s disease.

Biophysical Society of Serbia

Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

Title The role of calcium signaling in mediating astrocyte interaction with CNS-infiltrated immune cells

I am interested in understanding the roles of glial cells in health and disease. My research is focused on the mechanisms by which astrocytes and neurons interact to support communication in the nervous system. I have studied how astrocytes control and coordinate release of gliotransmitters and utilize them to interact with principal neurons in the hippocampus, in physiological conditions and in epilepsy. My research is also focused on the changes in the membrane properties and potassium buffering of astrocytes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. I am currently investigating how astrocytes interact with immune cells in the animal model of Multiple Sclerosis.

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title Efficiency limits of non-processive molecular motors

I study the motility of processive and nonprocessive linear molecular motors. In particular, I am interested in how efficient they are in converting the chemical energy into the mechanical work and in what determines their efficiency. My research interest ranges from the details of the mechano-chemical cycles and their couplings, e.g., in the case of the cytoplasmic dynein, to the minimal prerequisites for the directed motility of bipedal walkers and the role of the number of states and the kinetic limits in the efficiency of nonprocessive motors.

Slovak Biophysical Society

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Title Aptamer-functionalized nanomotors as potential platform for diagnostics

She is a young scientist under 35 years of age. She received her PhD in Biophysics from Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics University Comenius in 2017. She has extensive experience with the development of electrochemical and optical biosensors based on DNA aptamers and study of interaction of nanoparticles with biomembranes.

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

Title Molecular modeling powered by Machine Learning

My research area lies in the development of efficient and predictive computational methods and models for application areas ranging from life sciences to engineering. To this end, I am working on novel machine learning approaches that can provide molecular models of unprecedented accuracy and/or increase computational efficiency. Additionally, I employ uncertainty quantification tools for reliable predictions and develop novel multi-resolution simulation techniques that combine different simulation methods within a single simulation.

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Department for Theoretical Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title Stimuli-responsive polymeric nanocarriers

My research is focused on computer modeling and theoretical understanding of various bio soft-matter systems, particularly lipid membranes, surfactants, and stimuli-responsive hydrogels. In recent years, I have been dealing mainly with how to tune and control the permeability of small molecules through hydrogel matrices. These questions are relevant for designing ‘programmable’ devices that, like enzymes, are highly selective, adaptive, and interactive with their environment, which has potential in many biomedicine applications, ranging from drug delivery, biosensors, and nanoreactors.

Slovak Biophysical Society

Biomedical Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia

Title Shining the rainbow on a cell - multicolor imaging of cardiac myocytes

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title Cell Membrane Electroporation and Electropermeabilization – Mechanisms and Models

Tadej Kotnik was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1972. He received a Ph.D. in Biophysics from University Paris XI and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ljubljana, both in 2000. He is currently a Full Professor and former Vice-dean for Research at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana. His main research interest is in the effects of electric fields on biological systems, with the focus on the cell and membrane level, particularly on the mechanisms of membrane electropermeabilization. Tadej Kotnik is the first author of 23 articles in SCI-ranked journals cited over 1400 times excluding self-citations, and a co-author of additional 28 such articles cited over 800 times excluding self-citations. His h-index is 26. In 2001 he received the Galvani Prize of the Bioelectrochemical Society.

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title Membrane electroporation and electropermeabilization: mechanisms and models

Biophysics Austria Society

University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Linz, Austria

Title IgG oligomer mediated Fc receptor clustering

I’m a researcher in the lab of Johannes Preiner at the University of Applied Science Upper Austria. The focus of our group is the investigation of molecular mechanisms of antibody clustering and their effect on immune responses. We use high-speed atomic force microscopy and single molecule force spectroscopy in combination with biosensing methods, to characterize the role of antibody oligomerization in the complement pathway or – as in my current project – in Fc receptor clustering and activation.

Slovak Biophysical Society

Department of biophysics, P.J. Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia

Title Viscosity measurements using elastic microstructures

Gregor Bánó is a specialist in the field of bio-photonics and laser physics. His major scientific interest is in the field of photodynamic cancer therapy. In particular, he focuses on drug transport processes in biological systems and on time-resolved phosphorescence detection of singlet oxygen. Besides that, GB works in the field of optically trappable microstructure development for biomedical lab-on-chip applications.

Biophysical Society of Serbia

Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

Title Biophysical methods in coordination chemistry. Unraveling the structure of biliverdin-copper complex Session: Free radical (redox) biophysics

I work as an assistant at the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Belgrade with an interest in biochemistry, biophysics and the development of various analytical methods, such as different chromatographic methods and fluorescence spectroscopy. I am currently completing my PhD at the Faculty of Physical Chemistry.

Biophysical Society of Serbia

Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

Title Emergence of UP-DOWN states in modular neural networks

Spontaneous switching dynamics between the UP states, characterized by the elevated neuronal and synaptic activity, and the DOWN states of relative quiescence, is a fundamental form of collective activity in cortical neurons, believed to facilitate or mediate certain types of learning and memory. We analytically and numerically investigate the conditions giving rise to switching dynamics, focusing on the interplay between the different sources of noise and the heterogeneity in network topology. Considering a clustered network of rate-based neurons influenced by external and intrinsic noise, we derive a reduced low-dimensional model which describes the macroscopic activity in terms of a set of coupled second-order stochastic mean-field systems representing each of the clusters. The reduced model is shown to be capable of (i) capturing the different contributions to effective macroscopic noise, (ii) estimating the impact of network heterogeneity to collective dynamics, and (iii) qualitatively explaining the mechanisms of switching dynamics, providing for the associated parameter domains. While the switching dynamics in homogeneous random networks occurs within a narrow parameter range, resembling the motion of a noise-driven particle in a double-well potential, the modular architecture of the network is found to promote multistable behavior, allowing for the switching phenomenon to gain on robustness.

Slovak Biophysical Society

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Title Ruthenium dendrimers - a potential drug carriers for cancer therapy

She is a research scientist and teacher at the Comenius University, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, at the Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics in Bratislava, Slovakia. She received PhD in the field of Biophysics in 2013. She is interested into the study of nanoparticles for drug delivery and biosensing purposes. She is focused upon elucidating the mechanisms of interactions of nanoparticles based on lipids and/or polymers with model lipid membranes as well as with cell cultures.

Slovak Biophysical Society

Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Title Drug-membrane interaction of potential SARS-CoV-2 antivirals

I work as a member of scientific group of prof. Daniela Uhríková, CSc. We are interested in study of interaction of drug molecules with model lipid membranes using different physical methods. Since COVID-19 disease emerged in 2019 and spread worldwide, leading to an ongoing pandemic, we have focused our interest on biophysical properties of liposomal complexes with recently synthesized antivirals, potentially effective against SARS-CoV-2. We use UV-VIS spectrometry to determine the lipid/water partition coefficient of antivirals and DLS to check the size of liposomes incubated with antivirals. Structure of membrane-drug complexes is studied using SAXD/WAXD and their thermodynamic properties using DSC. Effect of antivirals on membrane lateral pressure is determined by excimer fluorescence.

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Department for Theoretical Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title Active instability and nonlinear dynamics of cell-cell junctions

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Institute of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia and Group for Nano and Biotechnological Applications, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title Immunometabolism of Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Research of cellular bioenergetic pathways of cancer and immune cells. Exploration of the mechanisms that support cancer cells growth in anchorage independent conditions. Research of the interaction of nanomaterials with cells, relation between physico-chemical properties and protein corona compositions. Molecular biophysics, analysis of mechanisms in relation to different methods for advance drug delivery (nanoparticles, electroporation).

Biophysical Society of Serbia

Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

Title Biophysical modeling and analysis of the predictors of the COVID-19 transmission and clinical severity

I am a Teaching Assistant on biophysics and computational biology courses and a member of the Quantitative biology research group at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of biology. Our team consists of biologists (myself), physicists, and mathematicians, together with multiple international collaborators. The main direction of our research is modeling and analysis of gene expression in bacterial "immune" systems, including restriction-modification systems and CRISPR-Cas, which allows them to defend the cell from foreign DNA without harming its own genome. Recently, we constructed an epidemiological dynamical model and developed a bioinformatics and statistical procedure to identify the predictors of the COVID-19 transmission dynamics and clinical severity. I will present some of the results of this new research.

Slovak Biophysical Society

Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park of P.J. Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia

Title Singlet oxygen production by LOV domain

My present research projects are focused on utilizing of protein evolution and protein engineering approaches in modulation of: (i) membrane proteins solubility and (ii) catalytic enzyme properties. Closely related to this is my interest in relations between local/global stabilities and function of enzymes/proteins. These topics assume correct analysis of stability of proteins that involves thermodynamic equilibrium and kinetic stability analysis approaches as well as their combination. My long-term interest involves a study of solvent effect, including Hofmeister effect, on structural and functional protein properties involving also their aggregation related to formulation of antibodies and protein fibrillization.

Biophysical Society of Serbia

Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

Title Plant mechanosensitivity: structural and chemical modifications in cell walls.

Dr Jasna Simonović Radosavljević is research fellow (Research Assistant Professor) at Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade. The research interest of Dr Jasna Simonović Radosavljević is mainly devoted to the understanding differences between molecular organisation of cell walls of different botanical origin. Besides, her studies are related to the connection between mechanical stress and structural modifications in plant cell walls. Also, investigations of new compounds, including those based on plant cell walls and related polymers, for possible applications in biomaterials and biofuels are in the focus of her interest. Different types of spectroscopy and microscopy are the main instrumental techniques in Jasna’s research.

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia

Title From isles of Königsberg to islets of Langerhans: Calcium oscillations in networks of beta cells

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia and Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title A dynamic preferred direction model for the self-organization of bacterial microfluidic pumping

Theory, modeling, and simulations of soft matter, biophysics, acoustics. From my starting expertise in nematohydrodynamics and dynamics of defects, I have been expanding into a wider area of soft matter physics, biophysics and adjacent interdisciplinary fields, including in particular macroscopic dynamics of complex (active) fluids and nanofilms, continuum description of long polymers, packing of DNA, bacterial collective dynamics, magnetic fluids. In parallel I am active in the field of acoustic modeling, with the perspective of connecting vibroacoustics with physics of soft matter/materials and biophysics. Past interdisciplinary collaborations include dynamics of granular matter, vibrational communication of insects, laser Doppler vibrometry. Current hot topics: the concept of the dynamic preferred direction in complex active fluids, tensorial and generalized conservation laws for linear polymers, magnetic fluids, advanced ray-tracing acoustic modeling.

Slovenian Biophysical Society

Department for Theoretical Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Title Viral RNA as a randomly branched polymer

A major part of my scientific interests has been physical virology, where my research topics range from the role of electrostatic interactions in viral capsids (the distribution of charges, role of charge regulation, ...) to the exploration of relationships between sequence, structure, and function of viral RNA genomes. I am also interested in exploring the physical variables, such as charge and hydrophobicity, that influence the survival of (simple) viruses in liquid droplets. Another part of my research interests involves the classification of order and order transitions in particles confined to a spherical surface by using concepts derived from hyperuniformity and from scalar, vector, and tensor spherical harmonics. Lastly, in recent years I have also been exploring the role of elastic inhomogeneities in the response of pollen grains to changes in environmental humidity (i.e., upon desiccation or swelling).