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INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR GENETICS
AND GENETIC ENGINEERING
University of Belgrade

Gene Regulation in Cancer

  • Group for Gene Regulation in Cancer studies the structure and function of regulatory DNA and RNA elements and their role in the development and progression of malignant diseases.

    The main research topics are:

    • Alternative gene promoters - activity in different cellular and physiological contexts and interactions with transcriptional regulators and small RNAs
    • Non-coding RNAs - structure and function, interaction partners, expression in different cellular and physiological contexts and role in carcinogenesis-related processes
    • 5'-untranslated regions (5'-UTR) - expression profile of transcripts with different 5'-UTRs in different cellular and physiological contexts and interactions with translational regulators and microRNAs
    • TGFB signaling pathway - structure and function of alternative promoters and 5'-UTR genes encoding signaling pathway members, interaction of mRNA with microRNA and characterization of functional variants
    • Response to chemoradiotherapy - characterization of molecular mechanisms underlying the complete pathological response and chemoradioresistance

    The research is focused on solid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract: colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular cancer and oral cancer. The research also includes lung cancer, thyroid cancer and ovarian cancer.

    Research is performed on 2D and 3D cell cultures and tumor and non-tumor tissue samples obtained during tumor resection or biopsy. Special attention is dedicated to the development of a model system for ex vivo stimulation of tumor tissue in order to examine the mechanisms and determinants of the response to chemoradiotherapy.

    In addition to classical techniques of molecular and cell biology, the research is conducted using modern bioinformatics approaches and high-throughput methods - transcriptomics and proteomics.

    Students of all levels of study are involved in the work through the realization of seminar and scientific research papers.

    Innovation activities are aimed at examining the potential of regulatory DNA and RNA elements as biosensors, biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer.

  • Aleksandra Nikolić

    Full Research Professor

    Group for Gene Regulation in Cancer
    Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Genomics

    Aleksandra Nikolić, PhD, is a Full Research Professor and Head of the Gene Regulation in Cancers Group. She has been employed at IMGGE since 2002 and, since 2024, has also been engaged as the Coordinator of the Project Management Office.

    She studies alterations in transcriptional regulation in solid tumors, with a focus on gastrointestinal tract tumors. Her research is aimed at identifying DNA and RNA regulatory elements that behave specifically in malignant cells, with the idea that they can serve as biomarkers or biosensors, as well as for the development of targeted therapies for malignant diseases. She led the SENSOGENE project within the PROMIS program of the Science Fund, through which she introduced work on 3D cell cultures and bioinformatics approaches into her research. She is particularly interested in multidisciplinary collaborations that would enable advanced analyses and better utilization of available transcriptomic and proteomic data, development of biomarkers and biosensors as diagnostic tools for clinical application, as well as development of a new generation of RNA molecule-based therapeutics.

    She is intensively involved in scientific education and communication and collaborates in this area with a large number of high schools, talent centers, the Petnica Science Center, and student associations. She has supervised 5 doctoral dissertations, 9 master’s theses, and 11 undergraduate theses, as well as internships and student projects for more than 100 undergraduate students. Since 2011, she has been the Head of the Biology and Chemistry program for high school students. She has conducted numerous trainings and workshops in the field of academic skills and has been a guest lecturer on this subject at the Faculty of Biology since 2017. She has participated in all projects implemented by IMGGE within the European Commission’s Researchers’ Night program and was the leader of two such projects, SCIMFONICOM and SCIMFONICOM 2.013. She created the "Career Development Game" (editions for high school students, university students, and doctoral candidates), designed to introduce the challenges of working in science in a fun, age-appropriate way.

  • mpIMGGE work program for 2025 - Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, 451-03-136/2025-03/200042, 2025

    sfamWorm Profiler: Surveillance and population genetics of Echinococcus in Serbia (WORM_PROFILER) (2024-2026)

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