1.

Extracellular vesicles as potential biomarkers of active HIV-reservoirs

In 2016, I was invited at the symposium of "Extracellular vesicles - role in pathogenesis and clinical potential" organised at the time of ongoing project J3-5499 (ARRS). At this meeting, I presented my current results on determining the concentration of Nef-ELISA and the presence of TAR RNA (PCR) in HIV-1 infected patients to identify and evaluate the size of partially active HIV viruses. These two potentially novel biomarkers Nef and TAR RNA were detected in at least half of aviremic HIV-infected individuals.

B.04 Guest lecture

COBISS.SI-ID: 33019609

2.

Circulating cell-free and exosomal miRNAs as potential biomarkers for leaky HIV reservoirs

At the end of year 2017, I was invited to present my current work at the symposium of "Extracellular Vesicles - A Novel Source Of Disease Biomarkers", organised with the intention to present extracellular vesicles to general scientific community and point out their promising potential in medicine. At this gathering, I presented my current results detecting modified plasma expression of human miRNA (qPCR) in HIV-1 infected patients, which might be used as an alternative biomarker to identify and evaluate partially active HIV viruses in these patients.

B.04 Guest lecture

COBISS.SI-ID: 33563609

3.

Viral protein Nef and human miRNAs are putative plasma biomarkers of HIV-a reservoirs in infected individuals with undetectable viral RNA

In September 2017, I was selected for oral presentation at the 12th meeting of Slovenian Biochemical Society organized in Bled, Slovenia. At this meeting, I presented results of determining the plasma concentration of Nef protein (Nef-ELISA) and modified expression of plasma present miRNA (qPCR) in HIV-infected individuals for identification and evaluation of residual HIV reservoir.

B.04 Guest lecture

COBISS.SI-ID: 33461721

4.

Trans-activation response element RNA is detectable in the plasma of a subset of aviremic HIV-1-infected patients

As part of TAR RNA study, I was co-supervisor of the research work to medical student, Anže Hladnik, who applied research entitled "Evaluation of the viral TAR RNA and human micro-RNA hsa-miR-20a-5p as biologically important for the body tanks of HIV " for Prešern Prize competition in 2017. This research work was awarded with the Faculty Prešeren Prize and was even further nominated for the University Prešeren Prize.

E.01 National awards

COBISS.SI-ID: 33286873