Završeni projekti

Worldwide, zoonotic diseases have a negative impact on commerce, travel and economies. In most developing countries, zoonotic diseases are among those diseases of major public health significance and contribute significantly to an already overly burdened public health system. In industrialized nations, zoonotic diseases are of particular concern for at-risk groups such as the elderly, children, childbearing women and immunocompromised individuals.

In an effort to increase the knowledge and understanding of current and probable future public health significance infectious disease transmitted from non-human animals to humans, a consortium of 4 countries (Romania, Croatia, Lithuania and Italy) proposed the ZoonosesOnlineEducation project.

The project aims to create open digital educational resources in the field of veterinary medicine based on developing innovative guidelines on zoonotic diseases study and veterinary, medical, pedagogical, linguistic and raise awareness intervention related to identify, monitor and control malaria and dirofilariasis, useful for the academic, professional and general beneficiaries.

Project brings together 5 educational sectors, all with impact in 5 different end beneficiaries groups:

Veterinary medicine:
O1 – Analysis on zoonoses state of arts;
O2 – Study on best practices on zoonoses interventions;
O3 – Guide of main infectious diseases transmitted from non-human animals to humans;
O4 – Videos capturing zoonoses bio-manipulation in simulation centers;
O6 – Open Online Course on Zoonoses;
O7 – ZoonosesOnlineEducation Kit; for students, lectures, professionals & institutions in veterinary field.

Human medicine:
O9 – Protocol on epidemiological monitoring and disease control in public health practice; for students, lectures, professionals & institutions in medicine

Pedagogy-education:
O8 – Handbook of pedagogical guidelines on health education; for students – future teachers, teachers, pupils aged 6-12, parents

Languages:
O5 – Interdisciplinary pedagogical resource (Medical communication linguistic resources); O6 – Open online course on veterinary communication; for students, lectures, professionals & institutions in languages

Raise awareness:
O10 – ZoonosesOnlineEducation IT tool – public and institutions at large

Project coordinator: Croatian Microbiological Society (CMS)

The project “In the Society of Microbes” by the Croatian Microbiological Society is funded by the European Social Fund and also by State budget of Croatia in the period from 19^th March 2018 to 18^th January 2020. The aim is to contribute to the introduction, development, improvement and sustainability of service learning, as a part of the academical learning.

Service learning (SL) is an educational approach in which students use the knowledge and skills gathered through the study to provide solutions for a concrete problem recognised in society. SL is also recognised as a powerful way for connecting general society to academy with students as the principal mediators.

This is the first service learning project in the field of microbiology in Croatia and it will be carried out in collaboration with academic institutions (Catholic University of Croatia, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zagreb) and NGOs (Bioteka – an association for promotion of biology and related sciences, BIUS – an association of biology students).

Project objectives will be achieved through multiple activities. In the first part of the project, both volunteers and academia employees will be educated about service learning through workshops and excursion. The workshops include:

• education about service learning, applying new education approaches and evaluating student`s performance. This education will be held by assoc. prof. Nives Mikelić Preradović, PhD (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb), an expert on service learning.
• education about lessons planning and supervised service learning programmes planning. This education will be held by assoc. prof. Ines Radanović (Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb), an expert on applied educational approaches.
• education about interpretation of scientific subjects through public media. This education will be held by Emma Clayton, mag. oecol. et. prot. nat. (Frontiers for Young Minds editor), an expert on communication between scientific community and general public, and Sanja Lepur (Virtual Factory), an expert on interactive web design.

At the end of first part of the project, supervisors and volunteers will visit the museum of microbes “Micropia” in Amsterdam. The museum stands out with its unique approach in presenting microbiological exhibits to general public giving it an important social role.

In the continuation of the project, students of partner faculties will take their part. For most of them, the participation in the project “In the Society of Microbes” will be the first opportunity to apply their knowledge in solving societal problems and to contribute to society as its active members. After finishing required education (for applying gathered knowledge in local community, for development and improvement of communication skills, for applying service learning, and for preparation of interactive learning contents), students will, with mentor`s support, identify microbiological problems in society and prepare materials for Virtual Museum of Microbes. Besides that, students will also give workshops for children in elementary schools and in Bioteka, and will also give public lectures to educate general public.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb (FVM) is well established research institution in Croatia with more than 178 staff members who have excellent education and scientific experience. In order to conduct structural changes in veterinary medicine, scientists at FVM have accepted ERA Chair initiative, aiming at fostering structural changes, synergies between cohesion and research funding, and to raise research quality in the application of molecular technologies to international levels of excellence.

The project proposal aims to reinforce research performance of FVM through enhancing its capacities in molecular veterinary medicine, by attracting outstanding experienced researchers, transfer of knowledge and research potential, especially in the fields of proteomics and metabolomics.

The exchange of know-how and experience with esteemed outstanding experienced researchers will be accomplished through coherent set of measures: training, workshops and trans-national two-way secondments of research staff. The workshops on different aspects in molecular medicine organised in Zagreb and will mostly cover three chosen fields: comparative tumour analysis, post-genomic technology and wildlife research at the FVM departments. By the upgrading of its research performance and excellence FVM will improve performance in competitive research funding, prevent brain drain, enhance its competiveness and visibility in broader region and become internationally recognized partner.

The proposed activities should increase research performance in specific field of molecular veterinary medicine and FVM will be able to increase its involvement in international research projects with EU partners and to be better integrated into the ERA. The ERA Chair Initiative will be unique in croatian veterinary science with potential benefits for the broader research community and neighbouring countries.

Sažetak:
Dokozaheksaenske kiseline (DHA) je važna masna kiselina čiji je biokemijski put sinteze dugo vremena bio nejasan. Trenutni model pretpostavlja kako nakon serije desaturacija i elongacija u endoplazmatskoj mrežici nastaje C24:6n3 koja odlazi u peroksisom gdje se jednim ciklusom ß-oksidacije skraćuje u 22:6n3 (DHA) i zatim odlazi natrag u endoplazmatsku mrežicu gdje bude esterificirana u odgovarajuće fosfolipide. Količinu DHA u plazmi i tkivima određuje unos masnih kiselina hranom, natjecanje za enzime između n3 i n6 linije masnih kiselina i endogeni metabolizam. Svi ovi čimbenici mogu biti promijenjeni tijekom dijabetesa. Međutim, složenost sinteze trenutno onemogućava točno predviđanje razine DHA u tkivima dijabetičnih životinja. U projektu ćemo istražiti učinak n3/n6 omjera lipida hrane i direktnog dodatka DHA kod dijabetesa tipa 1 i 2 na metabolizam DHA, oksidaciju u mitohondrijima i peroksisomima i DHA metabolom. Naša pretpostavka je dokazivanje da hranidbena modulacija može umanjiti učinak inzulina kod dijabetičke dislipidemija što može imati veliko značenje u tretmanu dijabetesa. Dodatno ćemo istražiti koji enzimi, uključeni u mitohondrijsku i peroksisomsku ß-oksidaciju, mogu biti regulirani lipidima hrane. Istraživanja će biti provedena na štakorima kojima će biti induciran dijabetes tipa 1 i 2 te će dobivati hranidbene tretmane s varirajućih razinama n3/n6 i povećanom koncentracijom DHA. Integriranje rezultata pokusa objasnit će promjene u koncentracijama DHA kod različitih tipova dijabetesa. Istraživanja na subcelularnoj razini omogućit će utvrđivanje učinka dijabetesa na mitohondrijsku i peroksisomsku ß-oksidaciju i metabolizam DHA. Istraživanje metaboloma DHA povezat će prehranu, dijabetes i bioaktivne produkte DHA. Naposljetku, podaci iz cjelokupnog projekta rezultirat će integracijom znanja i boljim razumijevanjem biosinteze DHA.

The project Improving current understanding and research for sustainable control of the poultry red mite dermanyssus gallinae – COREMI aims to consolidate the existing expertise and knowledge on poultry red mite and to generate a synergic/holistic approach to improve health, welfare and productivity of the laying hens through more effective prevention and control of poultry red mites.

The project is funded via the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme.

Svrha projekta je dati priliku studentima veterine za angažman u društveno korisnim projektima očuvanja morskog okoliša. Kroz projekte u sklopu nastave, a u suradnji s organizacijama civilnoga društva studenti detektiraju potrebe zajednice i kroz kolegije izrađuju potencijalna rješenja – projekte kroz koje će se angažirati u lokalnoj zajednici.

U sklopu ovog konkretnog projekta detektirane su teme koje su zanimljive studentima, a donijet će korist zajednici kroz edukaciju o metodama praćenja populacija i liječenja zaštićenih morskih životinja, morskih kornjača i dupina.

Terenski rad tijekom projekta odvijat će se u Morskom obrazovnom centru – Aquarium Pula te na Murteru. Pulski dio edukacija bit će fokusiran na morske kornjače te će studenti u teoretskom i praktičnom dijelu proći gradivo izrade protokola praćenja i spašavanja morskih zaštićenih životinja do praktične primjene prilikom isplova morskim brodicama. Nakon edukacije osmislit će konkretne projekte primjenjive u zajednici  i provesti ih u djelo na području Istarske županije. Na radionicama u Murteru studentski će se fokusirati na dupine, i educirati se o izradi protokola za praćenje, bilježenju pojavnosti zaštićenih morskih životinja – datum, vrijeme, zemljopisna pozicija, broj životinja, dobne kategorije, meteorološkmi uvjetima i ljudskom utjecaju (pomorski promet, turistička i ribarska djelatnost),  osnovama fotografiranja zaštićenih morskih životinjskih vrsta te opisu prijetnji tijekom boravka u prirodi i slično. Nakon edukacija, studenti će  također osmisliti projekte za stanovništvo obalnih i otočnih zajednica na cijelom području hrvatske strane Jadrana te ih odraditi u suradnji s lokalnim udrugama, školama i sličnim ustanovama.

In an effort to overcome the limitations of currently available treatments, the BIO-CHIP project aims at carrying out a phase II clinical trial (Nose To Knee II) for the treatment of traumatic cartilage lesions in the knee, with two main innovations:
the use of autologous nasal chondrocytes as a cell source superior to articular chondrocytes and
the delivery of a tissue graft (tissue therapy) as opposed to a cellular graft (cellular therapy).
We intend to formally test the hypothesis that implanting a mature cartilage graft will improve the clinical efficacy, leading to a significant improvement in the main primary outcome, i.e., pain and functionality.