Dr Milena Čavić
Principal research fellow
President of the SDIR Executive Committee
Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia
BIOGRAFIJA
Milena Čavić holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and a MSc in Management in the Healthcare system from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. She is currently employed at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia as a Principal Research Fellow. Her current research focus involves investigating molecular mechanisms of response and resistance to anticancer therapies, as well as the advancement and implementation of cancer early detection and screening programs. Dr Cavic serves as the Chair of the Diagnostics Working Group of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)’s Screening & Early Detection Committee. She is a coordinator and principal investigator in Horizon Europe projects. Dr Cavic is a (co)author of over 60 scientific publications and has served as an expert evaluator of proposals in Horizon (Life sciences panel) and European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) programs. In 2024, Dr Cavic participated in the establishment of the first national Master of Science Bioinformatics program at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia. She is passionately involved in the education of young scientists as a lecturer and mentor at the University of Belgrade, Serbia and University of Barcelona, Spain. Her efforts are also directed towards implementation of strategies for dealing with inequity in cancer research and healthcare.
Dr Ivana Matić
Principal research fellow
Vice-president of the SDIR
Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia
www.ncrc.ac.rs
BIOGRAFIJA
Dr Ivana Matić was born on March 21, 1983 in Belgrade, Serbia. She obtained degree Master of Science in Molecular Biology and Physiology at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade in 2009 and finished her graduate studies with an average grade of 9,66. Ivana obtained a doctoral degree – Ph.D. in Biology/Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade in 2013 and had the maximum average grade of 10,00. Ivana Matić is employed at the Laboratory for Radiobiology and Experimental Oncology (former Laboratory for Biological Response Modifiers) of the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia since 2009. She is a Principal Research Fellow since 2025. Her research interest is focused on experimental oncology, molecular biology of cancer, and radiobiology. Ivana Matić participated in two national scientific projects and two COST actions. She is a member of the Serbian research group for cooperation with the Radiogenomics Consortium. Ivana was a leader of the team who received a grant for the realization of a research project in the field of radiobiology from the Center for Leadership Development in May 2017. Ivana Matić is a leading researcher of the Horizon Europe project “Twinning to skyrocket scientific excellence towards individual radiosensitivity prediction by raising the bar in knowledge transfer, networking, and technological innovation in radiobiology”, RadExIORSBoost, Project Number 101158832, programme HORIZON EUROPE, call HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-02. Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia is a project coordinator. Ivana was a mentor of one Ph.D. thesis at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, and one Ph.D. thesis at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade. She is currently mentor of two Ph.D. students. Ivana participated in three Commissions for doctoral thesis defense. She has published 79 original research articles in international scientific journals; her h-index is 21 according to the SCOPUS database. Ivana is a member and secretary of the Serbian Association for Cancer Research (SDIR) since SDIR was founded in 2010. She is a member of the SDIR Executive Committee since 2014. Currently, she is a vice-president of the SDIR Executive Committee.
Dr Ana Damjanović Veličković
Senior Research Associate
Secretary of SDIR
Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia
BIOGRAFIJA
Dr Ana Damjanović Veličković is a Senior Research Associate specializing in cancer biology and molecular genetics. She obtained her M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade. She is currently employed at the Laboratory for Molecular Genetics at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, where she is actively involved in diagnostic genetic testing across various types of cancer. Dr. Damjanović Veličković previously worked as a cancer researcher at the Laboratory for Biological Response Modifiers at the same institute. Her research focuses on cancer cell biology, the evaluation of anticancer potential of newly synthesized and natural compounds, mechanisms of apoptosis, and molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to cancer therapies. Her work aims to contribute to the development of more effective and personalized therapeutic strategies. In addition to her doctoral education, she completed academic specialization studies in Biological Medicines at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, further expanding her expertise in modern therapeutic approaches. Dr. Damjanović Veličković is actively engaged in mentoring students and young researchers from the University of Belgrade, supporting the development of future scientists in the field of oncology and molecular medicine. She also contributed to the establishment of the first official scientific journal of the Serbian Association for Cancer Research, Oncology Insights, where she currently serves as Managing Editor. Through this role, she participates in promoting scientific excellence and fostering collaboration within the oncology research community. She has authored and co-authored more than 30 scientific papers published in peer-reviewed international journals and regularly participates in national and international scientific conferences. Her professional interests include translational cancer research, molecular diagnostics, targeted therapies, and the exploration of novel biomarkers for cancer detection and treatment monitoring.
Dr Milica Pešić
Associate Editor
Principal research fellow
Institute for Biological Research
„Siniša Stanković“
BIOGRAFIJA
Dr Milica Pešić was born on 14 th May 1971 in Belgrade. She finished her undergraduate studies in Molecular Biology and Physiology at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Biology in 1995. At the same faculty, she defended her Master’s Thesis in 1998 and was honored with Ph.D. in Biology in 2008. During her Ph.D. studies, she postponed her career due to 5 maternity leaves (6 years). As a Research Trainee at ICN Galenika, Center for Biomedical Research, Laboratory for Tumor Biology, Belgrade, and Laboratory for Molecular Biology »ICN Pharmaceuticals« – Costa Mesa, California, USA, Dr. Pešić was receiving a scholarship from the Serbian Ministry of Science for her Master’s studies (1995-1997). For almost all of her ncareer, she was employed at the Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković” – National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, starting from 1998 when she became a Research Assistant. Dr. Pešić was promoted to Research Associate in 2009, Senior Research Associate in 2013, and Principal Research Fellow in 2018. Currently, she holds the Head of the Department of Neurobiology position. Her research area encompasses cancer research, molecular biology, cell biology, preclinical studies, and experimental biomedicine. According to SCOPUS, Dr. Pešić co-authored 96 publications, cited by 1446 publications, with an h-index of 22. She directly supervised three Ph.D. students during her career. Dr. Milica Pešić is a PI of a project on Functional diagnostics in non-small cell lung carcinoma – a new concept for the improvement of personalized therapy in Serbian patients – TargetedResponse (2022 – 2025) funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia within the program IDEAS. She is a vice-president of the Serbian Association for Cancer Research, she was a member of the University Council for Interdisciplinary, Multidisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Studies at the University of Belgrade, and she is still a member of the Steering Committee of the Institute for Medical Research – National Institute of the Republic of Serbia.
Dr Marija Đorđić Crnogorac
Technical Editor
Senior research associate
Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia
BIOGRAFIJA
Dr Marija Đorđić Crnogorac Marija Djordjic Crnogorac holds a PhD in Molecular Biology. She has more than 10 years of experience in cancer research at the Experimental Oncology Department of the Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia in Belgrade. Dr Marija Djordjic Crnogorac devoted herself to work in the Department of Genetic Counseling for Hereditary Cancer. In addition to the laboratory part that includes new generation sequencing technology, sample collection, data analysis, and research into the genetic basis of hereditary cancer syndromes, Marija is also involved in daily work and ncommunication with patients. She is trained in the interpretation of genomic data, variant annotation, and genetic counseling. She is a (co)author of over 20 scientific publications. Additionally, she actively participates in several national and European research projects and is involved in training and mentoring students.
Dr Milica Nedeljković
Technical Editor
Research Associate
Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia
BIOGRAFIJA
Dr Milica Nedeljković holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade which she obtained in 2018. Dr Nedeljković is currently employed at the Laboratory for Immunology of the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia as a research associate and has over ten years’ experience in oncology. Her research focus encompasses molecular biology of cancer, mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance of triple negative breast cancer and experimental oncology. Dr Nedeljković is also experienced in variant annotation and pathogenicity interpretation. She is skilled in scientific and medical illustration. Milica Nedeljković has authored ten papers which have been cited by 590 publications according to SCOPUS database. She has reviewed numerous papers for a number of journals. Dr Nedeljković received an excellence in science distinction from The Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia for her work. She is a member of the Serbian Association for Cancer Research (SDIR) since its founding in 2010.
EDITORS
Dr Radmila Janković
Dr Marko Radulović
Prof. Katarina Zeljić
Dr Ana Krivokuća
Prof. Chiara Ambrogio
Dr Thomas Mohr
Prof. Engin Ulukaya
Prof. Vilma Petrikaite
Prof. Konstanonos Dimas
Dr Cristina Xavier
Dr Remond Fijneman
Prof. Ieronymos Zoidakis
Dr Sergi Castellvi-Bel
Dr Petar Ozretic
Prof. Sonja Levanat
EDITORIAL COUNCIL
Dr Ana Đurić
Dr Marko Radulović
Dr Radmila Janković
Prof. Katarina Zeljić
Dr Lidija Todorović
Dr Nina Petrović