Page 17 - SRPSKO DRUŠTVO ISTRAŽIVAČA RAKA

Serbian Associa on for Cancer Research SDIRSACR

later on, we made the successful applica on for membership in EACR.

The one rule to become a member of SDIR was to work in the fi eld of cancer research. I remember the names and
scien fi c work of our colleagues who, by their excellent research and educa on of young scien sts, created the
basis for modern cancer research in Serbia. One of the most famous (successor of the eminent Ksenofon Šahović
who par cipated in the forma on of the Ins tute of Radiology as the cancer research center, and succesor of
Professor Emillija Višnjić) was the dis nguished scien st Professor Blagoje Nešković MD, PhD (1907-1984). It
must be emphasized that the organiza on in the Laboratory for Experimental Oncology as the research unit
of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade made by dr Nešković was enthusias cally created not only
for that me, but also for future research. Even now, 60 years later, the basic teamwork organiza on, and the
basic scien fi c methods (mainly cell cultures in vitro, histo- and citology, the use of inverted, fl uorescent and
scaning microscopy) within scien fi c projects are preserved and are used together with new technologies. Under
the leadeship of Blagoje Nešković, a mul professional team consis ng of chemist Bulka Babin, biologist Zoran
Ajdarić, physicist Đoka Polić, pharmacist Ljubinka Đurić, physical chemists Dragica Nikolić-Vukosavljević and me,
Zorica Juranić and technician Delimir Marković, studied processes of in vitro cell growth and development, the
mechanism of ac on of various biological response modifi ers like vinca alkaloids and also the eff ect of various
frac ons of viper venom, or of formamide on malignant cells in vitro. Dr Nešković was passionately interested in
the determina on of the energy of malignant cell metabolism by isothermal microcalorimetry, working mainly in
the fi eld of experimentral oncology.

The results from his most known study, his PhD thesis, dealing with inves ga ons on the developmental phases
in intermitosis and the prepara on for mitosis of mammalian cells in vitro were published in Interna onal Review
of Cytology in 1968. Findings from his studies of the eff ect of various agents on the developmental phases of
the L strain cells in vitro were published in Nature 1965. As it was known that metabolites of polycyclic aroma c
hydrocarbons benzo(a) pyren are strong carcinogens, Blagoje Nešković with Vesna Šoškić presented their analysis
on the detec on of small quan es of 3,4-benzpyrene directly from chromatographic paper in Nature in 1961. Dr
Nešković was ac vely intrested not only in the processes of cell morphology and growth, but also in learning the
secondary DNA structure. Under his leadership, thermal analysis of the disrup on of secondary DNA structure,
(the determina on of the DNA mel ng point, and of DNA mel ng profi le) was introduced as a method in the
Laboratory for Experimental Oncology. Thermal denatura on of the secondary DNA structure and hibridiza on
of single strand DNA into double helix are among the main procedures used even nowadays in the methods of
the determina on of primary DNA structure, of DNA sequencing. They are included in the methods for detec on
of (non) specifi c muta ons in DNA, in the tests which are the basis for pa ent selec on for modern, targeted
cancer therapies. Interests of Prof. Nešković also included hormone receptor sensi ve tumors. Nowadays, in
clinics, the determina on of the presence of steroid receptor posi ve tumors (by immunohistochemistry) is of
the main importance for pa ents, who can be treated with hormonal therapy. There are many of us who are
grateful to Professor Blagoje Nešković for his amazing scien fi c legacy.

IORS, Department of Experimental Oncology, 1987. First row: (le to right) Radovan Vukićević, Đoka Polić, dr Ivan Spužić,
dr Nikola Vujanović and Ljubinka Đurić. Second row: (le to right) dr Ljiljana Vučković-Dekić, Dragica Nikolić-Vukosavljević,
Zorica Juranić, Ivanka Šami, dr Nevenka Stanojević-Bakić, dr Dušanka Milošević, Slavica Kutanoski and dr Milica Marinković