STEPUPIORS in IDIBAPS News

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AFALynch Association Visits IDIBAPS to Explore Advances in Colon and Rectal Cancer Research

On Friday, May 16, IDIBAPS welcomed representatives from the Association of Families Affected by Lynch Syndrome (AFALynch).

During their visit, the AFALynch delegation had the chance to gain direct insight into the research being conducted by Sergi Castellví-Bel, head of the IDIBAPS group on Genetic Predisposition to Gastrointestinal Cancer, and Francesc Balaguer, head of the Gastroenterology Department at Hospital Clínic and researcher in the IDIBAPS group on Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Oncology. The group also toured the laboratories and the biobank, where biological samples for research are processed and preserved.

One of the highlights of the visit was learning about the STEPUPIORS project. It was discussed that our initiative aims to establish a European network of institutions dedicated to rectal cancer research. The visitors were informed that the project aims to identify prognostic and predictive biomarkers by analyzing the molecular profiles of patients at both diagnosis and throughout treatment. It was concluded that the project’s findings are expected to inform evidence-based treatment decisions, refine therapeutic protocols, reduce side effects and healthcare costs, and ultimately improve patient quality of life.

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STEPUPIORS at AACR2025

Project participants from the Netherlands Cancer Institute under the leadership of Remond Fijneman and Gerrit Meijer had a very successful 2025 annual congress of the American Association for Cancer Research presenting results of multiple studies on colorectal cancer biomarkers:
Denise van Steijn
Cell-free DNA fragmentomes for treatment response monitoring in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: the DOLPHIN study
Carmen Rubio Alarcón
Hemizygous focal deletions in MACROD2 alter tumor biology and genomic instability in colorectal cancer
Nerma Crnovrsanin
Beyond tumor size: Biological and clinical predictors of ctDNA shedding in colon cancer
All congress abstracts are freely available at:

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STEPUPIORS at ZeNCure project training in Spatial Transcriptomics and Bioinformatics

STEPUPIORS project members Milena Cavic, Ana Djuric, Teodora Cato and Luka Lisica enjoyed a rewarding collaboration and training session in Spatial Transcriptomics and Bioinformatics organized by the ZeNCure Twinning project (101160259 ). During the training, stereo-seq technology applications on fresh frozen tissue and FFPE were presented, followed by a Spatial Transcriptomics Data Analysis 
hands-on session.

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STEPUPIORS at ESTRO2025

On May 1-6, 2025, project participant Mladen Marinkovic attended the annual congress of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), held in Vienna, Austria, under the theme “Transformative Innovation Through Partnership.”
During the congress, Dr Marinkovic presented the results of his research work in the form of digital posters:
“Prognostic factors for disease-free interval in patients with rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and dose intensification”, presented within the lower gastrointestinal cancers session
and
“Meta-analysis of publicly available transcriptomics data reveals predictive biomarkers for neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer”, presented in the radiobiology session.
Participation in this congress provided insight into the latest research and innovations in the field of radiation oncology, including advanced approaches to treatment planning and delivery, radiobiological foundations of personalized therapy, and the integration of artificial intelligence into clinical practice.
Moreover, the event served as a valuable platform for networking with colleagues from leading European centers, contributing significantly to the professional development and continuous improvement of both clinical and research work. The exchange of experiences and exposure to diverse methodologies and technologies are expected to enhance therapeutic strategies at the home institution.

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First multiplex ELISA run on the Luminex MAGPIX system in Serbia

Exciting news at IORS – the first multiplex ELISA experiment using plasma samples of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer on the Luminex MAGPIX system has been successfully run. The technology offered accurate, reproducible, and sensitive quantification of multiple proteins in a single, small volume reaction, saving precious clinical samples for all needed analyses from a single blood draw.

Team effort of STEPUPIORS members Aleksandra Stanojevic, Katarina Mirjacic Martinovic, Mladen Marinkovic, Teodora Cato, Ana Vuletic, Ana Djuric, Luka Lisica, Milena Cavic and Radmila Jankovic was supported by the constant help of the dedicated staff from the company Novos d.o.o. to enable the first analysis of this kind in Serbia.

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STEPUPIORS in IORS News

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STEPUPIORS at UMOS School for digestive cancers 2025

STEPUPIORS members participated as lecturers, moderators and panelists at the Second School for digestive cancers organized by the ESMO-affiliated Serbian Association of Medical Oncology, on April 11-12, 2025, in Belgrade Serbia.
The meeting gathered clinicians and researchers from the SouthEast Europe region and enabled constructive discussions on treatment options and future directions in the field of digestive oncology.

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STEPUPIORS in News of the Serbian Association of Patients

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STEPUPIORS at the Spring 2025 Meeting of the Radiotherapy Section of the Serbian Medical Society

Dr Suzana Stojanovic-Rundic and Dr Mladen Marinkovic participated as chairs and lecturers at the Spring 2025 Meeting of the Radiotherapy Section of the Serbian Medical Society, held on March 28-29, 2025, in Kragujevac, Serbia.
Dr Marinkovic gave a lecture on “Intensification of neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer and patterns of response prediction”, and trained the next generation of radiation oncologists during a “Workshop on radiotherapy of the digestive system”.

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