Save the date: STEPUPIORS WEBINAR ON PRECISION MEDICINE
Date: September 18th 2025, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (CET)
STEPUPIORS is delighted to invite you to its Webinar on Precision Medicine
AGENDA
10:00 – 10:45 Methods for ssDNA library prep for the study of ultra-short cfDNA fragments – Dr Miljana Tanić, IORS
10:45 – 11:00 Discussion
11:00 – 11:45 AI in precision medicine – advantages of ensemble deep learning approaches – Dr Marko Radulović, IORS
11:45 – 12:00 Discussion
Dr Miljana Tanić is a molecular biologist with a PhD in human cancer genetics from the Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain. She gained international scientific experience at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, Columbia University, Aarhus Hospital and the UCL Cancer Institute, where she performed her postdoc studies. Dr Tanić’s research investigates the molecular mechanisms of resistance to therapy and the evolution of the epigenetic landscape in various cancer types, through the application of high-throughput genomics, genetic epidemiology, and bioinformatics methods and development of machine learning-based classifiers as medical support tools in oncology.
Dr Marko Radulović received his PhD degree from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade. He worked in cancer research at the Immunology Research Centre in Belgrade, the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Göttingen, Germany, University College London and Imperial College London. He is currently a Research Professor at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology in Belgrade, Serbia. Dr Radulović’s research focuses on the investigation of molecular and morphological prognostic and predictive markers in cancer. He has published over 90 scientific articles.
JOIN US ON 18 September at 10:00 AM (CET)
Topic: STEPUPIORS_PRECISION MEDICINE WEBINAR
Time: Sep 18, 2025 10:00 AM Belgrade, Bratislava, Ljubljana
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81092465197?pwd=qJWihKlRAYz0ZiQfU1oktL2AvJbgSJ.1
Meeting ID: 810 9246 5197
Passcode: 129174
STEPUPIORS Final project meeting
During the first day of the meeting, expert visits of partner institutions to IORS were held, exploring the new biobanking and research management capacities developed at IORS through the project framework, with the help of expert institutions. NKI AVL, FRCB-IDIBAPS and BRFAA clinicians and scientists visited the Dept. of experimental oncology, Clinic for oncological surgery and Clinic for radiation oncology, with visits to the IORS director and management. After the expert visit, presentations of project achievements, deliverables and milestones were held for all work packages by WP leaders, highlighting main achievements. It was concluded that all project aims were fully achieved, with no major deviations. The project consortium functioned as a team throughout 3 project years, with joint wishes for long term consortium sustainability.
On the second day of the meeting, a scientific symposium was held during which main research directions, results and future joint plans were discussed. The meeting continued with a Workshop on grant applications, reviewing strategic proposal planning and specific future calls of interest focused on the STEPUPIORS consortium. It was agreed to apply for future funding to explore the open avenues of research which have evolved within the consortium.
Expert visit of partner institutions to IORS
New scientific publication within WP2
New project publication by Aleksandra Stanojević and colleagues Rafael Stroggilos Mladen Marinkovic Ana Đurić Suzana Stojanovic-Rundic Radmila Jankovic Sergi Castellvi-Bel Remond Fijneman Antonia Vlahou Ieronymos Zoidakis Milena Cavic
One step closer to deciphering the complexity of locally advanced rectal cancer biology and to optimizing treatment approaches.
STEPUPIORS radiation oncologists coauthored a book "Clinical Oncology with Radiotherapy" at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Medicine
STEPUPIORS radiation oncologists Mladen Marinkovic and Suzana Stojanovic-Rundic coauthored the book “Clinical Oncology with Radiotherapy” advancing oncology education in Serbia. The book is designed to support medical students and young healthcare professionals, offering a comprehensive and practical overview of clinical oncology. This is an excellent example how science, education and clinical practice contribute to building long-term foundations and a deeper understanding of cancer care.
STEPUPIORS at EACR2025 Congress
STEPUPIORS training: Online cBioPortal Workshop for Users and Data Loaders
STEPUPIORS online training “Online cBioPortal Workshop for Users and Data Loaders” was held on June 4, 2025 and was attended by 27 participants from IORS, NKI-AVL, FRCB-IDIBAPS and BRFAA/NKUA.
This interactive workshop was focused on cBioPortal, a powerful open-source platform for exploring and visualizing multidimensional cancer genomics data. It provided a great synergy of theoretical background and hands-on practice, perfect for both researchers exploring cancer data and data managers preparing datasets for integration.
Workshop highlights:
Overview of cBioPortal as a data integration platform
In-depth explanation of supported data formats
Hands-on data loading into a local cBioPortal instance
Insight into real-world FAIR data management challenges and solutions
A big thank you to the speakers and training organizer from the NKI-AVL Dr. ir. Mariska Bierkens, Dr. Adria Closa Mosquera, Iris Huitink and Dr Remond Fijneman, and to all the participants and future cBioPortal data loaders.
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.
STEPUPIORS at AACR2025
