The Serbian Clinical Immunology Fund, established by Newcastle University Medical Consultant retired colleagues Desa Lilic and Mario Abinun, has made its latest awards to researchers from Belgrade, Serbia. The awardees will visit Newcastle University in 2023 to complete their knowledge exchange programme.
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The Serbian Clinical Immunology Fund was established by Desa and Mario with input from Newcastle University’s Advancement team and NUTCRI team (Prof Sophie Hambleton, Elaine Stephenson, Ann Fitchett) to support the growth of research and knowledge in Clinical Immunology in Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia) where they are originally from. It provides up to £3,000 in financial aid to support all aspects of clinical immunology initiatives and is open to immunologists from both Newcastle and Serbia to visit the partner country, establish new contacts and learn from each other.
There's nothing more worthwhile investing in than knowledge. By supporting research at Newcastle, we're planting a seed that will continue to grow...it's an investment for the future of us all.
Desa Lilic and Mario Abinun
The latest awardees from the Serbian Clinical Immunology Fund, Tamara Saksida and Maja Stojanovic, will be visiting campus in Autumn/Winter 2023.
Tamara is a Principal Research Fellow at The Institute for Biological Research 'Siniša Stanković' in Belgrade, which is a leading multidisciplinary scientific institution in Serbia in the field of biological sciences. During her two-week visit, Tamara hopes to observe methodology related to single-cell RNA sequencing at Newcastle University’s Biosciences Institute under the care of Professor Muzlifah Haniffa FMedSci, Wellcome Senior Clinical Fellow. Importantly, Tamara’s visit will forge new connections that may lead to future collaborations and joint projects, one of the key objectives of the Fund.
Maja is a Consultant Clinical Immunologist and Lecturer at the University Hospital Belgrade Medical School. During her four-week project, she will join the Clinical Immunology and Allergy Department at the RVI (Dr Catherine Stroud, Lead Clinician) to observe the diagnosis and care of patients with Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PIDs), bone marrow transplantation, Multidisciplinary Meetings (MDTs) to discuss novel diagnostic procedures and biological therapies and finally, to observe novel laboratory diagnostic techniques. During her time in the UK, Maja will also visit St James University Hospital in Leeds (Associate Prof Sinisa Savic, Lead Clinician) to learn more about the diagnosis and management of patients with immune dysregulation, autoinflammation and general allergies.
Applications to the Serbian Clinical Immunology Fund are open all year round
The deadline for applications falls on the last Friday in May annually. For full details on the Fund and how to apply, visit https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/serbian-clinical-immunology-fund/