Mission Activites Plan for Department of Molecular Genetics
Plan of main activities for the next five years:
a) Fundamental Research
Organization of Centre for Bioinformatics
Due to accumulation of genomic data and to the advent of techniques to monitor
thousands of cellular components at once, collaboration between molecular biologists and
mathematicians becomes necessary. In order to bring scientists from diverse backgrounds to
communicate and to work together Society for Theoretical and Mathematical Biology has
been established at the Department of Molecular Genetics. The further goal would be to bring
mathematicians who are interested into biology to molecular biology laboratories and to
initiate new, common research projects which could become basis for the establishment of
Centre for Bioinformatics. In addition, few young investigators from our Department are
presently trained abroad in the field of bioinformatics.
The fundamental research in the Department will be expanded by increasing number of
Ph.D./postdoc students and by development of an internationally competitive programmes
b) Education
1. Organization of postgraduate and doctoral study in Molecular Biology at Department
of Molecular Genetics, Ruđer Bošković Institute
Scientists working at the Department MG are actively participating in the education at
Universities of Zagreb and Osijek by teaching at 25 courses. Research at the Department
covers broad fields of molecular biology: microbiology, plant biology, genetics, biochemistry,
evolutionary biology, cell biology and neurobiology. In the last five years 35 M.Sci and Ph.D.
theses have been completed at the Department. Young researchers from other institutions (e.g.
hospitals, universities, Museum of natural history etc.) have been also trained and have
performed their work on Ph.D. theses at the Laboratories of the Department.
Due to large experience in teaching as well as in research, scientists from the
Department want to organize postgraduate and doctoral study in Molecular Biology. The
duration of doctoral study is planned to be 5-6 years. Interest from other institutions
(pharmaceutical companies Pliva and others, agencies for nature protection, etc.) for the
education (Ph.D. level) of their young researcher at Department of Molecular Genetics is
already expressed.
2. Organization of practical courses on methods used in molecular biology
The aim of the course is to transfer knowledge on methods used in experimental work at
the Department to our colleagues working at the specialised biochemical and medical
laboratories, and to young researchers working at different institutions at the field of
molecular biology and biomedicine.
The first course is planned for spring 2003 at the Department of Molecular Genetics and
will be organized by researchers working at the Department.
3. Organization of meetings and symposia
Department is planning the meeting with international participation dedicated to 45th
anniversary of molecular biology in Croatia and 50th anniversary of discovery of double helix,
which will be held at Ruđer Bošković Institute, in November 2003.
The members of the Department will take part in organization of a number of meetings in
collaboration with foreign partners and supported by international organizations: “Origin and
evolution of mitochondria and chloroplasts” (supported by FEBS), Hvar 2003, 2005; “Cell
Biology and Mathematical Modelling” (supported by European Society for Theoretical
Biology) Hvar 2004. The members of the Department will actively participate in organization
of 2nd CCOMLIS (Croatian Congress on molecular life sciences) in 2004 and in organization
of Congress of Croatian Biologists in 2003.
D. RBI Services
1. Establishment of the Laboratory for custom DNA sequencing
Location: Ruđer Bošković Institute
Organized by: Department of Molecular Genetics
This laboratory is planned to be part of Service Centre at RBI which will offer custom DNA
synthesis, DNA sequencing and diagnostic analyses based on molecular methods. This
Service centre is organized by 3 RBI Departments (Dept. Mol. Genetics, Dept. Mol. Medicine
and Dept. Phys. Chemistry) with the aim to become commercial centre for biomolecular
technology. Financial support for organization of the Service Centre is expected to come
from the Ministry of Science and Technology (Project RAZUM)
2. Service for electron microscopy
This service is organized within the Laboratory for electron microscopy at Department of
Molecular Genetics and it is offering microscopic service for customers within RBI and from
other institutions. Service is equipped with transmission electron microscopy (EM-10 Zeiss)
and fluorescent microscope (Zeiss) with CCD camera for digital image analysis. The service
will be in a near future equipped with the laser-scanning (confocal) microscope, the first one
in Croatia.
The scientists working at the Laboratory for electron microscopy posses knowledge and
experience to organize and operate such a service.
E. Commercial enterprises associated with IRB
Methods and techniques used in the Laboratory for molecular genetics of eukaryotes and the
knowledge acquired can be applied for:
- genotyping or searching for molecular markers in animal or plant species or strains of
economic importance (RFLP, RAPD, mitochondrial DNA sequencing, microsatellites). The
population genetic analyses based on molecular markers can be also used in ecology, for the
protection of endangered species and for the protection of biodiversity
- taxonomic and phylogenetic studies (based on satellite DNA and mt DNA sequence
analyses)
- cytogenetic techniques based on fluorescent in situ hybridisation (GISH –genetic in
situ hybridisation) are suitable for determination of taxonomic and phylogenetic
relationships between cultivated plants and their wild ancestors
The Laboratory for genotoxic agents has longtime experience in testing potential cytotoxic
(anticancer) drugs. In course are two project for screening of new synthesized target-oriented
compounds. We have developed several drug-resistant tumor cell lines that are specifically
suitable for such investigation.