Miodrag Vukovic from IORS performed his secondment at partner GENOS , as part of the EXPAND-EV project. During his visit to Genos laboratory in Zagreb, Miodrag gained hands-on insight into experimental workflows for glycan preparation and analysis using mass spectrometry. He participated in the optimization of protocol for glycomic profiling of extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines. This experience strengthened his understanding of

Luka from partner IORS performed his secondment at GENOS , in the context of the EXPAND-EV project. During his stay at the Genos laboratory in Zagreb, Luka had the opportunity to engage in glycan analysis workflow. He obtained experience in preparation of biological samples for subsequent glycomic analysis, as well as in the glycomic analysis itself, done on mass spectrometry. This experience expanded his understanding on the workflow of glycan analysis, which can be used fo

On March 19, 2026. Dr Milena Čavić participated as an invited lecturer at the 3rd Annual Conference of the Alliance for Global Implementation of Lung and Cardiac Early Disease Detection and Treatment (AGILEDxRx) organized by the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) in in Gdańsk, Poland. Dr. Čavić presented results of several lung cancer research projects and initiatives from Serbia, highlighting EXPAND-EV 's efforts of profiling new clinically significan

During her research secondment under the EXPAND-EV project, Evangelia Christou from the Hellenic Pasteur Institute (HPI) joined the Innovative Centre of the Faculty of Chemistry (ICFC) from January 30 to March 25, 2026. Her work focused on isolating and characterizing extracellular vesicles (EVs) and preparing nanobody-based tools for EV targeting. During this period, she performed mammalian cell culture and processed conditioned media from several human cell lines for EV i

On March 16th, 2026, EXPAND-EV hosted the MISEV Webinar: Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles , organized by partner ICFC bringing together experts to discuss key methodological standards and practices in extracellular vesicle research in line with MISEV2023 recommendations. The webinar featured insightful presentations from our lecturers: EV Nomenclature and Classification According to MISEV2023 – Marija Tursunović (UBFC) Isolation and Separation Methods

This year, we celebrate an important anniversary: 30 years of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions , one of Europe’s flagship programmes for supporting research talent and international collaboration. Named after the pioneering scientist Marie Skłodowska-Curie, whose groundbreaking work transformed modern science, the programme has, over the past three decades, helped more than 150,000 researchers develop their careers through mobility, training and cross-sector exchange. As an

On Thursday, 5 March 2026, the partners of the EXPAND-EV project gathered for the project’s Mid-Term Meeting, marking an important milestone in the implementation of the action. The meeting brought together representatives from all partner institutions, together with the Project Officer, to review the progress achieved during the first phase of the project and to discuss the next steps for the remaining implementation period. A central part of the meeting was dedicated to pre

Welcome to the second issue of the EXPAND-EV Newsletter ! Discover the latest updates of the last months and stay informed about our ongoing activities.

Niki Vassilaki from HPI revisited RWTH University as part of the EXPAND-EV Staff Exchanges project, where she isolated extracellular vesicles (EVs) from the supernatants of Nicotiana tabacum cv. BY-2 suspension cultures, following optimized purification protocols to ensure purity and integrity. These EVs will be then used as target substrates in panning experiments at UNG University, where a phage display nanobody library will be screened. This will enable the identificatio

In January and February, Ana completed a one-month secondment at Genos . During her visit, she was trained to conduct experiments focused on protein glycosylation across various biological samples. She also learned about standard laboratory procedures and experimental workflows used in EV-related research, gaining insight into the practical implementation of these methodologies. She also learned about the impact of various diseases on protein glycosylation and their relevance

As part of the EXPAND EV project, Claudia D’Ercole from the University of Nova Gorica completed a three-month secondment at RWTH Aachen University . During this period, she focused on optimizing the expression of two recombinant proteins (a nanobody against CD30 and the extracellular domain of PD-1) using a cell-free expression system. Protein expression was evaluated in different cellular compartments (microsomes and cytosol), selected according to the post-translational m

Teodora Cato from the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia (IORS) spent 1 month at the end of 2025, at Vall d‘Hebron Research Institute , in Barcelona, Spain. During her secondment, Teodora focused on the large-scale culture of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines and the isolation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) for downstream proteomics and glycomics analyses. She gained hands-on experience in large-scale cell culture for EV-conditioned media collection, as well a

As part of the EXPAND EV project, Vanja Stevanović completed her secondment from IORS to partner GENOS . During her stay at the Genos laboratory in Zagreb, Vanja had the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research on extracellular vesicles (EVs). The project focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying EVs and their potential applications in disease diagnostics and therapeutics. By working with advanced technologies and expert researchers, she gained valu

Lidija Filipović from partner Innovative Centre Faculty of Chemistry Belgrade spent a month at Hellenic Pasteur Institute , under the EXPAND-EV project. During the secondment, an antibody-based protocol for extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolation from human plasma using the MojoSort CD81 Microbead Exosomes kit was successfully optimized. Key modifications included replacing the filtration step with low-speed centrifugation (1200 × g, 15 min) to minimize EV loss, and extending

As part of the EXPAND-EV project, Matteo De March from University of Nova Gorica spent three months at the Genos Lab in Zagreb, Croatia. During his stay, Matteo participated in wet-lab activities to optimize the protocol for extraction and preparation of N-glycans from tumour cell line-derived EVs. Preliminary UPLC analyses were done to asses sample suitability for the MS-based glycan fingerprint. This secondment enabled the establishment of joined collaboration connecting

Joint Seminar of the Serbian Society for Extracellular Vesicles (SrbEVs ) and the Serbian Association for Cancer Research (SDIR) . As part of the collaboration between the Serbian Society for Extracellular Vesicles (SrbEVs) and the Serbian Association for Cancer Research (SDIR), a joint seminar entitled “Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer” was held on December 16, 2025, bringing together more than 50 registered members of both societies. The aim of the meeting was to strengthen

Diego Baranda from partner VHIR completed his secondment at the   National and Kapodistrian University of Athens ,  as part of the EXPAND-EV project and shared his insights and impressions on this experience. "I had such a productive stay during October and November at the proteomics team leaded by Makis Zoidakis. Using my own saliva as a training sample, I learnt the standard methodology for processing of samples for analysis by Mass Spectrometry (MS), consisting on concen

Dr Milena Čavić from partner IORS participated as an invited lecturer at the 21st Central European Lung Cancer Conference and Best of WCLC 2025 held on Nov 27-29, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. Main congress topics encompassed prevention, screening & early diagnosis, new waves in lung cancer management, translational research directions, lung cancer care in Central European Countries, bronchology and interventional pulmonology.  During the "Prevention, Screening and Early Diagn

As part of the EXPAND-EV project, Andrej Milivojac from the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry spent two months at the GENOS lab in Zagreb, Croatia. During the second period of his split secondment, carried out in September and October 2025, Andrej further expanded his theoretical and practical expertise in advanced glycomic methodologies. Building on the skills gained during his initial visit, he refined his ability to process biological samples with high precis

Prof. Dr. Milica Popović delivered a lecture at the 62nd Oncology Week within the “Scientific Projects in Serbia” session, where she presented the achievements and vision of the EXPAND-EV project. Her presentation highlighted how extracellular-vesicle-based technologies are advancing from fundamental research toward clinical translation in oncology, emphasizing biomarker development, therapeutic loading strategies and next-generation EV platforms. The lecture showcased EXPAN