معرفی
Marcela Konjevod serves as a Senior Lecturer at the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb, Croatia, within the Division of Molecular Medicine's Laboratory of Molecular Neuropsychiatry. Her research integrates molecular psychiatry with advanced omics technologies to investigate neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly focusing on combat veterans with PTSD and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease.
Her primary research interests center on metabolomic, lipidomic, and glycomic profiling to identify biomarkers in PTSD and dementia. She examines neuroinflammatory pathways, gut-brain axis interactions, and genetic/epigenetic factors influencing disease progression and treatment response. Key areas include the role of neurosteroids (DHEA/DHEAS) and neurotrophic factors (BDNF) in neuroprotection, alongside investigations into serotonin and catecholamine systems in psychiatric and neurological disorders. Her work bridges basic science with clinical applications through extensive collaboration with Croatian medical institutions.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on applying multi-omics approaches to PTSD biomarker discovery, with growing focus on neurodegenerative mechanisms. Her team consistently demonstrates how metabolomic alterations correlate with clinical symptoms in veterans, while recent work explores DHEA(S) and BDNF as therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's and vascular dementia models. This trajectory highlights her transition from biomarker identification toward mechanistic therapeutic development.
Dr. Konjevod operates within the Laboratory of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, a dynamic research environment conducting interdisciplinary studies on molecular mechanisms underlying psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. The laboratory employs advanced techniques including mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, genetic/epigenetic analysis, and cellular/animal models to investigate neuroinflammatory pathways and develop targeted interventions for conditions like PTSD and Alzheimer's disease.
