Marija Lončarić

Marija Lončarić is a faculty member at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, affiliated with the Laboratory for Cell Biology and Signalling under the Division of Molecular Biology. Her academic rank is Assistant Professor, and she actively contributes to research in molecular and cell biology.

Her research focuses on integrin-mediated cell adhesion, Rho GTPase signaling, and the study of cancer-related proteins such as RRAS2 and DRG1. She investigates their roles in metastasis suppression and oncogenic potential, comparing mechanisms in sponges and humans.

Recent publications highlight her work on integrin α6β4-containing hemidesmosomes in drug sensitivity, DRG1 conservation across species, and oncogenic properties of ancestral R-RAS proteins. Her studies bridge molecular biology, cancer research, and evolutionary biology.

She is involved in the CSF project Integrin αVβ5-associated Focal and Reticular Adhesions in Melanoma (AdMeFoRe), addressing adhesion dynamics in cancer progression.