Marijeta Kralj

Marijeta Kralj is a Scientific Advisor (Research Professor) at the Ruđer Bošković Institute's Division of Molecular Medicine and Laboratory of Experimental Therapy. She leads multidisciplinary research in tumor biology, gene therapy, and drug discovery, focusing on mechanisms like cell cycle regulation and DNA damage responses. Her work bridges biochemistry, molecular biology, and medicinal chemistry.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Natural Sciences, University of Zagreb (2001)
• M.Sc. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Zagreb (1994)
• B.Sc. in Molecular Biology, University of Zagreb (1990)

Her research explores tumor therapy, gene delivery systems, and bioactive compound design. She investigates DNA/RNA-targeting agents, crown ethers for multidrug resistance reversal, and photodynamic anticancer strategies. Recent work emphasizes computational drug design and metabolomics in oncology.

Kralj's publications span anticancer agent development, nucleic acid interactions, and nanomedicine. Trends include hybrid molecule synthesis (e.g., harmine-coumarin conjugates), photoresponsive compounds, and targeting cancer stem cells. Her studies often integrate QSAR modeling, NMR metabolomics, and fluorescence imaging.

Awards:

• Croatian Society of Natural Sciences Award for M.Sc. Thesis (1994)

She secured grants as PI for projects like 'MultiCaST' (Croatian Science Foundation) and co-led the EU FP7 'InnoMol' initiative. She advises postgraduate courses at the University of Zagreb and co-directs doctoral programs in Functional Genomics and Cancer Biology. Her lab focuses on experimental therapy, collaborating internationally on drug delivery systems and ABC transporter modulation.