معرفی
Nereo Kalebic is a Research Group Leader at the Centre for Neurogenomics, focusing on molecular and cell biological mechanisms underlying human neocortex development, its implications for neurodevelopmental disorders, and brain cancers. He holds a BSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Zagreb (2007) and a PhD from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the University of Heidelberg (2012). His postdoctoral research (2013-2019) at the Max Planck Institute explored neocortex development and evolution.
Research interests include neural stem cell biology, glioblastoma stem cell mechanisms, and evolutionary aspects of cortical expansion. His group employs CRISPR/Cas9, advanced live imaging, and cerebral organoids to study these topics. Key projects involve identifying therapeutic targets in glioblastoma and understanding how developmental pathways contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders like Down syndrome.
Publications highlight breakthroughs in mechanisms driving tumor growth, neurogenesis differences between humans and Neanderthals, and serotonin receptor roles in progenitor proliferation. The group also develops innovative imaging techniques, such as SOLIST for nanoscale tissue analysis.
Advising includes mentoring PhD students (Carlotta Barelli, Ilaria Bertani, Emanuele Capra, Nikola Cokorac, Stefania Faletti) and postdoctoral researchers. Collaborative projects utilize ferret models and human primary samples to bridge basic research and clinical applications.
Future work aims to dissect cancer-cell proliferation parallels with neural development and uncover evolutionary mechanisms shaping human cognitive abilities through neocortex expansion.
