Lazar Gardijan is a Research Assistant in the Molecular Microbiology Group at IMGGE. His research focuses on the characterization of small antimicrobial peptides and their heterologous expression in Escherichia coli systems.

His doctoral dissertation is centered on investigating the biological and technological aspects of the bacteriocin Lactolisterin BU (LBU), aiming to understand the limitations of its production and its mechanisms of action on bacterial cells. The research focuses on optimizing heterologous expression of LBU in various microbial hosts, analyzing the structure and activity of chemically synthesized peptide variants, and identifying genetic mechanisms of resistance in Staphylococcus aureus following exposure to this antimicrobial peptide. By integrating these approaches, the dissertation seeks to clarify how structure and amphipathicity determine the biological activity of LBU, thereby contributing to a better understanding of its potential as a model for the development of new antimicrobial agents.

Lazar earned his bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Physiology from the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, in 2018, and obtained his master’s degree in 2019 from the same faculty. He enrolled in doctoral studies in Molecular Biology of Prokaryotes at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, in 2019, and has been employed at IMGGE since 2020.