
Vesna Spasovski
Group for Rare Disease Research and Therapeutics Development
Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Vesna Spasovski, PhD, is a molecular biologist and physiologist whose work focuses on biomedical sciences and regenerative medicine. She graduated from the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Biology, where she studied the mechanisms of activation of the human SOX3 gene. Her research later shifted to rare diseases; as part of her doctoral dissertation, which she defended in 2012, she examined the molecular basis of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Following this, she focused on rare orthopedic diseases, significantly contributing to the understanding of the etiology of Perthes disease. She was a pioneer in studying the influence of inflammatory signaling pathways and apoptosis in this rare hip disorder, which develops in childhood. Dr. Spasovski has also worked on rare rheumatological diseases, investigating molecular and pharmacogenetic biomarkers of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis. A prominent area of her research is regenerative medicine and cell therapy. She was the first in Serbia to apply mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue in both veterinary and human medicine for the treatment of osteoarthritis. During 2022–2023, Dr. Spasovski undertook expert visits to the Laboratory of Biophysics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Ljubljana, where she began research in the field of nanotherapeutics and extracellular vesicles. She studied plant and synthetic vesicles as potential drug carriers. She was a member of the organizing team of the international conference 2nd MOVE Symposia 2024. Dr. Spasovski plays an active role in the education of young researchers, serving as a lecturer in doctoral studies and mentoring several master’s and doctoral theses at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Biology. She is a member of several scientific societies and participates in numerous national and international research projects.