Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology
Research of the molecular mechanism of molecular recognition and signaling in innate immune response, and synthetic biology.

Co-workers
Researchers
- izr. prof. dr. Mojca Benčina
- dr. Tina Fink
- dr. Vida Forstnerič
- dr. Tea Govednik Hropot
- dr. Helena Gradišar
- dr. Arvind Kumar Gupta
- dr. Iva Hafner Bratkovič
- dr. Filip Ivanovski
- dr. Vid Jazbec
- prof. dr. Roman Jerala
- dr. Duško Lainšček
- dr. Tina Lebar
- dr. Ajasja Ljubetič
- dr. Mateja Manček Keber
- dr. Martina Mohorčič
- dr. Federico Alberto Olivieri
- dr. Sara Orehek
- dr. Tjaša Plaper
- dr. Jaka Snoj
- dr. Petra Sušjan Leite
- dr. Taja Železnik Ramuta
- dr. Weijun Zhou
Expert fellows
Young Researchers
- Borna Bacinger
- Jure Bohinc
- Elvira Boršić Mlinarič
- Ana Godeša
- Monika Gregorič Tasić
- Anja Horvat
- Mateja Jeršin
- Greta Junger
- Kaja Klemenčič
- Urška Knez Štibler
- Alina Konstantinova
- Archismita Kundu
- Špela Malenšek
- Matea Maruna
- Tjaša Mlakar
- Valeriya Musina
- Jelica Pantović Žalig
- Peter Pečan
- Ema Pleško
- Eva Rajh
- Mojca Skrbinek
- Adrian Stell Pičman
- Liza Ulčakar
- Nina Varda
- Hana Vokač Križaj
Technical Staff
Representative Publications
- ZHOU, Weijun, STRMŠEK, Žiga, SNOJ, Jaka, ŠKARABOT, Miha, JERALA, Roman. Programmable protein-DNA composite nanostructures : from nanostructure construction to protein-induced micro-scale material self-assembly and functionalization. Small. 2025, 2502060, 1-12.
- BORŠIĆ, Elvira, ŽELEZNIK RAMUTA, Taja, OREHEK, Sara, ERDANI-KREFT, Mateja, GEYER, Matthias, JERALA, Roman, HAFNER BRATKOVIČ, Iva. Clustering of NLRP3 induced by membrane or protein scaffolds promotes inflammasome assembly. Nature communications. 2025, 16, 4887, 1-18.
- RIHTAR, Erik, FINK, Tina, LEBAR, Tina, LAINŠČEK, Duško, ZIDAR, Živa, KADUNC POLAJNAR, Lucija, JERALA, Roman. Ligand-induced assembly of antibody variable fragments for the chemical regulation of biological processes. Cell chemical biology. 20 Mar. 2025, 32, 3, 474-485, e1-e5.
- VIDMAR, Sara, ŠMIDLEHNER, Tamara, AUPIČ, Jana, STRMŠEK, Žiga, LJUBETIČ, Ajasja, XIAO, Fei, HU, Guang, LIU, Chuan, BECK, Florian, ERDMANN, Philipp S., JERALA, Roman. Beyond dimerization: harnessing tetrameric coiled-coils for nanostructure assembly. Angewandte Chemie international edition. 2025, 64, e202422075, 1-8.
- MEZGEC, Klemen, SNOJ, Jaka, ULČAKAR, Liza, LJUBETIČ, Ajasja, TUŠEK-ŽNIDARIČ, Magda, ŠKARABOT, Miha, JERALA, Roman. Coupling of spectrin repeat modules for the assembly of nanorods and presentation of protein domains. ACS nano, Oct. 22, 2024, 18, 42, 28748–28763.
- SNOJ, Jaka, LAPENTA, Fabio, JERALA, Roman. Preorganized cyclic modules facilitate the self-assembly of protein nanostructures. Chemical science. 2024, 15, 10, 3673-3686.
- JAZBEC, Vid, VARDA, Nina, ŠPRAGER, Ernest, MEŠKO, Maja, VIDMAR, Sara, ROMIH, Rok, PODOBNIK, Marjetka, KEŽAR, Andreja, JERALA, Roman, BENČINA, Mojca. Protein gas vesicles of bacillus megaterium as enhancers of ultrasound-induced transcriptional regulation. ACS nano. 2024, 18, 16692–16700.
- ESIH, Hana, MEZGEC, Klemen, BILLMEIER, Martina, MALENŠEK, Špela, BENČINA, Mojca, GRILC, Blaž, VIDMAR, Sara, GAŠPERLIN, Mirjana, BELE, Marjan, ZIDARN, Mihaela, LEJKO-ZUPANC, Tatjana, MORGAN, Tina, LAINŠČEK, Duško, JERALA, Roman, et al. Mucoadhesive film for oral delivery of vaccines for protection of the respiratory tract. Journal of controlled release, 2024, 371, 179-192.
- IVANOVSKI, Filip, MEŠKO, Maja, LEBAR, Tina, RUPNIK, Marko, LAINŠČEK, Duško, GRADIŠEK, Miha, JERALA, Roman, BENČINA, Mojca. Ultrasound-mediated spatial and temporal control of engineered cells in vivo. Nature communications. 2024, 15, 7369, 1-14.
- OREHEK, Sara, ŽELEZNIK RAMUTA, Taja, LAINŠČEK, Duško, MALENŠEK, Špela, ŠALA, Martin, BENČINA, Mojca, JERALA, Roman, HAFNER BRATKOVIČ, Iva. Cytokine-armed pyroptosis induces antitumor immunity against diverse types of tumors. Nature communications. 2024, 15, 10801, 1-22.
- LAINŠČEK, Duško, HORVAT, Simon, DOLINAR, Klemen, IVANOVSKI, Filip, ROMIH, Rok, PIRKMAJER, Sergej, JERALA, Roman, MANČEK KEBER, Mateja. MyD88 protein destabilization mitigates NF-κB-dependent protection against macrophage apoptosis. Cell communication and signaling. 2024, 22, 549, 1-14.
- GOVEDNIK, Tea, LAINŠČEK, Duško, KUHAR, Urška, LACHISH, Marva, JANEŽIČ, Sandra, ŠTRBENC, Malan, KRAPEŽ, Uroš, JERALA, Roman, ATLAS, Daphne, MANČEK KEBER, Mateja. TXM peptides inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection, syncytia formation, and lower inflamatory consequences. Antiviral research. 2024, 222, 105806, 1-13.
- PLAPER, Tjaša, MERLJAK, Estera, FINK, Tina, SATLER Tadej, LJUBETIČ, Ajasja, LAINŠČEK, Duško, JAZBEC, Vid, BENČINA, Mojca, STEVANOSKA, Sintija, DŽEROSKI, Sašo, JERALA, Roman. Designed allosteric protein logic. Cell Discovery 10, 8 (2024).
- SATLER, Tadej, HADŽI, San, JERALA, Roman. Crystal structure of de novo designed coiled-coil protein origami triangle. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2023, 145, 31, 16995–17000.
- RIHTAR, Erik, LEBAR, Tina, LAINŠČEK, Duško, KORES, Katarina, LEŠNIK, Samo, BREN, Urban, JERALA, Roman. Chemically inducible split protein regulators for mammalian cells. Nature chemical biology. 2023, 19, 64-71.
- RAMŠAK, Maruša, RAMIREZ, Dominique A., HOUGH, Loren E., SHIRTS, Michael R., VIDMAR, Sara, ELERŠIČ FILIPIČ, Kristina, ANDERLUH, Gregor, JERALA, Roman. Programmable de novo designed coiled coil-mediated phase separation in mammalian cells. Nature communications. 2023, 14, 7973, 1-15.
- LAINŠČEK, Duško, GOLOB URBANC, Anja, MIKOLIČ, Veronika, PANTOVIĆ, Jelica, MALENŠEK, Špela, JERALA, Roman. Regulation of CD19 CAR-T cell activation based on an engineered downstream transcription factor. Molecular therapy oncolytics. 2023, 29, 77-90.
- MERLJAK, Estera, MALOVRH, Benjamin, JERALA, Roman. Segmentation strategy of de novo designed four-helical bundles expands protein oligomerization modalities for cell regulation. Nature communications. 2023, 14, 1-12.
- AUPIČ, Jana, LAPENTA, Fabio, STRMŠEK, Žiga, MERLJAK, Estera, PLAPER, Tjaša, JERALA, Roman. Metal ion-regulated assembly of designed modular protein cages. Science advances. 2022, 8, 24, 1-12.
- AUPIČ, Jana, STRMŠEK, Žiga, LAPENTA, Fabio, Pahovnik, David, Pisanski, Tomaž, DROBNAK, Igor, LJUBETIČ, Ajasja, JERALA, Roman. Designed folding pathway of modular coiled-coil-based proteins. Nature communications. 2021, 12, 1-12.
- LAPENTA Fabio, AUPIČ Jana, VEZZOLI Marco, STRMŠEK Žiga, Da Vela Stefano, Svergun Dmitri, Carazo Jose Maria, Melero, Roberto, JERALA Roman. Self-assembly and regulation of protein cages from pre-organised coiled-coil modules. Nature Communications. 2021, 12(1):939.

