Dr. Mateja Manček Keber is the recipient of the Pregl Award
Dr. Mateja Manček Keber is the recipient of the Pregl Award for outstanding achievements in the field of chemistry and related sciences.
Mateja Manček Keber works in the field of basic and translational immunology. The central topic of her research is Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathways, particularly investigating their role in sterile inflammation in chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.
Oxidative stress increases the secretion of extracellular vesicles, which is an important area of her research. She discovered that extracellular vesicles contain oxidized lysophospholipids, which trigger sterile inflammation via the TLR4 receptor. She showed how these molecules are formed in the body, opening up new possibilities for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
She provided an important contribution to explaining how chronic inflammation and extracellular vesicles contribute to the development of cancer. Using the example of B-cell lymphoma, the cause of which is a mutation in the Myd88 protein, she showed that extracellular vesicles can transfer the mutated Myd88 protein to target cells and thus promote inflammation.
She also undertook the research project and filed patent applications in the field of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus research, especially the mechanism of the entry of the coronavirus into the cell and the development of compounds that inhibit this process.
Congratulations!