University of Belgrade - Institute for Multidisciplinary Research

Milan Žižić

PhD in Biophysics

Research Associate Professor

Address: Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade

Telephone: (+381) 11 2078 490

Research area

Interaction of biologically important molecules with transition metals, determination of their physico-chemical properties by spectroscopic methods. Physiology of eucaryotic microorganisms, specifically microfungi and microalgae Interaction of eucaryotic microorganisms with transition metals and metalloids. Expertise in design, preparation, conducting and analysis of experiments with biological samples by implementation of NMR, EPR and synchrotron-based XAFS spectroscopy (XRF, XANES and EXAFS). Expertise in analysis of Raman and IC spectroscopy.

  • Biography
  • Projects
  • Selected publications

1.Work experience:

  • 2019 – present: Senior Research Fellow, Department of Life Sciences, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade
  • 2014 – 2019: Research Fellow, Department of Life Sciences, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade
  • 2007 – 2013: Research Assistant, Department of Life Sciences, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade
  • 2004-2007: Research Trainee, Department of Life Sciences, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade Departement of Life Systems
  • 2002-2003: Institute for Public Health of Montenegro

2.Education:

  • PhD: University of Belgrade, modul Biophysics; University of Belgrade, Serbia 2013
  • BSc: Department of Physic Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Montenegro 2001

3.Awards and certificates:

  • Grant for participation at the 17th International Conferenceon X-ray Absorption Fine Structure scheduled from 22–27 July 2018 Kraków, Poland, awarded by the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.
  • Grant for project 20200229 at Elettra synchrotron facility (October 12-19, 2020, Trieste, Italy) awarded by IAEA
  • 1997-2000: Scholarship from the Government of the Republic of Montenegro

4.Other professional activities

  • Invited speaker at the 4th FeSBioNet Meeting, (September 16-19, 2019, Gdansk, Poland)
  • Practice training in liquid NMR spectroscopy, (September, 8-15, 2018, Niederöblarn, Austria)
  • STSM stay in the frame of COST action 15133 at CERM Institute in Florence, Italy April 5-30, 2018)
  • Invited speaker at the Second Congress of Biologists of Serbia (September 25-30, 2018, Kladovo, Serbia)
  • Chair of the section Biophysics at the Second Congress of Biologists of Serbia (September 25-30, 2018, Kladovo, Serbia)
  • Invited speaker at 7th Conference of the Biochemical Society of Serbia (November 16, 2017, Belgrade, Serbia)
  • Practice training in Synchrotron based X-ray diffraction Powder Diffraction School realized at the „Swiss Light Source“ synhrotron facility of  Paul Scherer Institute (July 1-7, 2014, Villigen, Switzerland).

Courses taught:

  • Invited lecturer at the PhD program at the Faculty for Biology, modul Neurosciences, as a part of subject Methods in Neurobiology, and PhD studies of Biophysics at University of Belgrade 2015-present.
  • Teaching Assistant in master course Biophysical Instrumentation, modul Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Serbia Lecturing on NMR spectroscopy application in Biophysics, 2015-present.

Editorial and Reviewer’s activity (journals, books, projects):

  • 10 reviewed papers in international journals
  • Scientific reviewer for three bilateral research project between Montenegro and Slovenia, 2018 and two bilateral project between Montenegro and Austria, 2019 and 2020

Memberships:

  • Biophysical Society of Serbia

Past:

  • 2011 – 2020: OI173040 “Membrane interaction with intracellular and apoplastic space: bioenergetics and signalization studies using biophysical and biochemical techniques” Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia – Participant
  • Structural determination of Se in the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus“ October.2020 Elettra synhrotron facility, Trieste, Italy, 2020.
  • COST action number 15133-The Biogenesis of Iron-sulfur Proteins: from Cellular Biology to Molecular Aspects (FeSBioNet), 2018-2020.
  • X-ray spectro-microscopy studies of vanadium reduction processes in Phycomyces blakesleeanus” which was realized at the „Swiss Light Source“ synhrotron facility of Paul Scherer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland, March, 2014
  1. Vojvodić, S., Stanić, M., Zechmann, B., Ducič, ́T., Žižić, M., Dimitrijević, M., Danilović Luković, J., Milenković, M., Pittman, J. K., and Spasojević, M. Mechanisms of detoxification of high copper concentrations by the microalga Chlorella sorokiniana. Biochemical Journal. 477 3729–3741, 2020.
  2. Dimitrijević, M. S., Bogdanović Pristov, J., Žižić, M., Stanković, D.M., Bajuk-Bogdanović, D., Stanić, M., Spasić, S., Hagen, W., and Spasojević, I. Biliverdin-copper complex at physiological pH. Dalton Trans. 48(18): 6061-6070, 2019.
  3. Dimitrijević, M. S., Žižić, M., Piaccoli, M., Bogdanović Pristov, J. and Spasojević, I. The conformation of biliverdin in dimethyl sulfoxide implications for the coordinationwith copper. Struct Chem DOI: 10. 1007/s11224-019-01354-5, 2019
  4. Korać, J., Stanković, D., Stanić, M., Bajuk-Bogdanović, D., Žižić, M., Bogdanović Pristov, J., Grguric-Šipka, S., Popović-Bijelić, A. and Spasojević, I. Coordinate and redox interactions of epinephrine with ferric and ferrous iron at physiological pH, Scientific Reports, doi:10.1038/s41598-018-21940-7, 2018.
  5. Korać, J., Todorović, N., Žižić, M., Zakrzewska, J. and Spasojević, I. The conformation of epinephrine in polar solvents: An NMR study. Structural Chemistry, doi.org/10.1007/s11224-018-1144-y, 2018.
  6. Žižić, M., Zakrzewska, J., Tešanović, K., Bošković, E., Nešović, M. and Karaman, M. Effect of vanadate on the mycelium of edible fungus Coprinus comatus. J. of Trace. Elements in Medicine and Biology. 50; 320-326. 2018
  7. Žižić, M., Miladinović, Z., Stanić, M., Hadžibrahimović, M., Živić, M. and  Zakrzewska, J. 51V NMR investigation of cell-associated vanadate species in Phycomyces blakesleeanus mycelium, Research in Microbiology, Elsevier France Editions Scientifiques et Medicales, vol. 167, no. 6, pp. 521 – 528, issn: 0923-2508, doi: 10.1016/j.resmic.2016.04.012, 2016
  8. Žižić, M., Dučić, T., Grolimund, D., Bajuk-Bogdanović, D., Nikolic, M., Stanić, M., Križak, S. and Zakrzewska, J. X-ray absorption near-edge structure micro-spectroscopy study of vanadium speciation in Phycomyces blakesleeanus mycelium, Analytical And Bioanalytical Chemistry, Springer-Verlag, vol. 407, no. 24, pp. 7487 – 7496, issn: 1618-2642, doi: 10.1007/s00216-015-8916-7, 2015.
  9. Žižić, M., Živić, M., Maksimović, V., Stanić, M., Križak, S., Cvetić Antić, T. and Zakrzewska, J. Vanadate Influence on Metabolism of Sugar Phosphates in Fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus, PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9, no. 7, pp. е102849 – е102855, issn: 1932-6203, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102849, 2014.
  10. Žižić, M., Živić, M., Spasojević, I., Bogdanović Pristov, J., Stanić, M., Cvetić-Antić, T. and Zakrzewska, J. The interactions of vanadium with Phycomyces blakesleeanus mycelium: enzymatic reduction, transport and metabolic effects Res. Microbiol. 2013, 164(1):61-9.