My main research activity is to study interactions of differently shaped nanoparticles with biological membranes using different methodological approaches.

My experiences in testing nanoparticles include following methods:

• Light phase contrast microscopy and lipid vesicles of different types.
  In collaboration with Laboratory of Biophysics;
  
  
• Small Angle X-ray Scattering technique (SAXS) and multilamellar vesicles (MLVs).
  In collaboration with with dr. Michael Rappolt;
  
  
• in vivo and ex vivo studies with model digestive gland tissue of terrestrial invertebrate organism (Porcellio scaber, Isopoda, Crustacea);
  
  
• Biochemical sensor system: enzyme tests with Acetylcholine Esterase.
  In collaboration with Departement of Biochemistry;
  
  
• In vitro methods on different human cell lines: hepatocytes, astrocytes, lung epithelium cells; using methods High Content Screening Analysis (HCA) and Flow cytometry.
  In collaboration with CBNI, UCD, Dublin, Ireland;
  
  
• Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Flourescence Spectroscopy.
  In collaboration with Department of Biochemistry and Food chemistry;
  
  
• Sample preparation for proteomics.

I graduated in Biology (September, 2010) from Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The title of the thesis is: The effect of nanoparticles C60 and CoFe2O4 on artificial phospholipid membranes.

In October, 2010 I enrolled in the interdisciplinary doctoral study Bioscience, research area Nanosciences, coordinated by the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana.

International activities:

• (February – May, 2011) Research at Centre for BioNano Interactions (CBNI), UCD , Dublin, Ireland: using In vitro methods HCA and Flow cytometry.
• (2010 – present) Research at SAXS, c/o ELETTRA (Sincrotrone Trieste), in colaboration with with dr. Michael Rappolt, Institute of Biophysics and Nanosystems Research (IBN), Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Methods and machines I specialize in::

• Light Microscopy and GUVs; cooperation in establishment of Standard Operation Procedure(SOP) for testing the biological potential of nanoparticles (biosensor-based, medium independent method);
• Ex vivo membrane destabilisation studies (AO/EB staining) of digestive glands (Porcellio scaber);
• Tissue culture laboratory establishemnt and introducing of different In vitro techniques.