“I participated in a two-month secondment in Belgrade in CHC “DrDragisa Misovic – Dedinje” from the 22nd of October 2024 until the 22nd of December of 2024. During this period, I had the opportunity to collaborate with expert colleagues, familiarize myself with the basic diagnostic tools employed in clinical research as recruitment criteria and sample background and PhD focus is well as gain valuable knowledge regarding subject/patient evaluation. Taking into account the fact that my academic mainly on the basic research field, this experience truly complemented my research skills, providing me with important insight on how bench-related work can prove to be helpful in clinical diagnostics.
In the “DrDragisa Misovic-Dedinje” Hospital I was warmly greeted by the fellow members of the Laboratory of Biochemistry. On my first day, Dr. Iva Perovic Blagojevic kindly offered to explain to me briefly the daily workflow of the lab, which helped me obtain siginificant information about sample collection and preparation. Additionally, I had the chance to learn about various sets of diagnostic tools used in clinical research. From that point on, I worked closely with Aleksa Petković, a fellow member of the “DrDragisa Misovic-Dedinje” laboratory, whose expertise on clinical diagnostics was really valuable. Aleksa informed me about the importance of patient sample integrity and explained in detail the protocols that are applied to get valid and trustworthy measurements. Learning about the main principles of clinical research was important for me to later take part in sample processing and evaluation procedures. This experience allowed me to learn how to handle specialized equipment and understand the principles behind the measurement and identification of molecular biomarkers (eg antibodies, microRNA) implicated in various diseases, like cancer, metabolic disorders etc. Hence, getting in touch with these standard operative procedures and protocols definitely adds insight to our experimental work (WP4). All in all, my secondment placement allowed me to meet brilliant scientists and researchers, exchange views on multiple scientific topics and grow my career networking. The knowledge along with the experience acquired will unquestionably aid in achieving our research goals, by enriching our understanding of clinical and diagnostical tool testing. It is important to note that during my secondment in Belgrade, I had the chance to meet some wonderful people, both from the workplace and outside. Having the opportunity to communicate with other colleagues not only about research protocols but also about our experiences in life, our shared interests really strengthened our bond and made my stay memorable. Belgrade is a beautiful city, rich in history, museums and entertainment ideal for every kind of visitor while the taste of every traditional dish is a unique gastronomic experience.
Overall, my secondment in Belgrade was an experience to remember, having met with distinguished scientists, gaining valuable knowledge about clinical and diagnostical tools and sharing knowledge about research topics and protocols. It was a privilege to be able to work with clinical researchers and gain valuable skills in a, so far, unfamiliar field of research. I strongly believe that this experience enhanced my understanding of standard operative procedures and will prove to be pivotal in my future career as a researcher.”
Deiktakis Michail, PhD student, University of Crete, Medical School
