This talk is an activity from the FEBS Junior Section, an initiative set up by students and young researchers from some of the FEBS Constituent Societies. Each month members of the FEBS Junior Section organize an online event on either a research or a career topic. This talk was coordinated by the junior section of the Serbian Biochemical Society (SBS).

• Speaker: Dr Milica Popović, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Serbia
  
• Topic: "Tiny messengers, big impact: Extracellular vesicles in health, disease, and precision medicine"
• Date and time: 11 December 2025, 17:00 CET
• Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_t8hwj161SYihQYANpb2b7w

Participants will have the opportunity to stay for an after-talk hangout to have an informal chat with the speaker, members of the FEBS Junior Section, and other participants.

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as one of the most powerful communication systems in biology, capable of transporting proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites between cells. EVs participate in a myriad of processes in the human body, ranging from coagulation, immune responses, tissue homeostasis, regeneration, to different pathological processes, including cancer, neurodegeneration, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases. In cancer, EVs become messengers of disease, shaping immune responses, enabling tumor progression, and offering unique molecular fingerprints accessible through minimally invasive sampling. My research spans next-generation EV technologies, including reversible immunoaffinity purification, nanobody-based capture platforms, microfluidic chips for rapid diagnostics, and the use of plant-derived vesicles as therapeutic nanocarriers. Through two major national and EU-funded projects, RESCALE-EV, and EXPAND-EV, we connect fundamental EV biology with translational applications in prostate, breast, liver, and lung cancer. This lecture will demonstrate how decoding vesicle biology can reshape precision diagnostics, enable scalable EV manufacturing, and open new avenues for targeted therapy.

Biosketch

Milica Popović is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, specializing in extracellular vesicles, nanobody-based affinity platforms, and translational EV technologies. She leads major national and EU-funded initiatives, including RESCALE-EV (Advancing REversible immunocapture toward SCALablE EV purification; Science Fund of Serbia, PRISMA;)  and EXPAND-EV Expanding EV-based diagnostics and therapeutic platforms; EU GA 101182851), which drive innovation in scalable EV purification, clinical assay development, and oncology-focused diagnostics. Her work combines biochemical engineering, multi-omics approaches, and plant-derived vesicle systems to connect fundamental EV biology with real-world clinical applications. She is also active in European educational networks such as CEEPUS and plays a key role in developing interdisciplinary training opportunities for early-career researchers.

The FEBS Junior Section

Want to join this platform for young European life scientists? Learn more about our initiative, check out the Room for the FEBS Junior Section and – if you do not have a junior section yet – read this post about how to set one up!

^{Photo by Logan Voss on Unsplash.}