Protein Crystallography: studies of regulation mechanisms of human immune system. Monoclonal antibodies for diagnostics and therapy: the Department for the production of diagnostic reagents at the Blood transfusion centre of Slovenia is producing diagnostic reagents for the determination of blood groups on the basis of monoclonal antibodies, which are the result of our own research and development. The quality of these monoclonal antibodies is confirmed internationally and some hybridoma cell lines are already licensed. Monoclonal antibodies against TNF- were produced. The invention was already patented in Australia.
Virus resistant transgenic potato Potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease, caused by necrotic strain of potato virus Y (PVYNTN) is one of the most harmful potato deseases shown to have infected potato crops in Slovenia. The loss of many potato cultivars (cv.) which were bred for growing conditions in Slovenia and suited to Slovenian customers was substantial and there are as yet no suitable substitute cultivars with resistance. One of the most popular Slovenian cv. Igor being the worst affected. As the spreading of disease cannot be stopped by any of conventional control measures, we obtained transgenic potato plants confering resistance to PVYNTN.
Genomic studies in reptiles Genetic information is primarily transferred vertically from generation to generation. In bacteria and among closely related species of higher organisms is horizontal transfer of genetic information well known. For example bacteria can acquire resistance to antibiotics by transfer of a gene developped by another bacterial species. We found that genes were transferred horizontally also between evolutionary very distant animal classes. Bov-B LINE is transposable, viruslike DNA that was apparently transferred horizontally (probably carried by a tick) from ancestral nonvenomous snakes to an ancestor of ruminants(1,2). Transposable DNA is potentially useful to supplement defective gene with a normal one in therapy of genetic diseases.