A solemn celebration dedicated to the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology – BAS (IMicB) and to the 20th anniversary of its membership in the Pasteur network was held on 7 March at the Institute.

The event was opened by Prof. Penka Petrova, Director of IMicB, with a presentation on the Institute’s successes, vision and strategy for its development and its place in the Pasteur network. Dr. Cecilia Castillo, responsible for the regional and strategic development of the Pasteur Network in the Euro-Mediterranean region, welcomed the audience and presented the perspectives and directions for the development of the Network as well as opportunities for cooperation.

In the “Success stories of Bulgarian scientists in the Pasteur network” session, presentations were given by scientists who had been on exchange in different institutes.

Assoc. Prof. Violeta Valcheva, PhD, Head of the “Molecular Biology of Mycobacteria” Laboratory, Department of Infectious Microbiology, presented “Challenges in the Pasteur Network and the Benefits of Scientific Collaboration”. Asst. Prof. Iliyan Manoylov, PhD, Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Immunology, presented “Vaccine Design and Generation of New Experimental Models” and Asst. Prof. Milena Leseva, PhD, Laboratory of Experimental Immunotherapy, Department of Immunology – “Support for scientific excellence and career growth through ACIP collaborations”.

The Annual Award for Significant Scientific Achievements for 2024 of the Scientific Council of the “Stephan Angeloff” Institute of Microbiology was awarded to the team: MARTINA SAVOVA, LILIYA MIHAYLOVA, MILEN GEORGIEV, “Metabolomics” Laboratory, “Biotechnology” Department, “Stephan Angeloff” Institute of Microbiology, BAS, for the publication: Savova, M.S., Mihaylova, L.V., Tews, D., Wabitsch, M., Georgiev, M.I. Targeting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in obesity. Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 2023 vol. 159, 114244.

The award was presented by the Institute’s Director, Prof. Penka Petrova.

The annual prize for the best work of a young microbiologist of the Stephan Angeloff Foundation was awarded to:

Asst. Nikola Ralchev, Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Immunology, IMicB, for the publication: Ralchev Ralchev, N., Lyubenova Bradyanova, S., Valerieva Doneva, Y., Mihaylova, N., Vikentieva Elefterova-Florova, E., Ivanov Tchorbanov, A., … & Fagone, P. (2023). Exploring the Role of CD74 and D-Dopachrome Tautomerase in COVID-19: Insights from Transcriptomic and Serum Analyses. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(15), 5037.

Two incentive awards were also presented to:

Asst. Petya Dimitrova Dimitrova; Laboratory of Cell Microbiology, Department of General Microbiology, IMicB, for publication: and to Asst. P.D.; Damyanova, T.; Paunova-Krasteva, T. Chromobacterium Violaceum: A Model for Evaluating the Anti-Quorum Sensing Activities of Plant Substances. Sci. Pharm. 2023, 91, 33.

Preslava Mihaylova Hristova, PhD – Assistant Professor at the Department of Microbiology, Virology and Medical Genetics, Medical University – Pleven for publication: Hristova PM, Nankov VM, Hristov IG, Trifonov SV, Alexandrova AS, Hitkova HY. Gut colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci among patients with hematologic malignancies. Gut Pathog. 2023 Mar 9;15(1):12.

The awards were presented by Corr. Memb. Hristo Naydenski.

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