Dora Kolić

• 2020 – 2024 – POSTGRADUATE (PhD) STUDY IN CHEMISTRY (BIOCHEMISTRY AND MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY), FACULTY OF SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB; doctoral thesis ‘Neuroprotective activity of cholinesterase reactivators in organophosphate poisoning’, supervisor Assoc. Prof. Zrinka Kovarik, PhD
• 2016 – 2019 – Graduate study in Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb; graduate thesis: ‘Cloning of microRNA sequence and analysis of their biological activity in glioblastoma cell line’, supervisor Prof. Maja Matulić, PhD
• 2013 – 2016 – Undergraduate study in Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb; thesis ‘Functions of biogenic amines as neurotransmitters in the central nervous system’, supervisor Prof. Vesna Benković, PhD

• 2024 – present => SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT, Division of Toxicology, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health (IMROH), Zagreb
• 2020 – 2024 => research assistant, Division of Toxicology, Imroh, Zagreb

Studying kinetics of enzyme inhibition and reactivation, specifically concerning cholinesterases and organophosphate (OP) compounds; analysis of in vitro and in vivo reactivation potential of oxime compounds as antidotes/drugs for cholinesterases inhibited by OP compounds, either nerve agents or pesticides; investigation of the neuroprotective effect of antidotes in the case of poisoning in a mouse model.

Participation in scientific projects

• 2026 – 2029 collaborator on a Czech-Croatian bilateral project ‘Oxime antidotes for reactivation of cholinesterases inhibited by highly poisonous organophosphates’ (REACT); HrZZ, PI: Goran Šinko, PhD
• 2025 – 2029 collaborator on a national project ‘Schizophrenia in a drop of blood: Peripheral monitoring of changes in neuronal signaling mechanisms’ (SHIKK); HrZZ, PI: Borna Puljko, PhD
• 2023 -2027 collaborator on a national project ‘Analysis of interactions between organophosphorus compounds and esterases and other targets for therapy in poisoning’ (OPEsterOX); HrZZ, PI: Nikolina Maček Hrvat, PhD
• 2022 -2024 collaborator on an international project ‘In vivo efficacy of Novel Uncharged Bis-Oximes in OP Poisoning Treatment’; National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, PI: Zrinka Kovarik, PhD
• 2020 -2022 collaborator on an international project ‘CNS Active, Orally Bioavailable, Zwitterionic Oxime Antidotes to Organophosphates’; Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), USA, PI: Zrinka Kovarik, PhD

• workshop ‘Production, purification and characterization of proteins’, BICRO BIOcentar (Zagreb, 2025)
• international course ‘The 2^nd Course on Molecular Toxicology’, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ege University (Izmir, Türkiye, 2024)
• scientific training in the laboratory of Dr. Zoran Radić, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego (La Jolla, CA, USA; 6 weeks, 2024)
• Course on laboratory animal science (LabAnim, FELASA equivalent, category B), Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb (Zagreb, 2021)
• online course ‘Models of the Blood-Brain Barrier: Scientific Tools to Target the Brain’, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Portugal (2021)
• online workshop ‘Better Skills for Better Jobs: Excellent Lab Book for an Excellent Career’, Croatian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (HDBMB) (2020)

• Annual award to a young scientist for the largest number of scientific papers published in 2024, Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health (2025)
• FEBS-IUBMB Bursary for attending the 3rd FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE Conference (Singapore, 2024)
• The Best Poster Award at the CHE-PON 2024 Conference (2^nd place) (Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, 2024)
• Other grants for participation at scientific congresses (3; 2024, 2023)
• Grant from ERASMUS+ EU Programme for student exchange; Master Degree in Genetics and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna (Vienna Austria, 2017/2018)

1. Kolić, D., Gerlits, O., Kucharski, M., Gorecki, L., Joiner, N., Kovalevsky, A., & Radić, Z. (2025) Kinetic and structural evidence for specific DMSO interference with reversible binding of uncharged bis-oximes to hAChE and their reactivation kinetics of OP-hAChE. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 419, 111649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2025.111649
2. Kovarik, Z., Kolić, D., Čadež, T., Šinko, G., Tuksar, P., Zorbaz, T., Curty, C., & Maček Hrvat, N. (2025) Outlining the A-Series of Organophosphorus Compounds: Cholinesterase Inhibition, Reactivation, Cytotoxicity, and Acute Toxicity in Mice. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 421, 111762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2025.111762
3. Kolić D., Pehar V., Kovarik Z. (2024) Environmental exposure to glyphosate does not inhibit human acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, 75(1), 76-80. https://doi.org/10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3822
4. Kolić D., Kovarik Z. (2024) N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors: structure, function and role in organophosphorus compound poisoning. Biofactors, 50(5), 868–884, https://doi.org/10.1002/biof.2048
5. Čadež T., Kolić D., Šinko G., Kovarik Z. (2021) Assessment of four organophosphorus pesticides as inhibitors of human acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 21486, 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00953-9

• International Society of Neurochemistry (ISN)
• Junior Section of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS JS)
• Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Croatian Society of Toxicology