Mission The Center for Proteomics was established at the University of Rijeka Faculty of Medicine in Croatia in 2006, with focus on high-throughput monoclonal antibodies (mAb) development for cutting-edge applications including proteome analysis. Overview The underlying idea to establish the Center for Proteomics was first initiated by experts from the World Bank in 2002. The Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, made major investments, i.e. allocated financial resources for the building construction, which was completed in summer 2003. The key equipment and laboratory furniture was purchased through the Jezgra 17 project supported by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports. The first goal of the newly established Center was to establish high-throughput mAb production on various cellular and viral proteins.   Since its opening the Center has managed to establish more than twenty high level scientific collaborative projects with prestigious research institutes, universities and biotechnological SMEs from the Region of SE Europe, EU and USA. These projects are mainly based on the production and characterization of mAbs for research purposes. In many instances the reagents generated at the Center played a key role in various discoveries and resulted in joint publications in the leading journals. There are now several hundred hybridoma cell lines at the Center's disposal, secreting mAbs to a large variety of target proteins.   The pilot project for the high-throughput production of mAbs was performed on the VZV (Varicella Zoster Virus) proteome. The next immediate goal will be the expression of proteins of other viruses such as human and mouse cytomegaloviruses (CMVs), which will be included in the high-throughput production of mAbs using a technology similar to that used for VZV.

Several projects regarding the generation of mAbs have already begun, including the sets of mAbs directed against murine and human CMV proteins expressed on the surface of infected cells having a potential neutralising capacity as well as being a promising tool to characterize immunoevasive properties of viral Fc receptors; targets are also both structural and non-structural CMV proteins with an emphasis on viral proteins involved in immunoevasion functions; mAbs against viral chemokines and cytokines; generation of mAbs to several proteins expressed on human NK cells, viral MHC I-like proteins for studies in structural biology, potential markers on pancreatic tumor as well as neuro-stem cells and others.

The Center is engaged in several other ongoing projects, e.g. the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches to treat viral infections based on fusion proteins consisting of recombinant mAbs and soluble ligands for different lymphocytes’ receptors;  custom mAbs/hybridoma development;  a transcriptomic approach to viral disease research;  experimental approach to antiviral vaccine development oriented on attenuated vaccines that induce a strong innate immune response;  exploring the importance and cellular targets of auto-reactive antibodies induced by viral infection; standardization of the tests for the neurovirulence of the viral vaccines on the animal virus model.

Future plans

The Center for Proteomics will continue to encourage the development of its biomedical research potential and promote international scientific cooperation by meeting the industrial and academic users' growing demand for monoclonal antibodies as analytical tools, primarily in terms of development of mAb for translational research (characterization of diagnostic markers, experimental therapies, etc.).

The Center for Proteomics will strive to implement new initiatives, which will on the long run enable it to reach self-sustainability. The Center sees its opportunity in establishment of a spin-off company, preferably in the Science and Technology Park of the University of Rijeka (SteP Ri), where scientific and technological outputs generated by the Center will be able to find their way to interested entities, universities as well as enterprises.