Lecture of Professor Janko Nikolić-Žugić, MD, on Acute COVID-19 and Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 disease

Janko Nikolić-Žugić, MD, a world-renowned immunologist and gerontologist at the College of Medicine of the University of Arizona, and a member of the BIO 5 Institute, named the researcher of the year in 2021, in the field of biological sciences in Arizona for his work on ageing, immunology, and Covid-19 testing and prevention, is to give a lecture titled ’Acute Covid 19 and Post-Acute Sequelae of Covid-19; Immunological Aspects and Future Research Directions’, at the Hall of the SASA Audiovisual Archive and Center for Digitization (36 Knez Mihailova Street/first floor), on Tuesday, 6 September, at 1 p.m.

The first part covers the principles of the general immune response, followed by particular elements of immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The evaluation results of T and B lymphocyte (anti-bodies) response to various parts of the virus in the context of longevity and uniqueness of the response after natural infection and mRNA vaccine will be presented. They will be discussed through the lens of protective immunity, i.e. resistance against SARS-CoV-2 variants, both in the general population and sensitive population groups.

The second part of the lecture tackles ‘long COVID-19’, i.e. the so-called PASC syndrome (post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection). This insufficiently researched syndrome, as well as the primary COVID-19 disease, represent a diverse set of symptoms with a heterogeneous clinical picture. Is there just one PASC syndrome, or several? Is it a chronic or prolonged virus infection? Does PASC syndrome have an auto-immune component? Are these prolonged abnormalities of the inflammatory, coagulation or renin-angiotensin system? Some answers to these and other issues will be presented within current research, both ongoing and planned in the framework of international cooperation.

Dr Nikolich-Žugić received his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Belgrade. He joined the College of Medicine in Tucson in 2008, as a chair of the college’s Department of Immunobiology and co-director of the Center on Aging at the University of Arizona. He has published over 180 papers in peer-reviewed journals and received 73 million worth of grant awards from the National Institutes of Health. With his many years of research, he has made scientific impact that has influenced the health and well-being of Arizona residents and beyond.