Research team of project IP-2016-06-8027 “Rewriting memory: Manipulation of T cell memory to enhance vaccine efficiency“ (Principal Investigator: Assoc. Prof. Felix Wensveen, Ph.D.) managed to get a new manuscript accepted in the journal Diabetes (IF: 9.5). In this manuscript entitled ‘Hyperglycemia and not hyperinsulinemia mediates diabetes-induced memory CD8 T cell dysfunction’, the authors describe the negative impact of diabetes on the antiviral immune system and elucidate an important underlying molecular mechanism.

The first authorship of this paper is shared by Inga Kavazović and Mia Krapić, former and current PhD student financed through HRZZ’s “Young Researchers’ Career Development Project”. Dr Kavazović obtained her doctoral degree in 2020 with the topic “The Role of T-Cell Receptor Signal Strength in Controlling Clonal Diversity of CD8 T-Cell Memory”. In the last 4,5 years, she published 8 papers in some of the world’s highest-ranking journals such as Nature Immunology, Immunity, PLoS Biology and now Diabetes. For her work she has already received numerous awards, such as the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka and the University of Rijeka awards for the best young researcher in the field of Biomedicine, the Croatian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology award for best junior scientist in the field of Biomedicine and last month she received the Croatian state award for the best junior scientist in the field of biomedicine.

Congratulations to the whole team!