Vjeko Hrabar

"Driving force which prompted me to apply for the ViroiDoc project as a doctoral candidate was my continued interest in viroids and plant pathology. My hope is to leave a mark in our understanding of viroid biodiversity and to start-up a long-lasting career in this field."

Vjeko is ViroiDoc MSCA fellow (DC8) at the National Research Council (CNR) in Italy under supervision of Beatriz Navarro Ramirez (CNR) and Rita Milvia de Miccolis Angelini (UNIBA).

Individual Research Projects (IRP): 
Identification and characterization of novel infectious circular viroid-like RNAs in hosts belonging to different kingdoms

Identification and molecular characterization of novel viroids and viroid-like RNAs in plants and in fungi of agronomic interest (pathogenic and beneficial), in fungi of agri-food significance and in fungi isolated from the rhizosphere of different ecological niches. Evaluation of the effects of viroid-like RNA infection on fungal phenotype, pathogenicity and toxicity, to utilise these infectious agents as putative novel biocontrol agents and biostimulants or to identify them as putative regulators of mycotoxin expression. Functional studies of putative novel viroid-like encoded proteins.

Project presentation

coming soon