ASEF Speaker Series: Dr Tina Lebar
The American-Slovenian Educational Foundation (ASEF) is organising a new popular science lecture as part of the ASEF Speaker Series. This time the lecture will be given by Dr. Tina Lebar, a renowned researcher in the field of molecular biology. The lecture is titled Evolution as a roadmap for transforming microbial enzymes into therapeutic tools and will take place on Wednesday, 21 May at 6 pm at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana (Večna pot 113, Ljubljana) and on Zoom. Registration for the event is mandatory.
About the lecture
Tyrosine recombinases are enzymes that shuffle large pieces of genetic code around in different microbes. They act like scissors and glue at the same time – they cut and glue a new piece of the genetic record into precise places, thus “writing” new traits into the organism. This ability makes them promising tools for effective and safe therapies that require the insertion of therapeutic genes into carefully selected, safe places in the genetic record. These enzymes are tailored to their microbial hosts, and are not easily redirected to selected sites in human cells due to their complex structure.
Nature has designed a remarkable diversity of tyrosine recombinases. This talk will describe how evolutionary differences and similarities can be exploited to understand and redesign these enzymes to target new sites in the genetic transcript. By analysing natural enzymes and their targets, structural modelling and high-performance experimental methods, we have designed novel tyrosine recombinases that can write genetic information to selected sites in human cells. The lecture will also address the remaining challenges and additional hurdles in the field of gene therapies.
About the lecturer
Dr. Tina Lebar, after studying microbiology at the Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Ljubljana, obtained her PhD degree at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana in 2017, and carried out her research work at the Institute of Chemistry under the supervision of Dr. Mojca Benčina and Dr. Roman Jerala.
From 2019 to early 2025, she was based in Boston, USA, at the Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, and at the Wyss Institute, Harvard University. From April 2025, she will continue her work at the Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, Institute of Chemistry. Her research focuses on understanding and engineering the interactions between the basic building blocks of the cell, thereby changing how it functions.
About the organizers
The American-Slovenian Educational Foundation (ASEF) is a foundation that connects Slovenian students, researchers and professionals around the world and provides them with research and educational opportunities. Through the ASEF Speaker Series, each month ASEF organises lectures by top experts who present their research and interesting findings.
The program is co-financed by the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad and the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth.