CUC researchers in Würzburg: A new step towards international cooperation in translational Parkinson’s disease research

From 7 to 10 October 2026, Assistant Professor Ines Šiško Markoš, PhD, and doctoral researcher Gjino Šutić from the Catholic University of Croatia (CUC) took part in a study visit to the Department of Neurology at University Hospital Würzburg (Universitätsklinikum Würzburg), Germany. The visit was undertaken as part of the project “Biomarker-driven stratification of Parkinson’s disease: Establishing a Würzburg-Zagreb collaboration in molecular imaging and clinical phenotyping”, co-funded through the BAYHOST Mobility Grants 2026 programme.

The study visit marks an important step towards establishing long-term bilateral scientific cooperation between researchers at the Catholic University of Croatia, led by Assistant Professor Ines Šiško Markoš, PhD, of the School of Medicine, and the research group headed by Professor Rhonda McFleder, PhD, at University Hospital Würzburg. The collaboration with the renowned University of Würzburg, whose researcher Professor Georg Nagel is among the recipients of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, focuses on developing modern research and diagnostic approaches to Parkinson’s disease, with particular emphasis on biomarker identification, clinical phenotyping, medical imaging, and understanding the different mechanisms underlying disease onset and progression.

During the visit, the CUC researchers were introduced to the research infrastructure and methodologies used in Würzburg for translational studies of neurodegenerative diseases, including laboratories for proteomics, cell cultures and organoids, immunophenotyping, histology, and experimental models of Parkinson’s disease. Demonstrations of selected laboratory techniques, scientific presentations and working meetings were organised to exchange experience and develop joint research activities. The scientific programme also featured three presentations by doctoral researchers. Wei Chen and Anastasiia Makhotkina presented their research conducted in Würzburg, while HKS doctoral researcher Gjino Šutić presented work carried out in collaboration with Assistant Professor Ines Šiško Markoš, PhD, in experimental bioelectrochemistry, focusing on its application to the detection and monitoring of Parkinson’s disease biomarkers.

A key part of the visit was devoted to harmonising research protocols and planning future joint translational studies of Parkinson’s disease, integrating clinical and laboratory approaches in nuclear medicine, immunology and biochemistry. In addition to achieving its scientific and methodological objectives, the visit helped develop a framework for future exchanges of early-career researchers, the preparation of joint scientific publications and the development of a long-term bilateral research project.

This mobility activity represents an important step in strengthening the Catholic University of Croatia’s international scientific cooperation, linking clinical and experimental research approaches and developing new research capacities in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

About the project
“Biomarker-driven stratification of Parkinson’s disease: Establishing a Würzburg-Zagreb collaboration in molecular imaging and clinical phenotyping” is a bilateral research initiative aimed at laying the methodological groundwork for more precise stratification of Parkinson’s disease based on molecular and imaging biomarkers and patients’ clinical characteristics. Through knowledge transfer and capacity building, this initiative to establish cooperation in translational Parkinson’s disease medicine connects the Catholic University of Croatia and University Hospital Würzburg, with the aim of fostering long-term scientific cooperation, exchanging research expertise, and preparing joint clinical and translational studies.

The study visit was co-funded by BAYHOST Mobility Grants 2026 – Research Stays of Students and Early-Stage Researchers, administered by the Bavarian Academic Center for Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (BAYHOST).
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