The workshop “Bridging Theory and Practice: Project Findings & Real-World Success” took place on July 10, 2026, at University of Split’s Faculty of Science. The event was organized as part of STIM-REI 2.0 project’s knowledge and technology transfer activities, with support from the Enterprise Europe Network project.
The program opened with a success story presented by scientist Dragomira Majhen Ph.D., from the Ruđer Bošković Institute and her company, BioDetect Solutions. Together with Andreja Ambriović Ristov Ph.D., she developed the VirusHunter, a patented diagnostic method utilizing universal “VirusHunter baits” that capture any potentially pathogenic virus present in a sample, including previously unknown viruses. Once captured, the virus is identified; the goal is for a single test to reveal the causal viral agent within 24 hours, eliminating the need for a physician to first guess the nature of the pathogen.
VirusHunter is the result of some twenty years of fundamental research into viral biology. The concept took concrete shape in 2016, through a project involving the inventors and Alen Kovačević—then a graduate student and today the patent’s co-author. With the support of the Ruđer Bošković Institute, the patent was granted in July 2025. If everything proceeds according to plan, first testing in a real-world clinical setting is expected to take place in 2027.
If this method proves to be as reliable as targeted tests, while detecting things they cannot, it could transform not only how viral infections are diagnosed, but also how they are predicted.
This was followed by a presentation of STIM REI 2.0 project results, featuring prof. Ante Bilušić, PhD; asst. prof. Ivan Pivac, PhD; assoc. prof. Željka Sanader Maršić, PhD; assoc. prof. Damir Kovačić, PhD; asst. prof. Marin Vojković, PhD; Ivo Jukić, PhD; and prof. Mile Dželalija, PhD.
You can find more information about the STIM-REI 2.0 project at: https://stim.unist.hr/
