Introducing:

Prof. Bojan Polić, MD, PhD

Immunology is my passion. Ever since I was a medical student, I have been captivated by the complexity and sheer coordinated beauty of immune cells and how they detect and eliminate threats. Originally, me and my team focused on the intricacies of antiviral immunology. After my postdoctoral training in the lab of Klaus Rajewsky, I brought home knowledge on the power of genetic models in mice and have used this to elucidate some of the mysteries surrounding NK cell biology and how these cells detect and eliminate threats to the human body. More recently, we have used these skills to explore the role of these and other innate immune cells in the physiology of sickness metabolism and metabolic disease. Apart from being a scientist and department leader, I enjoy educating our undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in human biology and especially immunology. At the beginning of 2025, I have the honor of being president of the European Federation of Immunological Societies. In this role, I hope to spread the beauty of immunology to an even wider audience and help the next generation of scientists to reach beyond our current level of knowledge.

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Publications

Featured Publications

• Šestan M, Mikašinović S, Benić A, Wueest S, Dimitropoulos C, Mladenić K, Krapić M, Hiršl L, Glantzspiegel Y, Rasteiro A, Alisezchik M, Cekinović Grbeša Đ, Turk Wensveen T, Babić M, Gat Viks I, Veiga-Fernandes H, Konrad D, Wensveen FM, Polić B, An IFNγ-dependent immune-endocrine circuit lowers blood glucose to potentiate the innate anti-viral immune response. Nat. Immunol. 2024 (Accepted)

• Marinović S, Lenartić M, Mladenić K , Šestan, M, Kavazović I, Benić A, Krapić M, Rindlisbacher L, Cokarić Brdovčak M, Sparano C, Litscher G, Turk Wensveen T, Mikolasevic I, Fučkar Čupić D, Bilić-Zulle L, Steinle A, Waisman A, Hayday A, Tugues S, Becher B, Polić B, Wensveen FM, NKG2D-mediated detection of metabolically stressed hepatocytes by innate-like T cells is essential for initiation of NASH and fibrosis, Science Immunology 2023 Sep 29;8(87):eadd1599

• Jelenčić V, Šestan M, Kavazović I, Lenartić M, Marinović S, Holmes TD, Prchal-Murphy M, Lisnić B, Sexl V, Bryceson YT, Wensveen FM, Polić B. NK cell receptor NKG2D sets activation threshold for the NCR1 receptor early in NK cell development. Nature Immunology. 2018 Oct;19(10):1083-1092.

• Šestan M, Marinović S, Kavazović I, Cekinović Đ, Wueest S, Turk Wensveen T, Brizić I, Jonjić S, Konrad D, Wensveen FM, Polić B. Virus-Induced Interferon-γ Causes Insulin Resistance in Skeletal Muscle and Derails Glycemic Control in Obesity. Immunity. 2018 Jul 17;49(1):164-177.e6.

• Wensveen FM, Jelenčić V, Valentić S, Šestan M, Wensveen TT, Theurich S, Glasner A, Mendrila D, Štimac D, Wunderlich FT, Brüning JC, Mandelboim O, Polić B. NK cells link obesity-induced adipose stress to inflammation and insulin resistance. Nature Immunology. 2015 Apr;16(4):376-85.

• Zafirova B, Mandarić S, Antulov R, Krmpotić A, Jonsson H, Yokoyama WM, Jonjić S, Polić B. Altered NK cell development and enhanced NK cell-mediated resistance to mouse cytomegalovirus in NKG2D-deficient mice. Immunity. 2009 Aug 21;31(2):270-82.

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