Serbian scientist wins the medical Oscar: Milica Bajčetić among the best researchers in Europe
Milica Bajčetić, winner of the medical Oscar in the field of pharmacy, discovered an innovative tablet that is a lifeline for children with heart weakness; PHOTO CREDIT: PRIVATE ARCHIVE
Serbian scientist and professor Milica Bajčetić is the winner of the prestigious International Medis Awards for Medical Research in the field of pharmacy, which was presented last night at a formal ceremony in Ljubljana.
As reported by the Slovenian portal 24ur.com, this recognition is considered one of the most significant for medical research in Central and Eastern Europe, which is why the media often call it the “medical Oscar”. The award is presented to doctors and pharmacists who, alongside their daily clinical work, achieve exceptional results in scientific research and publish papers in international medical journals.
According to the organisers, this year the international expert jury considered more than 240 scientific papers from 11 European countries. After a months-long evaluation process, 18 researchers reached the final and competed in nine different medical fields.
In the pharmacy category, the award was won precisely by Serbian scientist Milica Bajčetić, which meant that Serbia had one of the laureates of this year’s awards. The expert jury assessed her work as a significant contribution to the development of modern pharmacotherapy and the improvement of the safety of drug use, especially in the field of paediatric medicine.
As Slovenian media report, the award-winning scientific paper focuses on improving therapeutic approaches and developing new pharmaceutical formulations that can improve the treatment of patients, especially the youngest ones.
The research of Professor Milica Bajčetić deals with a long-standing problem in the treatment of heart weakness in young children, the lack of ready-made, age-appropriate oral medicines for children under the age of six. Children with congenital heart defects or dilated cardiomyopathy often have to receive therapy with medicines such as enalapril, but for the youngest patients these medicines do not exist in an appropriate form.
“It is a great honour and privilege to be the winner of this prestigious award. It is confirmation of both my work and the work of the entire ‘Lena’ project team. Our research has made a significant contribution to improving the pharmacotherapy of newborns around the world. This first innovative formulation of enalapril has been clinically tested for the treatment of heart weakness. The solid tablet form adapted to age will especially help children in environments that do not have access to running water and who live in extreme climate zones. This award gives me further motivation to continue research that will enable children to have safe, effective and high-quality therapy,” Prof Bajčetić stated.
The ceremony announcing the winners was held on 12 March in Ljubljana, in the presence of numerous doctors, scientists and representatives of the academic community from several European countries. It should be noted that not all finalists were present.
The awards were presented to researchers whose work contributes to the advancement of medicine, the development of new therapies and the improvement of the quality of healthcare.
The International Medis Awards for Medical Research was established in order to recognise and promote the top scientific achievements of doctors and pharmacists from Central and Eastern Europe, and the laureates of this recognition often gain significant international visibility in scientific circles.
Slovenian media assess that this year’s awards once again confirmed the importance of regional cooperation in medical research, as well as the growing contribution of scientists from the region to the development of modern medicine.
The International Medis Awards for Medical Research was established in 2014 and is presented to doctors and pharmacists who, alongside their clinical work, publish top scientific research in international journals. The aim of the recognition is to promote scientific excellence and advance the development of medicine in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Over these 12 years, a total of 1,983 scientific papers have been considered, and of those 422 papers came from Serbia.