Janko Nikolich-Zugich , MD , PhD, an internationally noted expert on the immune system & age-related disorders, has joined The University of Arizona College of Medicine as the head of the Department of Immunobiology & co-director of the Arizona Center on Aging.
Dr. Nikolich will lead the Biology of Aging Research Program at the center, which will collaborate with scientists from other UA departments & centers to address diseases & conditions, such as obesity, inflammation, osteoporosis, infectious diseases, diabetes, cancer, dementias & sarcopenia (muscle loss associated with aging).
"These are complex, variable conditions that are very difficult to solve when individuals work in isolation,” Dr. Nikolich said. “Our next step is to bring together the experts at the UA to work on these problems, & to integrate basic multi-disciplinary studies into the translational, clinical & health-services research & outreach missions of the Arizona Center on Aging.”
Before joining the UA, Dr. Nikolich was professor of molecular microbiology & immunology at the School of Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, in Portland, & senior scientist of the OHSU Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute. He currently receives NIH funding for research studies on age-related susceptibility to West Nile virus, immune defense against viruses, & immune senescence.
Originally from Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), Dr. Nikolich received his medical, master’s & doctoral degrees from Belgrade University Medical School.