Research Group
Multifuntional Complexes and Coordination Polymers

Group Members

• dr Tamara Todorović, Full Professor, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry
• dr Nenad Filipović, Full Professor, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Agriculture
• dr Predrag Ristić, Research Associate, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry
• dr Jovana Araškov, Research Associate, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry
• Sanja Kokanov, Research Assistant, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Chemistry
• Andrej Milivojac, Junior Research Assistant, Innovative Centre of Faculty of Chemistry

Research Area

Modern research in the natural and technical sciences is increasingly focused on developing multifunctional materials. These materials, which allow a single molecule to have multiple applications, offer the potential to reduce costs and expedite results significantly. Our research group is dedicated to exploring this potential, explicitly focusing on discrete transition metal complexes and coordination polymers. We aim to understand their potential as multifunctional materials and establish a correlation between their structure and functional properties.

Focused research areas:

• Synthesis of libraries of hybrid convergent polydentate (N-hetero)aromatic ligands with known fluorophore and pharmacophore structural fragments (hydrazonyl-thiazoles, hydrazonyl-selenazoles, chalcogensemicarbazones, symmetric and asymmetric dihydrazones, etc.) and corresponding discrete coordination compounds.
• Synthesis of libraries of divergent polytopic carboxylate and imidazolate ligands and corresponding coordination polymers.
• Structural characterization using spectroscopic and X-ray structural analysis methods.
• Post-synthetic modification/functionalization of complexes and coordination polymers.
• Investigation of the stability of complexes and coordination polymers.
• Investigation of photocatalytic properties, kinetics, and mechanism of photocatalytic activity.
• Investigation and elucidation of photoluminescent properties in the solid state (in collaboration with the group of Prof. dr José M. López-De-Luzuriaga, University of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain).
• Evaluation of biological activity (antimicrobial and antiproliferative) of discrete coordination compounds and determination of the mechanism of action (in cooperation with several research groups).
• Encapsulation of enzymes in three-dimensional coordination polymers (MOFs and ZIFs) by biomineralization and post-synthetic diffusion methods.
• Development of MOF- and ZIF-based systems for the delivery of drugs/active substances.

Selected Publications

1. Kokanov S.B., Filipović N.R., Višnjevac A., Nikolić M., Novaković I., Janjić G., Holló B.B., Ramotowska S., Nowicka P., Makowski M., Uğuz Ö., Koca A., Todorović T.R., A detailed experimental and computational study of Cd complexes with pyridyl-based thiazolyl hydrazones (2023) Applied Organometallic Chemistry, 37 (1), art. no. e6942. Cover page article. DOI: 10.1002/aoc.6942
2. Marković S.B., Maciejewska N., Olszewski M., Višnjevac A., Puerta A., Padrón J.M., Novaković I., Kojić S., Fernandes H.S., Sousa S.F., Ramotowska S., Chylewska A., Makowski M., Todorović T.R., Filipović N.R., Study of the anticancer potential of Cd complexes of selenazoyl-hydrazones and their sulfur isosters (2022) European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 238, art. no. 114449. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114449
3. Araškov J.B., Višnjevac A., Popović J., Blagojević V., Fernandes H.S., Sousa S.F., Novaković I., Padrón J.M., Holló B.B., Monge M., Rodríguez-Castillo M., López-De-Luzuriaga J.M., Filipović N.R., Todorović T.R., Zn(II) complexes with thiazolyl-hydrazones: structure, intermolecular interactions, photophysical properties, computational study and anticancer activity (2022) CrystEngComm, 24 (29), pp. 5194 – 5214. Cover page article. DOI: 10.1039/d2ce00443g
4. Stanišić M.D., Popović Kokar N., Ristić P., Balaž A.M., Ognjanović M., Đokić V.R., Prodanović R., Todorović T.R., The Influence of Isoenzyme Composition and Chemical Modification on Horseradish Peroxidase@ZIF-8 Biocomposite Performance (2022) Polymers, 14 (22), art. no. 4834. DOI: 10.3390/polym14224834
5. Ristić P., Todorović T.R., Blagojević V., Klisurić O.R., Marjanović I., Holló B.B., Vulić P., Gulea M., Donnard M., Monge M., Rodríguez-Castillo M., López-De-Luzuriaga J.M., Filipović N.R., 1D and 2D Silver-Based Coordination Polymers with Thiomorpholine-4-carbonitrile and Aromatic Polyoxoacids as Coligands: Structure, Photocatalysis, Photoluminescence, and TD-DFT Study (2020) Crystal Growth and Design, 20 (7), pp. 4461 – 4478. DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.0c00287

Partners

• Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade (dr Goran Janjić, dr Ivana Đorđević, dr Sonja Grubišić and dr Irena Novaković)
• Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera Torlak (dr Milan Kojić)
• „Vinča” Institute of Nuclear Sciences (dr Miloš Ognjanović and dr Milan Senćanski)
• Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy INEP (dr Dragana Dekanski)
• Innovative Centre of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy (dr Velřko Đokić)
• University of Belgrade – Faculty of Pharmacy (Prof. dr Vladimir Dobričić and Prof. dr Katarina Nikolić)
• BG Soft d.o.o. (dr Vladimir Blagojević)
• Institute of Technical Sciences of SASA (dr Magdalena Stevanović)
• Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia (dr Snežana Bjelogrlić)
• University of Novi Sad – Faculty of Sciences (Prof. dr Olivera Klisurić, Prof. dr Marko Rodić and Prof. dr Berta Barta Holló)
• Institute Ruđer Bošković, Zagreb, Croatia (dr Aleksandar Višnjevac and dr Jasminka Popović)
• University of Ljubljana – Faculty of Mathematics and Physics and Jožef Štefan Institute, Ljublřana, Slovenia (Prof. dr Matej Pregelř)
• CNRS and University of Strasbourg – Faculty of Pharmacy (dr Mihaela Gulea and dr Morgan Donnard)
• University of La Rioja, Logrono, Spain (Prof. dr José M. López-de-Luzuriaga)
• University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain (Prof. dr Jozé Padrón)
• University of Porto – Faculty of Medicine, Porto, Portugal (dr Sérgio F. Sousa)
• University of Gdansk – Faculty of Chemistry and Gdansk University of Technology – Faculty of Chemistry, Gdansk, Poland (Prof. dr Mariusz Makowski and dr Natalia Maciejewska)
• Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia (dr Alfonso T. García-Sosa)
• Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Sapienza Universita di Roma, Rome, Italy (Prof. dr Romano Silvestri)

Projects

• Controllable design of efficient enzyme@MOF composites for biocatalysis (SYMBIOSIS, đ 6066997; 2020‒2023), program PROMIS, Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia; PI: Prof. dr Tamara Todorović; participant: dr Predrag Ristić. 
• Repurposing of drugs for prevention and treatment of Covid-19 (COVIDTARGET, đ 7551100; 2021‒2022), special program COVID-19, Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia; PI: dr Sanja Glišić, „Vinča” Institute of Nuclear Sciences; participant: prof. dr Tamara Todorović. 
• Interactions of natural products, their derivatives and coordination compounds with proteins and nucleic acids (đ 172055; 2011‒2019), basic research program, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia; PI: Prof. dr Dušan Sladić; participants: Prof. dr Tamara Todorović, Prof. dr Nenad Filipović, dr Jovana Araškov and Sanja Kokanov.
• Directed synthesis, structure and properties of multifunctional materials (đ 172057; 2011‒2019), basic research program, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia; PI: Prof. dr Vladimir Pavlović, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Agriculture; participant: dr Predrag Ristić.
• Novel N-heteroaromatic 1,3-(chalcogenazol-2-yl)hydrazones and their d-metal complexes as potential multitargeting agents against cancer stem cells (đ 451-03-02141/2017-09/03, 2018-2020), bilateral project, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia and Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research - Centre for International Cooperation and Mobility; PI: prof. dr Tamara Todorović; participants: Prof. dr Nenad Filipović, dr Jovana Araškov and Sanja Kokanov.
• Multi-target paradigm for innovative ligand identification in the drug discovery process – MuTaLig (COST Action CA15135; 2016-2020); European Union; PI: prof. dr Stefano Alkaro, University „Magna Graecia”, Catanzaro, Italy; participant: Prof. dr Nenad Filipović.
• Antioxidants based on selenium coordination compounds ‒ research and development (innovation project; 2012), Innovation Fund of Republic of Serbia; PI: Prof. dr Katarina Anđelković; participants: Prof. dr Tamara Todorović and Prof. dr Nenad Filipović.
• Chemical Approaches to Targeting Drug Resistance in Cancer Stem Cells (CMST COST Action CM1106; 2012-2016); European Union; PI: Prof. dr Daniele Passarella, University of Milan, Italy; participants: Prof. dr Tamara Todorović and Prof. dr Nenad Filipović.
• Synthesis, analysis and activity of new ligands and their complexes with d-metals (đ 142062; 2006‒2010), basic research program, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia; PI: Prof. dr Živoslav Tešić; participants: Prof. dr Tamara Todorović and Prof. dr Nenad Filipović.
• Synthesis, characterization, structure and biological activity of metal complexes with synthetic and natural organic ligands (2003-2005), basic research program, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia; PI: Prof. dr Živoslav Tešić; participant: Prof. dr Tamara Todorović.