Prof. Rumiana Tzoneva, PhD | CV

Home | CV | Publications | Projects

Education

  • 1999-2003: Potsdam University, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Germany, PhD in biotechnology and biomaterials, Dissertation topic: “The wettability of biomaterials determines protein adsorption and cellular responses”
  • 1988-1989: SU “St. Kl. Ohridski”, Faculty of Biology, postgraduate qualification, Topic: “Biosynthesis of vitamin B12 from cyanobacteria”. Optimization of biological processes and practical applications”
  • 1983-1988: SU “St. Kl. Ohridski”, Faculty of Biology, Master’s Degree in Molecular and Functional Biology, Engineering Biology
  • 1978-1983: Mathematics High School “Nikola Obreshkov”, Razgrad, Secondary education, Silver medal for graduation

Work experience

  • 2021 – : Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, BAS, Professor, Head of the Transmembrane Signalling Laboratory; Leader and Participant in National and International Research Projects
  • 2017–2021: Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, BAS, Professor, Leader and Participant in National and International Research Projects, Scientific Secretary of IBPhBME-BAS
  • 2011–2017: Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, BAS, Associate Professor, Leader and Participant in National and International Research Projects
  • 2003–2011: Institute of Biophysics, BAS, Research associate I st.
  • 1999–2003: Helmholtz Geestacht Center, Center for Biomaterials, Teltow, Germany, (PhD student)
  • 1993-1999: Institute of Biophysics, BAS, Research associate II III st.

Scientific visits

  • 2017 – Scientific visit by Bulgarian Scientific Fund funding in Potsdam University, Berlin, Germany, Study of the effect of erufosine on the membrane fluidity of breast cancer cells
  • 2014 – Scientific visit by DAAD project with DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany, Investigation of the effect of Erufosine on PI3K/Akt/MDM2 signaling in vitro and in vivo in breast cancer cells
  • 2013 – Guest-researcher at DAAD bilateral agreement in DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany, Study of the effect of erufosine on the actin cytoskeleton of breast cancer cells
  • 2006 – Guest-researcher at DFG bilateral agreement in Polymer Institute, Research Centre, Germany – DFG -436 BUL 112/27/06, Investigation of tissue compatibility of “intelligent” (shape memory) polymer materials
  • 2004 – Guest-researcher at DFG bilateral agreement in Polymer institute, Research Centre, Germany – DFG – 436 BUL 112/21/04, Blood compatibility study of thermoplastic polymeric materials
  • 2003 – Guest-researcher at DFG bilateral agreement in Polymer Institute, Research Centre, Germany, Study of biocompatibility of polymeric materials with different physic-chemical surface properties
  • 1999 – Guest-researcher at AIST exchange program, Institute of Materials and Chemical Research, Tsukuba, Japan, Dispersion and biodegradation of oil from oil spills in seawater. A practical study if the purification of sea basins from oil spills

Professional and scientific awards

  • 2004 – Prize from Research Centre and Scientific society von Helmholz, Germany for an excellently defended dissertation with Magna Cum Laude
  • 2002 – Prize for an excellent scientific report at the 17th European Congress on Biomaterials, Barcelona, Spain

Teaching activity

  • Lecture course “Tissue Engineering and Regenerative medicine” in the Master and Bachelor Program in University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, Sofia, Bulgaria – Since 2015
  • Lecture course “Basic immunology” in the Master and Bachelor Program in University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, Sofia, Bulgaria – Since 2019
  • Lecture course “Cellular boundary complex’ in the Master program in Sofia University, Biological Faculty, 2019-2020
    MENTOR OF STUDENTS-PRACTITIONERS UNDER THE PROGRAM “STUDENT PRACTICES” – Phase 1 as part of the priority axis “Education and lifelong learning” of the Operational Program “Science and Education for Intellectual Growth”, 2016

Training and scientific supervision

Doctoral students

Defended

  • Viktoria Nikolaeva Pehlivanova, defended a thesis on a subject: “Influence of electrical pulses and antitumor agents on the adhesive behavior of cancer and somatic cells”
  • Veselina Plamenova Uzunova, defended a thesis on a subject “Influence of antitumor agents on cell membrane integrity and cytoskeleton”

Current

  • Tihomira Stoyanova Soysuren, “Anti-tumor lipids and stains – influence on transmembrane cell signaling”, completed studies with the right to defence
  • Irina Jordanova Georgieva, “Study of the role of angiogenesis in the development of various pathological conditions”
  • Borislava Valerieva Borisova, “Investigating the role of joint implant surface modifications in regulating adhesive protein adsorption and cell adhesion”

Master and bachelor degree students

  • Viktoria Nikolaeva Pehlivanova, defended her master thesis on: ”Influence of electric field on the adhesive behavior of tumor and somatic cells ”, on August 3, 2009, at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” in the Department of Biophysics
  • Vasilena Georgieva Krysteva, defended her master thesis on: “Influence of electric field on cell adhesion and adsorption of plasma proteins on biomaterials”, on 30.07.2010, at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” in the Department of Biophysics
  • Veselina Plamenova Uzunova, defended her master thesis on: „Influence of erufosine and external electric field on the adhesive behavior of cancer cells. Cytotoxicity study of erufosine and hybrid materials containing silver”, 2012 at UCTM, Department of Biotechnology
  • Tihomira Stoyanova Soysuren, defended her master thesis on: „Study of the effect of the new anti-tumor lipid erufosine on the metastatic potential of cancer cells “, on 22.07.2016 at Sofia University” St. Kliment Ohridski in the Department of Cytology, Histology and Embryology
  • Silvia Kacarova, defended her master thesis on: „Biocompatibility of hybrid materials containing zinc nanoparticles”, on 20.07. 2016 at UCTM, in the Department of Biotechnology
  • Denica Stoyanova, defended her master thesis on: „Study of the cytotoxic effect of Miltefosin and Dimethylsphingosine on cancer cells”, defended in 2019 at UCTM, Department of Biotechnology
  • Irina Jordanova Georgieva, defended her bachelor thesis on: „Anti-angiogenic properties of the new anti-tumor agent Erufosine”, defended in 2017 at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” in the Department of Cytology, Histology and Embryology
  • Maria Zdravkova Popova, defended her master thesis on: „Cytotoxicity of hybrid materials containing copper-alloying nanoparticles”, on 26.07.2021 at UCTM, in the Department of Biotechnology
  • Petya Ivanova, defended her master thesis on: „New methods for testing the fluidity of cancer and non-cancer cells after treatment with antitumor agents”, on 26.07. 2021 at UCTM, in the Department of Biotechnology
  • Borislava Valerieva Borisova, defended her master thesis on: „Study of the antitumor and antioxidant activity of extracts of Petasites hybridus L. (Butterbur) on breast cancer cell lines with different invasiveness”, on 26.07. 2021 at UCTM, in the Department of Biotechnology

Research area

  • Study of the biocompatibility of polymeric materials for the purposes of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
  • Antitumor treatment with new antitumor lipids: cytotoxicity, metastases, apoptosis, migration, cell cycle
  • Pathogenesis of angiogenesis

Languages

Mother language: Bulgarian

Other languages:</h3

  • English: excellent
  • German and Russian: good

Science metrics indicators

  • 73 scientific papers, 52 of them in international journals with IF
  • 2 reviews, 1 chapter of a book, published by indexed scientific journals
  • Over 700 citations on SCOPUS and GOOGLE SCHOLAR
  • h-index 14 according to SCOPUS after excluding the self-citations of all co-authors

Expert activity

  • Referee for more than 15 journals
  • Referee of Diploma and PhD theses, scientific projects for the National Science Fund of Bulgaria
  • Member of the Editorial board of the journals: Annals of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Trends in Cancer Research and Chemotherapy
  • Scientific secretary of the Institute of Biophysics and of Biomedical Engineering (2014-2018)
  • Member of the Scientific Board of the Institute of Biophysics and of Biomedical Engineering (2014-current)

Membership in professional organizations

  • Union of Bulgarian Scientists

Comments are closed.