This document presents strategic guidelines and a development framework aimed at enhancing higher education programs in biotechnology within Bosnia and Herzegovina. It emphasizes the importance of aligning academic curricula, research capacities, and innovation ecosystems with global sustainable development goals (SDGs) and emerging scientific trends. Drawing on insights from the 2025 scientific-expert symposium "Next-Generation Biotechnologists – Skills of Future Educators," this work outlines key recommendations for modernizing educational approaches, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, and fostering the next generation of biotechnologists equipped to meet societal and technological challenges. The framework is intended for academic institutions, policymakers, and stakeholders committed to advancing biotechnology education and innovation in the region.

INTRODUCTION This study investigates the molecular docking of 306 phytochemicals from Iris, Daphne, and Chrysosplenium species against three key proteins of the H5N1 influenza virus: neuraminidase, polymerase, and hemagglutinin. Phytochemicals are recognized for their antiviral potential, but interactions between compounds from these genera and H5N1 proteins remain underexplored. Given the ongoing threat of H5N1, identifying novel inhibitors is essential. The main intent is to evaluate the binding affinities of selected phytochemicals through molecular docking and assess the drug-likeness of top candidates using pharmacokinetic and physicochemical filters. METHODS Molecular docking was performed for 306 phytochemicals against the three H5N1 proteins. Fourteen promising compounds were further screened for physicochemical properties, compliance with Lipinski's Rule of Five, Veber's Rule, and PAINS alerts. RESULTS All compounds exhibited no PAINS alerts, with several conforming to Lipinski's Rule of Five and Veber's Rule. Edgeworoside A emerged as the top-performing compound, showing strong binding affinity across all three targets and favorable interaction profiles. Triumbellin and daphnogi-rin A exhibited significant binding affinity for hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, as well as for polymerase, respectively. Compounds such as 3-isobutenylquercetin, irisoid E, junipegenin A, daphne-toxin, and excoecariatoxin exhibited high binding potential without violating drug-likeness criteria. CONCLUSION Several phytochemicals, particularly edgeworoside A, demonstrate promising multi-target potential against H5N1 influenza proteins. These findings highlight the therapeutic relevance of compounds from underexplored plant genera and support their further development through in vitro, in vivo, and preclinical studies.

With the aim to improve the present X-STR database regarding the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), we report the genetic data from 228 unrelated adults residing in different regions of B&H that were genotyped using the QIAGEN's Investigator® Argus X-12 kit which detects 12 STR markers distributed over the entire X-chromosome as four distinct linkage groups. Our results indicate that the 12 X-STR loci examined are highly polymorphic in the B&H population. Distribution of allele frequencies, calculated only for female samples, did not show significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p > 0.05). Moreover, PIC values for all analyzed X-STR loci and sample groups proved to be high (PIC≥0.6); the most informative X-STR marker is DXS10135 (for male, female and pooled samples: 0.918647, 0.912071 and 0.918621, respectively) and the most informative linkage group is LG I (PIC = 0.988903076). Also, B&H population was compared to other 14 populations; no significant differences were observed between B&H and neighboring populations of Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia. Contrariwise, the greatest genetic distance was observed in comparison with South African population (0.1449). Overall, this paper is the first report of forensically relevant parameters, allele and haplotype frequencies for the 12 X-STR loci included in the Investigator® Argus X-12 marker system in the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, this study strongly supports the application of X-STR markers for human identification, provides new insights into the genetic structure of contemporary population and contributes to the existing database of B&H population.

This research work presents a comprehensive overview of four traits related to the head, with the aim of assessing the statistical phenotypic association among them. The traits examined in this study encompass earlobe type, tongue rugosity, cleft chin and tongue rolling. The primary objective was to investigate the potential associations between these traits and understand their interrelationships. The study focused on examining specific traits in a diverse group of 7431 unrelated individuals, where the genders were almost evenly distributed. To facilitate a comprehensive analysis, three distinct groups were created for each characteristic, comprising the total population, as well as male and female subsets. The selection of subjects was carefully done to ensure a fair representation across different geographical regions within Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby accurately reflecting the nation's national and ethnic diversity. The association among these traits was assessed for statistical significance using the Chi-squared test, with Fisher's exact test used as a supplementary method to examine the connection between each pair of observed traits. Additionally, the Chi-squared test was applied to examine gender-based differences in the frequencies of the phenotypic characteristics of the head. Following traits were shown to have a statistically significant association: tongue rugosity - tongue rolling, tongue rugosity – earlobe type, cleft chin – earlobe type, cleft chin – tongue rolling and earlobe type – tongue rolling. Investigation into the variations in the frequencies of observed phenotypic traits of the head, with respect to gender, revealed statistically significant results for every trait examined.

ABSTRACT Population genetic studies have shown that the Bosnian-Herzegovinian (B&H) population is a part of the European gene pool, but there has been limited information on the genetic structure of ancient B&H populations. This study aimed to determine the frequency and distribution of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups for a medieval Bosnian population. Thirty-four samples, excavated from medieval necropolises located within the borders of medieval Bosnia, were analyzed. Sequencing of the mtDNA hypervariable segment 1 (HVS1) region and RFLP analysis were performed for haplogroup determination. All 32 samples were identified as haplogroup H, with subhaplogroups H2a and H5 in 30 and 2 samples, respectively. The frequency of the H haplogroup was significantly different between the studied samples and previous studies of contemporary B&H populations, where the H haplogroup frequency was approximately half that of the ancient population studied here. A significant difference in H haplogroup frequency compared with other medieval populations outside of Bosnia was also observed: the ancient B&H population is most similar to ancient Italians. These results provide insight into the mitochondrial landscape of populations that inhabited the territory of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Middle Ages. Our study reveals that inhabitants of medieval Bosnia carried genetic lineages that exist today in B&H populations, suggesting continuity of mtDNA haplogroups over a long period of time, regardless of various historical demographic events that shaped the genetic structure of the modern B&H population.

Abstract The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has prompted global health concerns. In response, researchers have been conducting investigations on active compounds in plants that may hold the potential to inhibit the proliferation of the virus. The aim of this study was to simulate and predict structural interactions of selected compounds isolated from 28 endemic plants of Bosnia and Herzegovina against the main protease (Mpro), papain-like protease (PLpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), spike glycoprotein and uridylate-specific endoribonuclease (NendoU) of SARS-CoV-2. The majority of compounds, especially hesperidin, showed great binding affinity to the target proteins. The highest affinity for Mpro was observed for genistein and hesperidin, while in terms of structural interactions, both compounds achieved interactions of interest. Hesperidin and luteolin were the compounds with the highest binding affinity for PLpro, but no significant interactions were observed. For RdRp, hesperidin and quercetin showed the highest binding affinity, where both compounds formed interactions of interest. Hesperidin and fisetin were the compounds with the highest binding affinity for spike glycoprotein, and both compounds achieved significant interactions. The highest affinity for NendoU was obtained for hesperidin and isorhamnetin, where both compounds formed interactions of interest. Although these findings appear encouraging, further research is needed, which includes in vitro and in vivo assessments, along with clinical trials, to provide evidence for the potential therapeutic uses of these plants.

Apple accessions, currently maintained within the two main ex situ collections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), have previously been genotyped using microsatellite markers. The obtained molecular data provided insight into mislabeled accessions and redundancies, as well as the overall genetic structure of the germplasm. The available dataset enabled the creation of a core collection consisting of 52 accessions. The reliability and usefulness of microsatellites has made this low-density marker system a norm in studies on apple germplasm. However, the increased access to medium- and high-density SNP arrays, developed specifically for apples, has opened new avenues of research into apple genetic resources. In this study, 45 apple genotypes consisting of 33 diploid core collection accessions from B&H and 12 international reference cultivars were genotyped using an Axiom® Apple 480 K SNP array in order to examine their genetic relationships, population structure and diversity, as well as to compare the obtained results with those calculated on previously reported SSR profiles. The SNPs displayed a better ability to differentiate apple accessions based on their origin, as well as to cluster them according to their pedigree. Calculating identity by descent revealed 16 pairings with first-degree relationships and uncovered the introgression of ‘Delicious’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ into the core collection.