Anita Milicic

Jenner Investigator, Vaccine Formulation and Adjuvants, The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford

Dr. Milicic studied Molecular Biology and Physiology at the University of Belgrade, Serbia, before completing an MSc in Genetics and DPhil in Immunology at the University of Oxford, UK. In 2009 Dr. Milicic joined the Jenner Institute in Oxford as the Head of the Adjuvant Facility.

Dr. Milicic now leads the Vaccine Formulation Group, focusing on vaccine adjuvant development in the context of malaria vaccines, with a key emphasis on the adjuvant mechanism of action. Additionally, in collaboration with the Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBME), is developing new microfluidics-based vaccine encapsulation technologies for controlled vaccine release. The aim is to achieve single-dose immunisation that could replace the standard prime-boost approach.

Dr. Milicic’s overall interest is in the mechanisms of immune activation, in particular the interplay between the innate and the adaptive immunity. Vaccine development, with a focus on vaccine adjuvants, provides the ideal base for such studies. Current research includes exploring the mechanism of action of adjuvanted vaccines using different vaccine platforms and clinically-compatible adjuvants developed by the Vaccine Formulation Institute in Geneva. In another adjuvant-focused project, with the support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, they are studying the initial events in adjuvant-induced inflammation ex vivo. Using adjuvant-stimulated human secondary lymphatic tissue, in combination with single cell transcriptomics and hyperplexed imaging, they aim to create a high-resolution map of the early innate immune responses to clinically relevant vaccine adjuvants.

Dr. Milicic is a Core Group member and Working Group leader in the EU COST Action Programme ENOVA (European Network of Vaccine Adjuvants), and is also the Jenner Institute lead for Public Engagement with Research.