asist. znan. sod. dr. Rok Kogoj, univ. dipl. mikr.

Strokovna dejavnost

• sodelavec v Laboratoriju za diagnostiko zoonoz (WHO)

Pedagoška dejavnost

• asistent, član Katedre za mikrobiologijo in imunologijo MF UL

Raziskovalna dejavnost

• šifra raziskovalca: 32572

Bibliografija

• COBISS
• PubMed

Kratek življenjepis

Asist., znan. sod., dr., Rok Kogoj, je mikrobiolog, ki je leta 2005 diplomiral na Biotehniški fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani in se takoj zatem zaposlil v Laboratoriju za diagnostiko klamidij in drugih znotrajceličnih bakterij na Inštitutu za mikrobiologijo in imunologijo (IMI) Medicinske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani (MF UL). Sprva se je ukvarjal predvsem s klasično in napredno molekularno diagnostiko atipičnih bakterij, kmalu pa se je vključil tudi v raziskovalno in pedagoško delo na Katedri za mikrobiologijo in imunologijo MF UL. V tem obdobju je raziskoval molekularno epidemiologijo in odpornost proti antibiotikom pri bakterijah rodov Mycoplasma spp., Ureaplasma spp., Chlamydia spp. in Legionella spp.. Rezultate svojega dela je objavil v več raziskovalnih članikih in konferenčnih povzetkih ter za svoje delo prejel tri nagrade. Leta 2019 je zaključil doktorski študij z uspešnim zagovorom doktorske disertacije z naslovom »Genotipizacija bakterije Mycoplasma pneumoniae in ugotavljanje patogenosti posameznih genotipov in vitro«. Po pojavu virusa SARS-CoV-2 se je leta 2020 intenzivno vključil v molekularno diagnostiko okužb s tem virusom. Poleg diagnostičnega dela se je posvetil tudi raziskovanju SARS-CoV 2 ter s sodelavci objavil številne znanstvene prispevke s področja diagnostičnih pristopov in temeljnih raziskav. Že med pandemijo se je začel ukvarjati s sekvenciranjem naslednje generacije (NGS), s katerim IMI še vedno zagotavlja ažurne informacije o različicah SARS CoV-2, prisotnih v slovenski populaciji. Po pandemiji, delo na področju NGS nadaljuje in se ukvarja predvsem z razvojem laboratorijskih postopkov za metagenomsko (nepristransko) dokazovanje mikroorganizmov v kužninah bolnikov in drugih tipizacijskih metod, ki temeljijo na tej tehnologiji. Kot asistent na Katedri za mikrobiologijo in imunologijo MF UL izvaja praktične vaje pri različnih predmetih, pri katerih študente poučuje o diagnostičnih postopkih in metodah. Je tudi član ekipe IMI MF UL za hiter odziv na bioteroristične grožnje, ki deluje v okviru Uprave Republike Slovenije za zaščito in reševanje (URSZR).

Rok Kogoj, PhD, is a microbiologist, Teaching Assistant and Research Associate who graduated from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana in 2005. Immediately after graduating, he joined the Laboratory for the Diagnosis of Chlamydial and Other Intracellular Bacterial Infections at the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology (IMI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana. Initially, his work focused primarily on conventional and advanced molecular diagnostics of atypical bacteria, but he soon became involved in research and teaching at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. During this period, he investigated the molecular epidemiology and antibiotic resistance of Mycoplasma spp., Ureaplasma spp., Chlamydia spp. and Legionella spp. He published his findings in several research articles and conference abstracts and received three awards for his work. He defended his PhD thesis on the epidemiology and in vitro pathogenicity of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in 2019. Following the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2020, he became extensively involved in the molecular diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Alongside his diagnostic work, he also pursued research on the virus, co-authoring numerous scientific publications on diagnostic approaches and basic research. During the pandemic, he began working with next-generation sequencing (NGS), which IMI continues to use to provide up-to-date information on SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the Slovenian population. Since the pandemic, he has continued his work in NGS, focusing primarily on developing laboratory workflows for the unbiased metagenomic detection of microorganisms in patient specimens, as well as other typing methods based on this technology. As a Teaching Assistant at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, he conducts practical classes across several courses, teaching students diagnostic procedures and methods. He is also a member of the IMI team for rapid response to bioterrorist threats, which operates within the framework of the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (URSZR).