Dr. Ioana Drăghici

Ioana Drăghici, PhD

Lecturer

Clinicilor 5-7, 400006 Cluj-Napoca

Molecular anthropology, Archaeogenetics, Population genetics

ioana.rusu@ubbcluj.ro

Education

Ph.D. in Biology (2019), degree granted with summa cum laude by Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, following the successful defense of my doctoral thesis “Maternal lineages of historical populations at the gates of Europe” (supervisor Prof. Dr. Horia Leonard BANCIU)

M.Sc. in Molecular Biotechnology (2014), at the Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

B.Sc. in Biology (2012), at the Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Research

My research interest focus on exploring the biological and molecular insights hidden within archaeological remains to reconstruct past human histories. I am particularly drawn to the integration of ancient DNA and interdisciplinary methods to investigate health conditions, genetic ancestry, and societal dynamics, as demonstrated by studies on malaria indicators in skeletal samples and medieval mitochondrial DNA of past populations from the current territory of Romania.

Publication list

• main author

1. Paica, IC., Rusu, I.^*, Popescu, O., Brînzan, A., Pencea, I., Dobrinescu, C., Kelemen, B., 2023. Tentative indicators of malaria in archaeological skeletal samples, a pilot study testing different methods. International Journal of Paleopathology. 1;40:109-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.01.004.
2. Acatrinei, A., Rusu, I.^*, Mircea, C., Zagrean-Tuza, C., Gál, E., et al., 2021. Shedding Light on the Dark Ages: Sketching Potential Trade Relationships in Early Medieval Romania through Mitochondrial DNA Analysis of Sheep Remains. Diversity, 13(5), p.208, https://doi.org/10.3390/d13050208.
3. Gînguță, A., Rusu, I.^*, Mircea, C., Ioniță, A., Banciu, H.L. and Kelemen, B., 2021. Mitochondrial DNA Profiles of Individuals from a 12th Century Necropolis in Feldioara (Transylvania). Genes, 12(3), p.436, https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12030436.
4. Rusu, I., Paica, I., Vulpoi, A., Radu, C., Mircea, C., Dobrinescu, C., Bodolică, V. and Kelemen, B., 2019. Dual DNA-protein extraction from human archeological remains. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 11(7), pp.3299-3307, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-018-0760-1.
5. Rusu, I., Modi, A., Radu, C., Mircea, C., Vulpoi, et al., 2019. Mitochondrial ancestry of medieval individuals carelessly interred in a multiple burial from southeastern Romania. Scientific reports, 9(1), pp.1-12, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-37760-8.
6. Rusu, I., Radu, C., Țentea, O., Popescu, O. and Kelemen, B., 2019. A probable case of infantile cortical hyperostosis in 2nd–4th centuries AD Romania. International journal of paleopathology, 26, pp.8-13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2019.05.004
7. Rusu, I., Modi, A., Vai, S., Pilli, E., Mircea, C., et al., 2018. Maternal DNA lineages at the gate of Europe in the 10th century AD. PLoS One, 13(3), p.e0193578, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193578

• co-author

8. Topârcean, A. M., Acatrinei, A., Rusu, I., Feștilă, D., Câmpian, R. S., Kelemen, B. & Ghergie, M. C. D. 2024. Genetic Insights into Skeletal Malocclusion: The Role of the FBN3 rs7351083 SNP in the Romanian Population. Medicina, 60 (7), 1061, https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60071061.
9. Rosengren, E., Acatrinei, A., Cruceru, N., Dehasque, M., Haliuc, A., Lord, E., Mircea, C.I., Rusu, I., et al., 2021. Ancient Faunal History Revealed by Interdisciplinary Biomolecular Approaches. Diversity, 13(8), p.370, https://doi.org/10.3390/d13080370.
10. Mircea, C., Vulpoi, A., Rusu, I., Radu, C., Pârvu, M. and Kelemen, B., 2019. Exploring post‐excavation degradation potential of fungal communities associated with archaeological human remains. Archaeometry, 61(3), pp.750-763, https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12438.

Teaching

Lecturer (2021 – present), at the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (General and population genetics, Molecular Anthropology, Human histology and anatomy)