BCI Home Staff View All StaffCrnogorac-Jurcevic

Dr Tatjana Crnogorac-Jurcevic

MD, PhD

Centre: Molecular Oncology

Job Title: Senior Lecturer in Cancer Genomics

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Research Interests

Dr Tatjana Crnogorac-Jurcevic's main research themes are in: Cancer Cell Biology, Metastasis and Invasion and Pancreatic Cancer

The focus of my research is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in the UK. This cancer has been deemed a ‘silent killer’, as it is very difficult to identify at the stage where treatment is still possible, resulting in virtually no five year survival.

The translational research in my laboratory follows two conceptual approaches: the first one is to understand the developmental biology of this malignancy through analysis of its precursor lesions, PanINs, as they are the key source of potential diagnostic/preventive markers. Detailed functional analysis of two such early markers (S100P, AGR2) is currently ongoing.

The search for early biomarkers is also being undertaken using body fluids, in particular urine, with the aim of developing a non-invasive diagnostic test.

The second aspect of my studies (as majority of patients succumb to metastatic disease) is based on uncovering molecular signatures of metastases. The selected proteins could represent novel targets for more efficient therapies that could be used in conjunction with surgical treatment and hopefully improve currently poor prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Profile

I have obtained the MBBS degree and completed an MD thesis at the Medical Faculty, University of Zagreb in Croatia, and my PhD at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London. After a postdoctoral experience in molecular biology at CNRS in Toulouse, France and molecular oncology at CRUK laboratory at Hammersmith Hospital, London, I joined Barts Cancer Institute in November 2004.

In addition to research, my teaching responsibilities include Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Student Selective Component (SSC) for undergraduate students. I am a Module Leader for Genomic Approaches to Human Diseases on the MSc Molecular Pathology and Genomics course.
In 2006 I was awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) and became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2009.

Funding

PCRF (Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund),
Cancer Research-UK
Barts and The London Charity
LAP (Liver and Pancreas Charity)
HEFCE

Key Publications

Naidoo K, Jones R, Dmitrovic B, Wijesuriya N, Kocher H, Hart IR, Crnogorac-Jurcevic T. Proteome of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and lymph node metastases. J Pathol. 2012; 226(5): 756-63.

Lines KE, Chelala C, Dmitrovic B, Wijesuriya N, Kocher HM, Marshall JF, Crnogorac-Jurcevic T.S100P-Binding Protein, S100PBP, Mediates Adhesion through Regulation of Cathepsin Z in Pancreatic Cancer Cells. Am J Pathol. 2012, 180(4): 1485-1494.

Dumartin L, Whiteman HJ, Weeks ME, Hariharan D, Dmitrovic B, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Brentnall TA, Bronner MP, Feakins RM, Timms JF, Brennan C, Lemoine NR, Crnogorac-Jurcevic T. AGR2 is a novel surface antigen that promotes the dissemination of pancreatic cancer cells through regulation of cathepsins B and D. Cancer Res. 2011; 71(22): 7091-102.

Weeks ME, Hariharan D, Petronijevic Li, Radon TP, Whiteman HJ, Kocher HM, Timms JF, Lemoine NR, Crnogorac-Jurcevic T. Analysis of the urine proteome in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Proteomics-Clinical Applications. 2008; 2(7-8): 1047-1057. PMID: 21136905

Whiteman HJ, Weeks ME, Dowen SE, Barry S, Timms JF, Lemoine NR, Crnogorac-Jurcevic T. The role of S100P in the invasion of pancreatic cancer cells is mediated through cytoskeletal changes and regulation of cathepsin D. Cancer Res. 2007; 67(18): 8633-42. PMID: 17875703