A/Prof David Croucher
Biography
David completed his undergraduate studies and PhD research at the University of Wollongong, followed by a post-doctoral position at the Garvan Institute, focusing on the functional characterisation of individual proteins in the behaviour of cancer cells. Pursuing the idea that these cancer-related proteins do not act in isolation, but are instead embedded within dynamic networks, David undertook a second post-doctoral position at Systems Biology Ireland in University College Dublin.
After establishing a research group at Systems Biology Ireland, David received a Future Research Leader grant from Cancer Institute NSW and returned to the Garvan Institute as head of the Network Biology group. His research group now focuses on combining computational modelling with novel proteomic and single-cell technologies to investigate how alterations in dynamic signalling networks can lead to tumour progression and therapeutic resistance.
David completed his undergraduate studies and PhD research at the University of Wollongong, followed by a post-doctoral position at the Garvan Institute, focusing on the functional characterisation of individual proteins in the behaviour of cancer cells. Pursuing the idea that these cancer-related proteins do not act in isolation, but are instead embedded within dynamic networks, David undertook a second post-doctoral position at Systems Biology Ireland in University College Dublin.
After establishing a research group at Systems Biology Ireland, David received a Future Research Leader grant from Cancer Institute NSW and returned to the Garvan Institute as head of the Network Biology group. His research group now focuses on combining computational modelling with novel proteomic and single-cell technologies to investigate how alterations in dynamic signalling networks can lead to tumour progression and therapeutic resistance.
Awards and Honours
2017 - Collaboration Achievement Award - Irish Laboratory Awards
2015 - Young Garvan Award
2014 - Future Research Leader Fellowship, Cancer Institute NSW
2012 - Starting Investigator Research Grant, Science Foundation Ireland and Marie Curie Actions COFUND
2007 - Cancer Institute Early Career Development Fellowship, Cancer Institute NSW
2006 - Premiers Award for Outstanding Cancer Research Scholar, Cancer Institute NSW
2005 - Cancer Institute Research Scholar Award, Cancer Institute NSW
Education
2003 - Bachelor of Biotechnology (1st Class Honours) - University of Wollongong, Australia
Selected Publications
3. Hastings JF*, Latham SL*, Kamili A, Wheatley M, Han JZR, Phimmachanh M, Nobis M, Pantarelli C, Cadell A, O’Donnell YEI, Geng M, Wong-Erasmus M, Yan S, Achinger-Kawecka J, Stirzaker C, Norris MD, Haber M, Trahair TN, Speleman F, De Preter K, Cowley M, Bogdanovic O, Timpson P, Cox TR, Kolch W, Fletcher J, Fey D, Croucher DR. (2023) Memory of stochastic single-cell apoptotic signalling promotes chemoresistance in neuroblastoma. Science Advances, 9(9):eabp8314.
Gonzalez-Rajal A*, Nobis M, McCloy R, Marzec KA, Chin V, Hastings JF, Lai K, Kennerson M, Vaghjiani V, Hughes WE, Timpson P, Cain J, Watkins DN, Croucher DR*, Burgess A*. (2021) A Non-Genetic, Cell Cycle Dependent Mechanism of Platinum Resistance in Lung Adenocarcinoma. eLife, 10:e65234.
Hastings JF#, Gonzalez-Rajal A#, Latham SL, Han JZR, McCloy R, O’Donnell YEI, Phimmachanh M, Murphy AD, Nagrial A, Daneshvar D, Chin V, Watkins DN, Burgess A*, Croucher DR*. (2020) Analysis of pulsed cisplatin signalling dynamics identifies causal effectors of chemoresistance in lung adenocarcinoma. eLife, 9:e53367.
# Co-First Authors. * Co-corresponding Authors.
Cipponi A, Goode DL, Bed J, McCabe MJ, Pajic M, Croucher DR, Rajal AG, Saunders DN, Lobachevsky P, Junankar SR, Papenfuss AT, Nessem D, Nobis M, Warren SC, Timpson P, Cowley M, Vargas AC, Qiu MR, Generali DG, Keerthikumar S, Nguyen U, Corcoran NM, Long GV, Blay JY, Thomas DM. (2020) MTOR signaling orchestrates stress-induced mutagenesis facilitating adaptive evolution in human cancers. Science, 368 (6495): 1127-1131.
Hastings JF, O’Donnell YEI, Fey D, Croucher DR. (2020) Applications of personalised signalling network models in precision oncology. Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Accepted.
Trevelyan SJ, Brewster JL, Burgess AE, Crowther JM, Cadell AL, Parker B, Croucher DR, Murphy JM, Dobson RCJ, Mace PD. (2020) Mechanism of preferential complex formation by Apoptosis Signal-regulating Kinases. Science Signaling, 13, eaay6318.
Kennedy SP*, Han JZR*, Portmann N, Nobis M, Hastings JF, Murphy KJ, Latham SL, Cadell A, Miladinovic D, Marriott G, O-Donnell Y, Shearer RF, Williams J, Garcia Munoz A, Cox TR, Watkins DN, Saunders DN, Timpson P, Lim E, Kolch W, Croucher DR. (2019) Targeting promiscuous heterodimerization overcomes innate resistance to ERBB2 dimerization inhibitors in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research, 21(43).
Marini KD, Croucher DR, McCloy R, Gonzalez-Rajal A, Hastings JF, Jayasekara S, Alamgeer M, Boolell V, Vaghijiani V, Szczepny A, Han JZR, Waugh T, Lee HC, Oakes SR, Beena K, Harrison C, Lorensuhewa N, Kita B, Barrow R, Robinson BW, deKretser DM, Wu J, Ganju V, Burgess AJ, Martelotto LG, Rossello FJ, Cain JE, Watkins DN. Inhibition of Activin Signaling Increases the Therapeutic Index of Platinum Chemotherapy in Lung Adenocarcinoma. Science Translational Medicine, 10(451):eaat3504
Croucher DR#, Iconomou M, Hastings JF, Kennedy SP, Han JZR, Shearer R, McKenna J, Wan A, Lau J, Aparicio S, Saunders DN#. (2016) Bimolecular complementation affinity purification (BiCAP) reveals dimer-specific protein interactions for ERBB2 dimers. Science Signaling, 9(436): ra69.
Fey D, Halasz M, Dreidax D, Kennedy SP, Hastings JF, Rauch N, Garcia Munoz A, Pilkington R, Fischer M, Westermann F, Kolch W, Kholodenko BN, Croucher DR. (2015) Signaling pathway models as biomarkers: Patient-specific simulations of JNK activity predict the survival of neuroblastoma patients. Science Signaling, 8(408), ra130.
Zheng Y, Zhang C, Croucher DR, Soliman MA, Bagshaw R, Pasculescu A, St-Denis N, Taylor L, Tate SA, Hardy RW, Colwill K, Dennis JW, Dai AY, Gingras A, Daly RJ, Pawson T (2013). Temporal regulation of EGF signaling networks by the scaffold protein Shc1. Nature, 499(7457): 166-171.
Croucher DR, Saunders DN, Lobov S, Ranson M. (2008) Revisiting the Biological Roles of PAI-2 (SerpinB2) in Cancer. Nature Reviews Cancer. 8(7):535-45.