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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 7471
Email
tania.slatter@otago.ac.nz
Position
Associate Professor and Academic Leader, Course Director Medical Laboratory Science, Histology, for Otago Micro and Nanoscale Imaging (OMNI)
Department
Department of Pathology (Dunedin)
Qualifications
BSc MSc(Dist) PhD
Research summary
Molecular and experimental pathology and translational medicine with a special interest in cancer, perinatal medicine, and autoimmune disease
Memberships
  • Manutū Hanora (Ministry of Health) Laboratory Sector Reference Group
  • Associate Investigator, Maurice Wilkins Centre
Clinical
  • Brain cancer
  • Breast cancer
  • Laboratory medicine
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Macular degeneration
  • Perinatal disease
  • Autoimmune disease

Research

Our goal is to improve outcomes for those with cancer and other chronic conditions by understanding how the mechanisms that regulate cellular damage and inflammation lead to molecular changes that predispose to life-long health effects.

For this research we use molecular and histo-pathological techniques in combination with collaborative clinical studies. The findings from the laboratory are then tested in clinical trials to see if they lead to improved patient outcomes.

Laboratory medicine is an integral part of medicine with 100% of cancer diagnoses requiring diagnostic laboratory tests. The Medical Laboratory Science programme at Otago works with diagnostic laboratories on collaborative projects aimed at developing new and improving existing tests.

Specific projects in the laboratory are outlined below:

  • Understanding how a variant of the p53 tumour suppressor called Δ133p53 promotes cancer
  • Investigating if new drug indications can better treat those with brain cancer, both tumours that develop and those that spread to the brain
  • Investigating how chronic kidney disease and macular degeneration could be treated
  • Developing new diagnostic tests for cancer patients
  • Investigating DNA damage to the placenta and how this affects fetal and maternal health outcomes. This study is part of the Otago Placental Study in collaboration with the Department of Women's and Children's Health.
  • Investigating DNA damage in autoimmune disease and how this leads to further health complications

Publications

Praditi, C., Beverley-Stone, E., Reid, M., Burgess, E. R., Crake, R. L., Vissers, M. C. M., Royds, J. A., Slatter, T. L., Dachs, G. U., & Phillips, E. (2025). Iron content of glioblastoma tumours and role of ferrous iron in the hypoxic response in vitro. Frontiers in Oncology, 15, 1536549. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1536549 Journal - Research Article

Bhandarkar, A. A., Sarkar, D., Jeffs, A., Kelly-Foleni, N. E., Braithwaite, A., Slatter, T., & Mehta, S. (2025). Role of the TP53 splice mutations in cancer progression. Proceedings of the Genetics Otago (GO) Annual Symposium. Retrieved from https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/go Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Shafaei Pishabad, Z., Sarkar, D., Jeffs, A., Samaratunga, H., Rhodes, J., Costello, R., Highton, A., Wright, D., Pattison, S., Kemp, R., Delahunt, B., Braithwaite, A., Slatter, T., & Mehta, S. (2025). Development of a prognostic tool for identifying high-risk prostate cancer patients. Proceedings of the Genetics Otago (GO) Annual Symposium. Retrieved from https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/go Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

March de Ribot, F., Dolan, H., & Slatter, T. (2024). Amiloride in the retina: Fibrosis and inflammation modulation. Proceedings of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) New Zealand Branch Annual Scientific Meeting. Retrieved from https://web.cvent.com/event/90a69dc2-937d-4747-be96-7d01f4c2bc8c/summary Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Ray Das, S., Delahunt, B., Lasham, A., Li, K., Wright, D., Print, C., Slatter, T., Braithwaite, A., & Mehta, S. (2024). Combining TP53 mutation and isoform has the potential to improve clinical practice. Pathology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.pathol.2024.02.003 Journal - Research Other

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