Associate Professor Tania Slatter

Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 3 479 7471
- tania.slatter@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- 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
- <ul> <li>Brain cancer</li> <li>Breast cancer</li> <li>Laboratory medicine</li> <li>Chronic kidney disease</li> <li>Macular degeneration</li> <li>Perinatal disease</li> <li>Autoimmune disease</li> </ul>
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
Wiles, A. K., Mehta, S., Millier, M., Woolley, A. G., Li, K., Parker, K., Kazantseva, M., Wilson, M., Young, K., Bowie, S., Ray, S., Slatter, T. L., Stamp, L. K., Hessian, P. A., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2023). Activated CD90/Thy-1 fibroblasts co-express the Δ133p53β isoform and are associated with highly inflamed rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 25, 62. doi: 10.1186/s13075-023-03040-8
Evans, G. E., Mahajan, V., Wakeman, S., Slatter, T., Ponnampalam, A. P., Anderson, T. P., Sarwar, M., & Evans, J. J. (2023). A pilot study using unique targeted testing of the urogenital microbiome has potential as a predictive test during IVF for implantation outcome. Archives of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 307, 1957-1967. doi: 10.1007/s00404-023-06987-w
Boix De Jesus, A. N., Taha, A., Wang, D., Mehta, P. M., Mehta, S., Reily-Bell, A., Polwatta Lekamlage, S., Machado Saraiva, A., Tahmeedzaman, T., … Royds, J., Braithwaite, A., Hung, N., & Slatter, T. L. (2023). Increased expression of the Δ133p53ß isoform enhances brain metastasis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24, 1267. doi: 10.3390/ijms24021267
Barzegar-Fallah, A., Gandhi, K., Rizwan, S. B., Slatter, T. L., & Reynolds, J. N. J. (2022). Harnessing ultrasound for targeting drug delivery to the brain and breaching the blood–brain tumour barrier. Pharmaceutics, 14(10), 2231. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14102231
Crake, R. L. I., Burgess, E. R., Wiggins, G. A. R., Magon, N. J., Das, A. B., Vissers, M. C. M., Morrin, H. R., Royds, J. A., Slatter, T. L., Robinson, B. A., Phillips, E., & Dachs, G. U. (2022). Ascorbate content of clinical glioma tissues is related to tumour grade and to global levels of 5-hydroxymethyl cytosine. Scientific Reports, 12, 14845. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-19032-8
Hung, N., & Slatter, T. (2013). Histopathology in biomolecular research. In A. Divan & J. Royds (Eds.), Tools and techniques in biomolecular science. (pp. 418-437). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Slatter, T., & Fitches, A. (2013). DNA sequencing. In A. Divan & J. Royds (Eds.), Tools and techniques in biomolecular science. (pp. 66-87). Oxford University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Boix De Jesus, A. N., Taha, A., Wang, D., Mehta, P. M., Mehta, S., Reily-Bell, A., Polwatta Lekamlage, S., Machado Saraiva, A., Tahmeedzaman, T., … Royds, J., Braithwaite, A., Hung, N., & Slatter, T. L. (2023). Increased expression of the Δ133p53ß isoform enhances brain metastasis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24, 1267. doi: 10.3390/ijms24021267
Journal - Research Article
Evans, G. E., Mahajan, V., Wakeman, S., Slatter, T., Ponnampalam, A. P., Anderson, T. P., Sarwar, M., & Evans, J. J. (2023). A pilot study using unique targeted testing of the urogenital microbiome has potential as a predictive test during IVF for implantation outcome. Archives of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 307, 1957-1967. doi: 10.1007/s00404-023-06987-w
Journal - Research Article
Wiles, A. K., Mehta, S., Millier, M., Woolley, A. G., Li, K., Parker, K., Kazantseva, M., Wilson, M., Young, K., Bowie, S., Ray, S., Slatter, T. L., Stamp, L. K., Hessian, P. A., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2023). Activated CD90/Thy-1 fibroblasts co-express the Δ133p53β isoform and are associated with highly inflamed rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 25, 62. doi: 10.1186/s13075-023-03040-8
Journal - Research Article
Burgess, E. R., Crake, R. L. I., Phillips, E., Morrin, H. R., Royds, J. A., Slatter, T. L., Wiggins, G. A. R., Vissers, M. C. M., Robinson, B. A., & Dachs, G. U. (2022). Increased ascorbate content of glioblastoma is associated with a suppressed hypoxic response and improved patient survival. Frontiers in Oncology, 12, 829524. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.829524
Journal - Research Article
Crake, R. L. I., Burgess, E. R., Wiggins, G. A. R., Magon, N. J., Das, A. B., Vissers, M. C. M., Morrin, H. R., Royds, J. A., Slatter, T. L., Robinson, B. A., Phillips, E., & Dachs, G. U. (2022). Ascorbate content of clinical glioma tissues is related to tumour grade and to global levels of 5-hydroxymethyl cytosine. Scientific Reports, 12, 14845. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-19032-8
Journal - Research Article
Mehta, P. M., Gimenez, G., Walker, R. J., & Slatter, T. L. (2022). Reduction of lithium induced interstitial fibrosis on co-administration with amiloride. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 14598. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-18825-1
Journal - Research Article
Almomani, S. N., Alsaleh, A. A., Weeks, R. J., Chatterjee, A., Day, R. C., Honda, I., … Fukuzawa, R., Slatter, T. L., Hung, N. A., Devenish, C., Morison, I. M., & Macaulay, E. C. (2021). Identification and validation of DNA methylation changes in pre-eclampsia. Placenta, 110, 16-23. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2021.05.005
Journal - Research Article
Arsic, N., Slatter, T., Gadea, G., Villain, E., Fournet, A., Kazantseva, M., … Mehta, S., … Braithwaite, A., & Roux, P. (2021). Δ133p53β isoform pro-invasive activity is regulated through an aggregation-dependent mechanism in cancer cells. Nature Communications, 12, 5463. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-25550-2
Journal - Research Article
Ware, A. W., Harris, J. J., Slatter, T. L., Cunliffe, H. E., & McDonald, F. J. (2021). The epithelial sodium channel has a role in breast cancer cell proliferation. Breast Cancer Research & Treatment, 187, 31-43. doi: 10.1007/s10549-021-06133-7
Journal - Research Article
Eiholzer, R. A., Mehta, S., Kazantseva, M., Drummond, C. J., McKinney, C., Young, K., … Fleming, N., Morrin, H. R., Reader, K., Royds, J. A., Landmann, M., Petrich, S., … Taha, A., Hung, N. A., Slatter, T. L., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2020). Intronic TP53 polymorphisms are associated with increased Δ133TP53 transcript, immune infiltration and cancer risk. Cancers, 12(9), 2472. doi: 10.3390/cancers12092472
Journal - Research Article
Fabre, M.-S., Stanton, N. M., Slatter, T. L., Lee, S., Senanayake, D., Gordon, R. M. A., … Taha, A., Royds, J. A., Hung, N., … McConnell, M. J. (2020). The oncogene BCL6 is up-regulated in glioblastoma in response to DNA damage, and drives survival after therapy. PLoS ONE, 15(4), e0231470. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231470
Journal - Research Article
Reily-Bell, A. L., Fisher, A., Harrison, B., Bowie, S., Ray, S., Hawkes, M., … Fukuzawa, R., Macaulay, E. C., Devenish, C. J., Hung, N. A., & Slatter, T. L. (2020). Human papillomavirus E6/E7 expression in preeclampsia-affected placentae. Pathogens, 9(3), 239. doi: 10.3390/pathogens9030239
Journal - Research Article
Weeks, R. J., Ludgate, J. L., Le Mée, G., Khanal, R., Mehta, S., Williams, G., Slatter, T. L., Braithwaite, A. W., & Morison, I. M. (2020). Silencing of Testin expression is a frequent event in spontaneous lymphomas from Trp53-mutant mice. Scientific Reports, 10, 16255. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-73229-3
Journal - Research Article
Kazantseva, M., Mehta, S., Eiholzer, R. A., Gimenez, G., Bowie, S., Campbell, H., Reily-Bell, A. L., … Ray, S., Drummond, C. J., Reid, G., … Wiles, A., Morrin, H. R., Reader, K. L., Hung, N. A., Baird, M. A., Slatter, T. L., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2019). The Δ133p53β isoform promotes an immunosuppressive environment leading to aggressive prostate cancer. Cell Death & Disease, 10, 631. doi: 10.1038/s41419-019-1861-1
Journal - Research Article
Mehta-Mujoo, P. P., Cunliffe, H. E., Hung, N. A., & Slatter, T. L. (2019). Long non-coding RNA ANRIL in the nucleus associates with periostin expression in breast cancer. Frontiers in Oncology, 9, 885. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00885
Journal - Research Article
Campbell, H., Fleming, N., Roth, I., Mehta, S., Wiles, A., Williams, G., … Munro, F., McNoe, L., Black, M., McCall, J., Slatter, T. L., … Braithwaite, A. W. (2018). Δ133p53 isoform promotes tumour invasion and metastasis via interleukin-6 activation of JAK-STAT and RhoA-ROCK signalling. Nature Communications, 9(1), 254. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02408-0
Journal - Research Article
Kazantseva, M., Eiholzer, R. A., Mehta, S., Taha, A., Bowie, S., Roth, I., Zhou, J., … Royds, J. A., Hung, N. A., Slatter, T. L., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2018). Elevation of the TP53 isoform Δ133p53β in glioblastomas: An alternative to mutant p53 in promoting tumour development. Journal of Pathology, 246(1), 77-88. doi: 10.1002/path.5111
Journal - Research Article
Kazantseva, M., Mehta, S., Eiholzer, R. A., Hung, N., Wiles, A., Slatter, T. L., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2018). A mouse model of the Δ133p53 isoform: Roles in cancer progression and inflammation. Mammalian Genome, 29, 831-842. doi: 10.1007/s00335-018-9758-3
Journal - Research Article
Zhou, J., Reddy, M. V., Wilson, B. K. J., Blair, D. A., Taha, A., Frampton, C. M., Eiholzer, R. A., … Hung, N. A., Royds, J. A., & Slatter, T. L. (2018). MR imaging characteristics associate with tumor-associated macrophages in glioblastoma and provide an improved signature for survival prognostication. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 39(2), 252-259. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A5441
Journal - Research Article
Kazantseva, M., Hung, N. A., Mehta, S., Roth, I., Eiholzer, R., Rich, A. M., Seo, B., Baird, M. A., Braithwaite, A. W., & Slatter, T. L. (2017). Tumor protein 53 mutations are enriched in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with irregular CD19 marker expression. Scientific Reports, 7, 1566. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01800-6
Journal - Research Article
Chatterjee, A., Macaulay, E. C., Rodger, E. J., Stockwell, P. A., Parry, M. F., Roberts, H. E., Slatter, T. L., Hung, N. A., Devenish, C. J., & Morison, I. M. (2016). Placental hypomethylation is more pronounced in genomic loci devoid of retroelements. Genes Genomes Genetics, 6(7), 1911-1921. doi: 10.1534/g3.116.030379
Journal - Research Article
Hung, N. A., Eiholzer, R. A., Kirs, S., Zhou, J., Ward-Hartstonge, K., Wiles, A. K., Frampton, C. M., Taha, A., Royds, J. A., & Slatter, T. L. (2016). Telomere profiles and tumor-associated macrophages with different immune signatures affect prognosis in glioblastoma. Modern Pathology, 29, 212-226. doi: 10.1038/modpathol.2015.156
Journal - Research Article
Royds, J. A., Pilbrow, A. P., Morrin, H. R., Frampton, C., Russell, I. A., Moravec, C. S., … Currie, M. J., Hung, N. A., & Slatter, T. L. (2016). The rs11515 polymorphism is more frequent and associated with aggressive breast tumors with increased ANRIL and decreased p16INK4a expression. Frontiers in Oncology, 5, 306. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00306
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Wilson, M., Tang, C., Campbell, H. G., Ward, V. K., Young, V. L., … Fleming, N. I., Braithwaite, A. W., & Baird, M. A. (2016). Antitumor cytotoxicity induced by bone-marrow-derived antigen-presenting cells is facilitated by the tumor suppressor protein p53 via regulation of IL-12. OncoImmunology, 5(3), e1112941. doi: 10.1080/2162402X.2015.1112941
Journal - Research Article
Sawhney, S., Hood, K., Shaw, A., Braithwaite, A. W., Stubbs, R., Hung, N. A., Royds, J. A., & Slatter, T. L. (2015). Alpha-enolase is upregulated on the cell surface and responds to plasminogen activation in mice expressing a Δ133p53α mimic. PLoS ONE, 10(2), e0116270. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116270
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Hsia, H., Samaranayaka, A., Sykes, P., Clow, W., Devenish, C. J., … Royds, J. A., … Hung, N. A. (2015). Loss of ATRX and DAXX expression identifies poor prognosis for smooth muscle tumours of uncertain malignant potential and early stage uterine leiomyosarcoma. Journal of Pathology: Clinical Research, 1(2), 95-105. doi: 10.1002/cjp2.11
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Hung, N. G. L. Y., Clow, W. M., Royds, J. A., Devenish, C. J., & Hung, N. A. (2015). A clinicopathological study of episomal papillomavirus infection of the human placenta and pregnancy complications. Modern Pathology, 28, 1369-1382. doi: 10.1038/modpathol.2015.88
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Hung, N., Bowie, S., Campbell, H., Rubio, C., Speidel, D., Wilson, M., Baird, M., Royds, J. A., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2015). Δ122p53, a mouse model of Δ133p53α, enhances the tumor-suppressor activities of an attenuated p53 mutant. Cell Death & Disease, 6, e1783. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2015.149
Journal - Research Article
Berney-Meyer, L., Hung, N., Slatter, T., Schollum, J. B. W., Kitching, A. R., & Walker, R. J. (2014). Omeprazole-induced acute interstitial nephritis: A possible Th1–Th17-mediated injury? Nephrology, 19(6), 359-365. doi: 10.1111/nep.12226
Journal - Research Article
Hung, N., Chen, Y.-J., Taha, A., Olivecrona, M., Boet, R., Wiles, A., … Shaw, A., Eiholzer, R., Baguley, B. C., Eccles, M. R., Braithwaite, A. W., MacFarlane, M., Royds, J. A., & Slatter, T. (2014). Increased paired box transcription factor 8 has a survival function in Glioma. BMC Cancer, 14, 159. doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-14-159
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Park, L., Anderson, K., Lailai-Tasmania, V., Herbison, P., Clow, W., Royds, J. A., Devenish, C., & Hung, N. A. (2014). Smoking during pregnancy causes double-strand DNA break damage to the placenta. Human Pathology, 45(1), 17-26. doi: 10.1016/j.humpath.2013.07.024
Journal - Research Article
Campbell, H. G., Mehta, R., Neumann, A. A., Rubio, C., Baird, M., Slatter, T. L., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2013). Activation of p53 following ionizing radiation, but not other stressors, is dependent on the proline-rich domain (PRD). Oncogene, 32(7), 827-836. doi: 10.1038/onc.2012.102
Journal - Research Article
Ferrandon, S., Saultier, P., Carras, J., Battiston-Montagne, P., Alphonse, G., Beuve, M., … Slatter, T., Hung, N., Royds, J., … Poncet, D. (2013). Telomere profiling: Toward glioblastoma personalized medicine. Molecular Neurobiology, 47(1), 64-76. doi: 10.1007/s12035-012-8363-9
Journal - Research Article
Hung, N. A., Hsia, H., Royds, J. A., & Slatter, T. L. (2013). Telomere maintenance mechanisms: Prognostic and therapeutic implications for the pathologist and oncologist. Open Journal of Pathology, 3(1), 10-20. doi: 10.4236/ojpathology.2013.31003
Journal - Research Article
Hung, N. A., Royds, J. A., & Slatter, T. L. (2013). Molecular markers of glioblastoma and the potential for integration with imaging: The future for assigning prognosis and best treatment strategy. Current Molecular Imaging, 2(2), 107-116. doi: 10.2174/2211555211302020001
Journal - Research Article
Campbell, H. G., Slatter, T. L., Jeffs, A., Mehta, R., Rubio, C., Baird, M., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2012). Does Δ133p53 isoform trigger inflammation and autoimmunity? Cell Cycle, 11(3), 446-450. doi: 10.4161/cc.11.3.19054
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Tan, X., Yuen, Y. C., Gunningham, S., Ma, S. S., Daly, E., Packer, S., Devenish, C., Royds, J. A., & Hung, N. A. (2012). The alternative lengthening of telomeres pathway operates in non-neoplastic human cells. Journal of Pathology, 226(3), 509-518. doi: 10.1002/path.2981
Journal - Research Article
Royds, J. A., Al Nadaf, S., Wiles, A. K., Chen, Y.-J., Ahn, A., Shaw, A., Bowie, S., … Braithwaite, A. W., … Hung, N. A., & Slatter, T. L. (2011). The CDKN2A G500 allele is more frequent in GBM patients with no defined telomere maintenance mechanism tumors and is associated with poorer survival. PLoS ONE, 6(10), e26737. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026737
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Hung, N., Campbell, H., Rubio, C., Mehta, R., Renshaw, P., Williams, G., Wilson, M., … Jeffs, A., Royds, J. A., Baird, M. A., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2011). Hyperproliferation, cancer, and inflammation in mice expressing a Δ133p53-like isoform. Blood, 117(19), 5166-5177. doi: 10.1182/blood-2010-11-321851
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Ganesan, P., Holzhauer, C., Mehta, R., Rubio, C., Williams, G., Wilson, M., Royds, J. A., Baird, M. A., & Braithwaite, A. W. (2010). p53-mediated apoptosis prevents the accumulation of progenitor B cells and B-cell tumors. Cell Death & Differentiation, 17, 540-550. doi: 10.1038/cdd.2009.136
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T., Gifford-Garner, J., Wiles, A., Tan, X., Chen, Y.-J., MacFarlane, M., Sullivan, M., Royds, J., & Hung, N. (2010). Pilocytic astrocytomas have telomere-associated promyelocytic leukemia bodies without alternatively lengthened telomeres. American Journal of Pathology, 177(6), 2694-2700. doi: 10.2353/ajpath.2010.100468
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Jones, G. T., Williams, M. J. A., van Rij, A. M., & McCormick, S. P. A. (2008). Novel rare mutations and promoter haplotypes in ABCA1 contribute to low-HDL-C levels. Clinical Genetics, 73, 179-184. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0004.2007.00940.x
Journal - Research Article
Slatter, T. L., Williams, M. J. A., Frikke-Schmidt, R., Tybjærg-Hansen, A., Morison, I. M., & McCormick, S. P. A. (2006). Promoter haplotype of a new ABCA1 mutant influences expression of familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia. Atherosclerosis, 187, 393-400.
Journal - Research Article
Barzegar-Fallah, A., Gandhi, K., Rizwan, S. B., Slatter, T. L., & Reynolds, J. N. J. (2022). Harnessing ultrasound for targeting drug delivery to the brain and breaching the blood–brain tumour barrier. Pharmaceutics, 14(10), 2231. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14102231
Journal - Research Other
Mehta, S., Campbell, H., Drummond, C. J., Li, K., Murray, K., Slatter, T., … Braithwaite, A. W. (2021). Adaptive homeostasis and the p53 isoform network. EMBO Reports, 22, e53085. doi: 10.15252/embr.202153085
Journal - Research Other
Cornwall, J., Slatter, T., Guilford, P., Print, C. G., Henaghan, M., & Wee, R. (2014). Culture, law, ethics, and social implications: Is society ready for advanced genomic medicine? Australasian Medical Journal, 7(4), 200-202. doi: 10.4066/amj.2014.2069
Journal - Research Other