Zoran Culig

 
 

Title: Associate Professor of Molecular Pathology, Innsbruck Medical University, Austria

Degree: M.D., University of Zagreb, Republic of Croatia

Birth date: March 18th, 1965 in Zagreb, Republic of Croatia

Education:

Primary school, Zagreb, 1971-1979

Secondary school, Zagreb, 1979-1983

School of Medicine, Zagreb, 1984-1990

Professional career:

Research Associate, Department of Urology, Univ. of Innsbruck 1991-1995

University Assistant, Department of Urology, Univ. of Innsbruck 1995-1999

Associate Professor of Molecular Pathology, Department of Urology, Univ. of Innsbruck/Innsbruck Medical University 1999-present

Nationality: Austrian

Address (business): Department of Urology, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria

Phone (business): 0043 512 504 24818

Fax: 0043 512 504 24817

E-mail: zoran.culig@i-med.ac.at

Address (private): Schneeburggasse 89, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria

Phone (private): 0043 512 280023

Phone (mobile): 0043 699 1151 6998

Major research interests: molecular endocrinology of advanced prostate cancer, interactions between signaling pathways of cytokines, growth factors and androgen receptor, expression and function of androgen receptor in advanced prostate disease, regulation of prostate growth and function by interleukin-6, developing new experimental therapies to interfere with androgen receptor and interleukin-6 signaling

Scientific awards: 12 received, most important of them are Heinrich Warner Award, Carl Erich Alken Award, Best Prize Paper in Fundamental Research European Association of Urology and Young Investigator Award from the Society for Basic Urological Research

Invited lectures: 72, most important are invitations to Special Conferences of American Association for Cancer Research, National Institute of Health, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and Society for Basic Urological Research





AWARDS:


Prize awarded by German Society for Urology for poster: "Androgenrezeptormutation in einem fortgeschrittenen Prostatakarzinom: Charakterisierung des mutierten Rezeptors"; Wiesbaden, 1993.


Travel award by Society for Basic Urological Research for poster: "Mutant androgen receptor in an advanced prostatic carcinoma is activated by adrenal androgens and progesterone"; Houston, 1993.


3. Heinrich Warner prize for paper: "Androgen receptor activation in prostatic tumor cell lines   by insulin-like growth factor-I, keratinocyte growth factor and epidermal growth factor"; Hamburg, 1994.


4. Prize awarded by European Society for Urological Oncology and Endocrinology and   Society for Basic Urological Research for paper: "Induction of androgen receptor-mediated gene transcription in response to luteinizing hormone releasing hormone"; Rotterdam, 1995.


5. NIH travel award for poster „Agonistic action of bicalutamide (Casodex) in a new LNCaP subline obtained after long-term androgen ablation“; Bethesda, 1998.


6. CaP CURE research award for the proposal „Function of androgen receptor coactivators    and corepressors in advanced carcinoma of the prostate“; Santa Monica, 1998.


7. Dr Otto Seibert prize for promotion of science for work „Synergistic activation of androgen  receptor by androgen and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in prostate carcinoma cells“; Innsbruck, 1999.


8. AUA best prostate cancer poster prize for work „Androgens, protein kinase A activators,    

and growth factors use different mechanisms to activate the androgen receptor“; Dallas,  1999.


9. Society for Basic Urological Research/Merck Young Investigator Award 2002., Orlando,     2002.


10. CaP Cure Award for project “Inhibition of CBP expression in prostate cancer in vivo”, 2003.


11. European Association of Urology Award for the best paper in fundamental urological research: “Suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 antagonizes cAMP effects on proliferation and apoptosis and is expressed in human prostate cancer”, Berlin, 2007.


12. C. E. Alken Prize 2007 for paper: “Suppressor of cytokine signalling-3 is up-regulated by androgen in prostate cancer cell lines and inhibits androgen-mediated proliferation and secretion”





AWARDS GIVEN TO DR. CULIG´S GROUP MEMBERS (SENIOR AUTHORSHIP OR COAUTHORSHIP):


Prize awarded by European Society for Urological Oncology and Endocrinology for poster: "Products of dihydrotestosterone metabolism activate a mutant androgen receptor detected in a late stage prostatic carcinoma"; (coauthor), Bern, 1994.


Großhadern innovation prize for work on androgen receptor abnormalities in prostate cancer; Leipzig, 1994.


Reinhold Witzel prize for paper; "Distant metastases from prostatic carcinoma express androgen receptor protein"; (coauthor), Berlin, 1996.


ARTP (French Association for Prostate Tumor Research) prize for paper "Androgen receptor deletion mutants in the cross-talk between androgen and polypeptide signaling pathways"; (coauthor), Essen, 1997.


AACR travel award for poster „Downregulation of androgen receptor expression by antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides“; (coauthor), New Orleans, 1998.


NIH travel award for poster „Androgen receptor downregulation by antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides in LNCaP cells“; (coauthor), Bethesda, 1998.


Gunther E. Voges prize for posters „Androgen ablation in LNCaP cells leads to an increase in androgen receptor activity and reduced TGF-ß responsiveness“ and „Up-regulation of androgen receptor activity by interleukin-6 in prostate cancer cells“; (coauthor), Bamberg, 1998.


Großhadern innovation prize for work „Antagonistic and agonistic activity of non-steroidal antiandrogen bicalutamide (Casodex) in a new prostate cancer model“; (coauthor), Munich, 1999.


EAU best poster prize in urological oncology for poster „Alterations in androgen receptor activity and growth factor production during intermittent androgen withdrawal in vitro“; Geneva, 2001.


SBUR/ESUR travel award for poster „Oncostatin M-induced androgen receptor activation cannot be blocked by antiandrogens in prostate cancer cells“; (senior author), Tucson, 2001.


CaP CURE 1st Prize for poster „Nonsteroidal antiandrogens fail to inhibit androgen    receptor activity induced by oncostatin M“, Orlando, 2002. (senior author)


AUA/Yamanouchi Best Prostate Cancer Poster Prize for poster „Nonsteroidal antiandrogens fail to inhibit androgen receptor activity induced by oncostatin M“, Orlando, 2002. (senior author)


13. Travel award for poster “SOCS-3 expression is regulated by fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 in prostate cancer cell lines”, Dublin, 2007. (senior author)




INVITED LECTURES:


1. 04.11.1994. Heinrich Warner Foundation, Hamburg: "Androgen receptor activation in prostatic tumor cell lines by insulin-like growth factor-I, keratinocyte growth factor and epidermal growth factor"


2. 03.12.1994. Department of Urology, University of Graz: "Androgen receptor mutations in advanced prostate cancer"


3. 17.02.1995. Department of Urology, University of Munich: "Hormone resistance in prostate cancer“


4. 15.05.1995. Department of Urology, Charité, University of Berlin: "Androgen receptor in advanced prostate cancer: expression, structure and nonsteroidal activation"


5. 09.09.1995. Marbach Castle, Germany, symposium "Prostate, BPH, and prostate cancer": "Hormone resistance in prostate cancer"


6. 15.02.1996. Schering, Experimental Oncology, Berlin: "Androgen receptor activation by growth factors"


7. 30.03.1996. International Symposium on Biology of Prostate Growth, sponsored by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC, USA: "Activation of androgen receptor by growth factors"


8. 06.12.1996. French Association for Prostate Tumor Research, 6th Scientific Meeting, Paris, France: "Androgen receptor activation by growth factors"


9. 28.10.1997. Schering, Experimental Oncology, Berlin: „Androgen receptor down-regulation by growth factors and cytokines“


10. 07.11.1997. Department of Urology, University of Zagreb, Croatia: „The significance of androgen receptor point mutations for therapy of prostatic carcinoma“


11. 16.12.1997. Department of Urology Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA: „Interaction of nonsteroidal antiandrogens with the wild-type and mutant androgen receptors“


12. 03.04.1998. Department of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA: „Androgen receptor antisense oligonucleotides: why do we need them?“


13. 02.05.1998. 6th Cansteiner Colloquium, Biology of Normal and Abnormal Prostate Growth, Wolfsbrunnen Castle, Meinhard-Schwebda, Germany: „Nuclear matrix proteins in biology of the normal and malignant prostate“


14. 28.04.1999. Departent of Urology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, USA: „New approaches for down-regulation of androgen receptor expression in prostate cancer“


15. 24.09.1999. Schering, Experimental Oncology, Berlin, Germany: „Inhibition of androgen receptor expression by basic fibroblast growth factor“


16. 04.10.1999. Laboratory for Experimental Endocrinology, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium: „Androgen receptor alterations associated with long-term androgen deprivation in prostate cancer cells“


17. 14.10.1999. 6th Scientific Retreat CaP CURE, Incline Village, NV, USA: „Function of androgen receptor coactivators and corepressors in advanced carcinoma of the prostate“


18. 07.04.2000. British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, Department of Cancer Endocrinology, Vancouver, BC, Canada: „Interleukin-6: expression in prostate tissue and regulation of androgen receptor function“


19. 27.04.2000. Symposion „Molecular Mechanisms in Prostate Cancer“, Section of Urology, Medical College of Georgia, GA, USA: „Interleukin-6 and its receptor in prostate cancer: Regulation of androgen receptor activity and expression in tumor tissue“


20. 24.05.2000. Institute for Biomedical Research on Aging, Austrian Academy of Science, Innsbruck, Austria: „Regulation of prostate carcinoma: growth factors, interleukins and androgens“


21. 09.06.2000. Ljudevit Jurak Symposium in Comparative Pathology, Zagreb, Croatia: „Interleukin-6 and its receptor in prostate cancer: activation of androgen receptor and expression in prostate tissue“


22. 13.09.2000. Department of Urology, University of Berne, Switzerland: „Intermittent androgen withdrawal in vitro: expression and function of androgen receptor“


23. 14.09.2000. Annual Meeting of Swiss Urological Society, Interlaken, Switzerland: „Molecular biological aspects of prostate cancer“


24. 23.10.2000. Department of Urology, University of Zagreb, Croatia: „Importance of interleukin-6 for advanced carcinoma of the prostate“


25. 13.11.2000. Department of Urology Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA: „Interleukin-6: regulator of androgen receptor activity and prostate cancer cell growth“


26. 20.11.2000. Schering, Experimental Oncology, Berlin, Germany: „CBP selectively enhances agonistic activity of hydroxyflutamide in prostate cancer cells“


27. 10.02.2001. 6th International Symposium on GnRH analogues in cancer and human reproduction, Geneva, Switzerland: „Androgen receptor-mediated growth of the malignant prostate“


28. 30.03.2001. Cancer Center, University of Virginia Health Science Center, Charlottesville, VA, USA: „Interleukin-6: regulator of androgen receptor activity and prostate cancer cell growth“


29. 07.04.2001. Congress of the European Association of Urology, Geneva, Switzerland: „Androgen receptor-mediated growth of benign and malignant prostate“


30. 31.08.2001. Symposium Comparative Clinical and Molecular Endocrinology, Urecht, The Netherlands: „Interleukin-6: regulator of androgen receptor activity and prostate cancer cell growth“


31. 19.11.2001. Nephrourological Meeting, University of Zagreb, Croatia: „Regulation of prostate growth by interleukin-6“


32. 30.11.2001. Fall Meeting of the Society for Basic Urological Research/4th World Congress in Urological Research, Tucson, AZ, USA: „Androgen receptor activation in prostate cancer by interleukin-6 family of cytokines“


33. 09.03.2002. AUA-EAU Exchange Programme, Innsbruck, Austria: „Molecular biology underlying the hormone resistance stage in prostate cancer“


34. 18.05.2002. Brain Trust Meeting The Role of the Prostate in Benign and Malignant Disease, Braselton, GA, USA: „Androgen receptor axis molecular endocrinology (AR signaling)“


35. 21.05.2002. The Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA: „Androgen receptor axis molecular endocrinology (AR Signaling)“


36. 23.05.2002. Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA: „Regulation of prostate cancer growth and androgen receptor activity by interleukin-6“


37. 20.09.2002. Conference Prostate 2002, Liverpool, United Kingdom: „Regulation of prostate cancer growth and androgen receptor activity by interleukin-6“


38. 10.10.2002. Progress and Controversies in Urological Oncology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands: „Basic research in prostate cancer: signal transduction“


39. 14.10.2002. 2nd International Conference on Prostate Cancer Research, Iowa City, IA, USA: „Interleukin-6 and related cytokines in prostate cancer progression“


40. 04.11.2002. Programm of Continuing Medical Education, University of Osijek, Croatia: „Role of steroid and petide hormones in regulation of the growth of prostate cancer“


41. 10.11.2002. Glaxo SmithKline Basic Science Prostate Symposium, Orlando, FL, USA: „Interleukin-6 activation of androgen receptor“


42. 10.12.2002. Hormone Club, University of Innsbruck, Austria: „Interleukin-6 in prostate cancer progression“


43. 07.03.2003. CNRS, University Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France: „Regulation of androgen receptor activity and prostate cancer growth by interleukin-6“


44. 25.06.2003. International Symposium on Hormonal Carcinogenesis, Valencia, Spain: “Interleukin-6 and androgen receptor in prostate cancer progression”


45. 29.08.2003. Reino Lahtikaari Symposium, Tampere, Finland: “Interleukin-6 regulation of growth of prostate cancers”


46. 29.01.2004. Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom: “Interleukin-6: from a paracrine growth inhibitor to an autocrine growth stimulator in prostate cancer”


47. 06.03.2004. NIH Symposium on Androgen Action in Prostate Cancer, Keystone, CO, USA: “Regulation of expression and function of the androgen receptor coactivator CBP in prostate cancer”


48. 08.03.2004. Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA: “Direct and indirect effects of interleukin-6 in regulation of prostate cancer cell growth”


49. 11.05.2004. Endocrinology Grand Rounds University of Massachussets Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA: “Interleukin-6: direct and indirect effects on prostate cancer cell growth”


50. 17.05.2004. Department of Urology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA: “Interleukin-6: translational research in prostate cancer”


51. 18.05.2004. Department of Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA: “Direct and indirect effects of interleukin-6 in regulation of prostate cancer proliferation and apoptosis”


52. 06.06.2004. Meeting of the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seefeld, Austria: “Direct and indirect effects of interleukin-6 in regulation of androgen receptor activity and prostate cancer cell growth”


53. 28.06.2004. Department of Urology, University Hospital Charite, Berlin, Germany: “Regulation of androgen receptor activity and prostate cancer growth by interleukin-6”


54. 08.10.2004. Androgens 2004 Meeting, Berlin, Germany: “The androgen receptor coactivator CBP in development and progression of prostate carcinoma”


55. 22.10.2004. Annual Retreat Prostate Cancer Foundation, Incline Village, NV, USA: “The androgen receptor coactivator CBP in prostate carcinogenesis”


56. 05.11.2004. SBUR Satelite Symposium, Congress of the European Society for Urological Research, Athens, Greece: “Interleukin-6 regulation of prostate cancer cell growth, apoptosis, and androgen receptor activity”


57. 19.11.2004. AACR Special Conference “Basic, translational, and clinical advances in prostate cancer”, Bonita Springs, FL, USA: “The androgen receptor coactivator CBP and antagonist/agonist balance of androgen receptor blockers”


58. 28.01.2005. Network meeting, Breast, prostate, and endometrial cancer, Barcelona, Spain: “Interleukin-6 regulation of prostate cancer growth, apoptosis, and androgen receptor activity”


59. 02.06.2005. European School of Urology, Linz, Austria: “Cytokine involved in prostate cancer development and progression”


60. 22.06.2005. Northern Institute of Cancer Research, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, UK: “Interleukin-6: potential target for therapy in prostate cancer”


61. 17.09.2005. Meeting Interleukin-6: from molecular biology to therapy, Montpellier, France: “The role of interleukin-6 in prostate cancer”


62. 03.04.2006. European Congress of Endocrinology, Glasgow, UK: “Endocrine regulation of prostate growth”


63. 17.11.2006. Annual Meeting, Society for Basic Urological Research, Phoenix, AZ, USA: “Microenvironmental interleukins in prostate cancer progression”


64. 08.12.2006. Meeting on Diagnostic and Predictive Pathology, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic: “Interleukin-6 and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 in regulation of proliferation and apoptosis in prostate cancer”


65. 13.03.3007. CNRS, Villejuif, France: “Interleukin-6 regulation of proliferation and apoptosis in prostate cancer: new directions for experimental therapy”


66. 26.04.2007. Department of Urology, University of Oslo, Norway: “Interleukin-6 and suppressors of cytokine signaling in regulation of prostate cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis”


67. 03.06.2007. Annual Meeting, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Chicago, IL, USA: “Androgen receptor coactivators in prostate cancer pathogenesis”

68. 07.06.2007. Kimmel Cancer Center, Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA: “Interleukin-6 and suppressor of cytokine signaling in regulation of prostate cancer cellular events”


69. 12.06.2007. Department of Cancer Biology and Cancer Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA: “Interleukin-6 and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 in regulation of prostate cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis”


70. 14.06.2007. Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA: Control of proliferation and apoptosis in prostate cancer cells by interleukin-6 and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3”


71. 29.01.2008. Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria: “Interleukin-6 and suppressors of cytokine signaling in development and progression in prostate cancer”


72. 29.02.2008. Research Department, Hospital St. Gallen, Switzerland: “Interleukin-6, proliferation and apoptosis in prostate cancer”



PEER-REVIEWED FUNDING:


1. Special Research Grant „Signal Transduction in Prostate Cancer“, Austrian Research Fund, 1999-2003 (coinvestigator)


2. CaP Cure Research Award, 1998 and 2003


3. Schering Research Grant „Inhibition of androgen receptor expression by antisense   oligonucleotides“, 1997-1999


4. Austrian National Bank Research Grant „Clinical significance of interleukin-6 and related cytokines in androgen receptor signal transduction“, 1999-2001 (coinvestigator)


5. Schering Research Grant „New targets for therapy in advanced carcinoma of the prostate“, 2000-2001


6. Austrian Research Fund Grant „Interaction of the steroid receptor coactivators CBP and SRC-1 with wild-type and mutant androgen receptors in human prostate cancer“, 2001-2003


7. Tyrol Hospital Fund Grant „Importance of interleukin-6 resistance for prostate cancer progression“, 2001-2002


8. Austrian National Bank Research Grant „Inhibition of interleukin-6 signal transduction in advanced prostate cancer by interleukin-6 superantagonist Sant 7“ 2003-2005


9. Centocor Research Grant “Novel strategies for inhibition of interleukin-6 in prostate cancer”


10. EU project “Prostate cancer integral management approach; androgen receptor-part”, 2004-


Austrian Research Fund Grant “Suppressors of cytokine signaling in prostate cancer”, 2005-2007


Austrian Research Fund Doctorate Program Grant  on IL-6 signal transduction in prostate cancer, 2005-


Austrian Research Fund Grant “SOCS-3 and peptide hormones in prostate cancer”, 2007-


Austrian Research Fund Grant “Inhibition of p300/CBP in human prostate cancer”, 2007-



POSITIONS IN INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS:


1.European Society for Urological Research (ESUR) Secretary General 2004-

2.Society for Basic Urological Research (SBUR) Member of Board of Directors 2002-


REVIEWER:


European Journal of Endocrinology, Prostate, Cancer Research, Endocrinology, Journal of Urology, European Urology, European Journal of Cancer, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Urology, American Journal of Pathology, Experimental Gerontology, Biochemical Pharmacology, International Journal of Cancer, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, Oncogene, Cancer Letters, Carcinogenesis, Clinical Cancer Research, British Journal of Cancer, Life Sciences, Genes Chromosomes and Cancer, British Journal of Urology International, Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, Toxicology, Journal of Pathology, Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, Neoplasia, Molecular Cancer Therapies, Nutrition and Cancer, Proteomics, Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, Biochimica Biophysica Acta, Growth Hormone & IGF Research, Lancet Oncology, British Journal of Pharmacology, Molecular Cancer Research, Human Mutation


SCIENTIFIC EDITOR:


Endocrine Related Cancer


EDITORIAL BOARD:


Prostate


EVALUATION FOR SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES:


Israel, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Italy


PUBLICATIONS:


List of publications attached

CURRICULUM VITAE  ZORAN CULIG