Farmaceutski-biokemijski fakultet

University of Zagreb
Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry
since 1882

prof. dr. sc. Gordan Lauc

E-mail: glauc@pharma.hr
Phone: 01 6394 467
Address: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Ante Kovačića 1, 10000 Zagreb

prof. dr. sc. Gordan  Lauc

Profile

Dr. Gordan Lauc is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry. His laboratory performed the first large scale studies of the human plasma glycome (in 2009) and human IgG glycome (in 2011), which were the basis for the subsequent first GWAS of the human plasma and IgG glycomes. He was invited to lecture at numerous international conferences (including FEBS, EMBO, ASBMB, Glyco, etc), elected for visiting professor at the Johns Hopkins University, University of Edinburgh and Edith Cowan University in Perth. In 2011 he was inducted in the prestigious Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars. In 2007 Prof Lauc established Genos Ltd, a private research organisation accredited by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sport that currently has 28 employees, including 17 researchers. Genos was ranked as #1 in the 2013 survey of The Scientist magazine for “The best place to work for researches” in the category “Industry” and received a Charter of the Republic of Croatia (awarded by the President of Croatia) for an outstanding economic contribution to development of Croatia by commercialization of research results in 2014.

Education:

  • 1997-1998 Johns Hopkins University postdoc Glycobiology
  • 1995-1997 Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Postdoc Biochemistry
  • 1992-1995 Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Ph.D. Chemistry
  • 1988-1992 Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia M.Sc. Molecular Biology

Work experience:

  • 2007 - present Founder and CEO Genos Ltd, Biotech startup company and Accredited research organization
  • 1997 – present Assistant, Associate and Full Professor Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia (80% FTE between 2003 and Feb 2010, 100% FTE thereafter)
  • 2012 - 2015 Adjunct Professor School of Medical Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
  • 1998 – 2010 Assistant, Associate and Full Professor, Head of Department for Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Osijek School of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia (20% FTE)
  • 1997 - 1998 Visiting Scholar Johns Hopkins University, Biology Department
  • 1999 – 2010 Head of Laboratory DNA Laboratory for the identification of war victims, Osijek, Croatia
  • 2001 – 2005 Associate Dean for Research University of Osijek School of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
  • 2001 – 2007 Visiting Professor Biology Department, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

III. Professional experience:

  • 2013 – 2015 President Elect International Glycoconjugate Organization
  • 2011 – 2013 Chairman Croatian National Council for Natural Sciences
  • 2009 – 2014 Member Steering Committee of the „European Glycoscience Forum“ Research Network Program of the European Science Foundation
  • 2009 – 2013 Member National Science Council of the Republic of Croatia
  • 2006 - present Chairman Expert group for the national “Action Plan for the increased investment in research and development”
  • 2005 - present Board member International Glycoconjugate Organization
  • 2004 - present Member National Organizing Board of the Festival of Science
  • 2005 – 2006 Member Negotiating team for Croatia’s accession to EU for Science and Research
  • 2005 – 2009 Deputy Chairman Croatian National Council for Natural Sciences
  • 2000 – 2010 Member Commission for the identification of war victims of the Republic of Croatia
  • 2000 – 2002 Member of the Board of Directors Clinical Hospital Osijek
  • 1996 – 2001 Secretary Croatian Biochemical Society

IV. Research Grants:

  • 2013 – 2017 Coordinator of the FP7 Regpot project Integra-Life «Integrating research in molecular life sciences at the University of Zagreb», grant agreement no: 315997, (3,2 M Eur for University of Zagreb)
  • 2012 – 2017 Group leader in FP7 project MIMOmics – Methods for integrated analysis of multiple omics datasets, grant agreement no: 305280, coordinator Jeanine Houwing
  • 2012 – 2016 Group leader in FP7 project IBD-BIOM – Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease, grant agreement no:305479, coordinator Jack Satsangi
  • 2011 – 2016 Group leader in FP7 project HighGlycan - Methods for High-Throughput (HTP) Analysis of Protein Glycosylation, grant agreement no: 278535, coordinator Manfred Wuhrer
  • 2011 – 2015 Group leader in FP7 grant GlycoBioM - Tools for the Detection of Novel Glyco-biomarkers, grant agreement no: 259869, coordinator Sabine Flitch
  • 2008 – 2013 Group leader in FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITN) grant EuroGlycoArrays - ‘Development of Carbohydrate Array Technologies to Systematically Explore the Functional Role of Glycans in Healthy and Diseased States, coordinator Sabine Flitch.
  • 2008 – 2010 Group leader in FP7 grant INTEGERS, Integrating and Strengthening Genomic Research in South-Eastern Europe, coordinator Fran Borovečki
  • 2007 – 2010 Coordinator, FP6 grant #INCO-CT-2006-043682-EURPHARM “Enhancing the capacity of the University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry for the participation in the European Research Area”
  • 2007 – 2012 PI of the Croatian Ministry of Science grant #309-0061194-2023 „Glycoproteomics of stress and stress-related diseases“
  • 2005 – 2009 Group leader in FP6 Marie Curie Research Training Network project „Glycogold: Exploration of the nature and potential of Glyco-nano-particles“ (MRTN-CT-2004-005645), coordinated by J.F.G. Vliegenthart, Utrecht
  • 2004 – 2011 Participating investigator in NIH funded „Consortium for functional glycomics“, NIH grant 2U54GM062116 „Protein Carbohydrate Interactions in Cell Communication“, Coordinator: James Paulson, The Scripps Institute, www.functionalglycomics.org
  • 2002 – 2006 PI of the Croatian Ministry of Science grant #0209041 "Protein glycosylation and human lectins in health and disease"
  • 2001 – 2005 Foreign principal investigator on NIH – FIRCA grant #1R03TW01477 „Glycosylation and Human Lectins in Rheumatoid Disease“; US-PI: Dr. Y. C. Lee, The Johns Hopkins University

V. Organization of conferences:

  • 2013 Organizer: Workshop “Protein glycosylation in personalized medicine” at the 8th ISABS Conference, Split, Croatia, June 24-28.
  • 2012 Organizer of the EuroGlycoForum Special Interest Symposium «Protein glycosylation in human disease» at EMBO 2012 Congress, Nice, France, September 22-25, 2012.
  • 2011 Workshop “Protein glycosylation in diagnostics and therapy” at the 7th ISABS Conference, Bol, Croatia, June 21-25,
  • 2010 Co-Organizer of the „Glycomics meets genomics - novel strategies in combining omics approaches“ conference, Dubrovnik, April 23 – 26, 2010.
  • 2007 Co-Organizer of the „European Science Foundation Exploratory Workshop on Glycoscience“, Kolocep, Croatia, 2007.
  • 2005 Organizer of the Satellite to FEBS/IUBMB congress in Budapest: „Glycoproteomics – protein modifications for versatile functions“, Dubrovnik, 2005
  • 2001 Secretary of the Organizing Board of the FEBS Advanced Course Glycoconjugates - versatile structures and intriguing functions, Dubrovnik, Sep 24-30.
  • 1999 Secretary of the Organizing Board of the FEBS Advanced Course Glycoconjugates - versatile structures and intriguing functions, Opatija, Sep 24-29.
  • 1997 President of the Organizational Board of HB97, Annual Congress of the Croatian Biochemical Society
  • 1997 Organizer of the workshop “War Stress” on the congress “Stress of Life: Stress and adaptation from molecules to man”, Budapest

VI. Honors and awards:

  • 2012 Election for the Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh
  • 2011 Election to membership in the “Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars”
  • 1999 GLYCO XV Young Scientist Award
  • 1997/1998 Fulbright Fellowship
  • 1997 Croatian National Award for Science for Young Scientists
  • 1997 Hans Seyle Award for Young Scientists, Budapest

VII. Mentorship

  • PhD theses 2013: Marija Pezer (co-menthor Mirjana Turkalj), Irzal Hadžibegović, Maja Pučić; 2011: Goran Ćurić; 2010: Ana Knežević, Jasenka Wagner; 2009: Snježana Džijan; 2007: Olga Gornik; 2005: Ivan Gornik
  • Master theses 2006: Ivan Biruš; 2003: Sandra Šupraha Goreta; 2000: Sanja Dabelić; 1999: Ljiljana Šerman
  • Diploma works 1995 – today: >20

Other:

  • Dr. Lauc is author of over 100 research papers published in international journals and six international patents.
  • He chaired a number of conferences, including the “European Science Foundation Exploratory Workshop on Glycoscience” which resulted in the creation of the “European Glycoscience Forum”. He is a member of the Board of the International Glycoscience Organization (President Elect in 2013 – 2015) and the Steering Committee of the European Glycoscience Forum.

The works included in the Croatian scientific bibliography (CROSBI)