DrDamir Vareslija

My research investigates the molecular mechanisms that drive breast cancer metastasis, with a primary focus on brain metastatic disease and treatment resistance. The goal is to identify conserved, targetable vulnerabilities and clinically actionable biomarkers that improve outcomes for patients with advanced cancer. Our group studies how tumour cells adapt to the brain microenvironment through transcriptional and epigenetic reprogramming. I integrate patient data with functional validation in advanced preclinical models to ensure direct clinical relevance.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Brain metastasis biology
Mechanisms of tumour adaptation, outgrowth, and survival in the brain.

• Transcriptional and epigenetic dysregulation
Aberrant transcriptional control, chromatin regulation, and lineage plasticity in metastasis and therapy resistance.

• Conserved proliferative and resistance programmes
Identification of shared molecular modules that drive metastatic progression across breast cancer subtypes.

• Functional genomics and multi-omics integration
RNA-seq, epigenomics, spatial profiling, and proteomics integrated with perturbation studies.

• Advanced disease models
Patient-derived xenografts, organoids, and organotypic brain cultures for functional testing and drug response.

• Translational biomarkers and therapeutic targeting
Development of tissue and blood-based biomarkers and rational combination strategies with clinical deployment in mind.

RESEARCH FUNDING

My research programme is supported by sustained national, international, and industry funding focused on metastatic breast cancer, brain metastasis, and translational precision oncology. I have secured over €8 million in competitive funding as lead or co-lead investigator, spanning discovery science, advanced disease models, clinical translation, and commercialisation.

Major awards include co-directorship of a €5 million Research Ireland Strategic Partnership Programme (PRISM), delivering integrated genomic profiling and therapeutic discovery for metastatic breast cancer across Ireland. I lead multiple investigator-led grants from Science Foundation Ireland and Breast Cancer Now that define transcriptional, epigenetic, and DNA repair vulnerabilities in brain metastasis.