We invite you to join us at the 14th ISABS and Mayo Clinic Lectures Conference: Advances in Application of Artificial Intelligence in Precision Medicine, Dubrovnik, June 15-19, 2026. The conference is the next in a series of biennial events organized by the International Society for Applied Biological Sciences (ISABS), Mayo Clinic, and St. Catherine Hospital, and co-organized by the International Centre for Applied Biological Research (ICABS).
St. Catherine Specialty Hospital in Zagreb, together with the International Center for Applied Biological Research, is positioning Croatia as a European leader in personalized medicine. Under the leadership of Dr. Dragan Primorac—recognized among the world’s top 2% of scientists—the hospital integrates whole genome sequencing (WGS) and AI-driven tools like OncoOrigin into routine clinical practice.
Their approach spans precision oncology, pharmacogenomics, nutrigenomics, and liquid biopsy, offering individualized care that improves outcomes and reduces costs. Partnerships with Dartmouth Health, UPMC, and academic institutions such as Penn State enable joint research, training, and the international validation of diagnostic methods.
St. Catherine’s pioneering use of WGS for early disease detection, personalized therapies, and real-time tumor monitoring is redefining care in fields like cardiology, oncology, and psychiatry. Initiatives such as genetic screening of athletes and proprietary nutrition software showcase the hospital’s preventive focus.
With over two decades of global collaboration—including co-hosting conferences with the Mayo Clinic and ISABS—St. Catherine is not only advancing translational genomics in Croatia, but also shaping the global future of personalized, AI-powered healthcare.
Read more in EU Reporter’s latest article, available on the link below.
We are proud to be the first lab in Croatia to have installed System Element AVITI System Sequencing Instrument (Element Biosciences). We are looking forward to start using this NGS system for sequencing to provide a comprehensive range of genetic testing solutions and the flexibility to customize testing to specific indications. This will help us to set new standards in the approach to personalized medicine and represents an important step forward in translational medicine.
Our team published the article “Implementing Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in Clinical Practice: Advantages, Challenges, and Future Perspectives” in the scientific journal Cells, as part of the Special Issue Recent Advances in Research on Chromosome Abnormalities and Genomic Disorders. Integrating WGS into standard clinical practice introduces new prospects for personalized medicine and enhanced patient health results, encompassing proactive interventions to deter the onset of complex diseases. Anticipating the future, WGS is poised to become a customary diagnostic instrument in pediatric care, streamlining precise and tailored treatment for children with both monogenic and multifactorial conditions. The assimilation of WGS into clinical practice marks a significant shift in approach, offering optimism for improved outcomes of patient treatments. This potent technology not only heightens diagnostic precision but also unlocks new avenues for personalized therapies.
Article is available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/6/504
Members of our team participated in the Round table “STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF APPLIED GENOMICS IN CROATIA” organized by the Applied Genomic Committee of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The Strategy was created by working groups of leading Croatian experts to create the strategy that would facilitate the implementation of genomics in Croatia in the fields of biomedicine, biosafety and biosecurity, forensic medicine, biotechnology, and bioinformatics and computational biology with a special focus on the ethical issues. The discussion was based on introductory presentations by Academician Stjepan Gamulin, Prof. Dr. Jadranka Sertić, Prof. Dr. Filip Sedlić, Prof. Dr. Alemka Markotić, Prof. Dr. Dragan Primorac, Prof. Dr. Lada Zibar, Prof. Dr. Anita Slavica, Prof. Dr. Kristian Vlahoviček.