Faculty Focus - Ivan Radovanovic


Ivan Radovanovic
Ivan Radovanovic, MD, PhD, FMH

We are delighted to have successfully recruited Dr. Ivan Radovanovic as our newest Faculty member at Toronto Western Hospital as of January 2013. Dr. Radovanovic obtained his medical degree and began neurosurgery residency training at the University of Geneva, Switzerland in 1998. In 2002, he completed a diploma in molecular biology and genetics from the University of Zurich, and in 2003  he completed the equivalent of a PhD at the Institute of Neuropathology at the University of Zurich. He subsequently resumed residency training at Geneva University Hospitals, graduating from the program in 2007. In 2008, Dr. Radovanovic joined Toronto Western Hospital as a clinical fellow in neuro-oncology/skull base surgery and then also completed a clinical fellowship in cerebrovascular surgery. Between 2010-2011, Dr. Radovanovic was staff neurosurgeon at Geneva University Hospitals, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Division of Neurosurgery. In 2013, he was recruited to the Division of Neurosurgery with a staff appointment at Toronto Western Hospital.  He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at The University of Toronto. His research is focused on the surgical management of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms, AVMs and dural arteriovenous fistulae, using minimally invasive techniques such as supraorbital and lateral supraorbital craniotomies. His research laboratory is within the Toronto Western Research Institute and focuses on the developmental signaling and genetics of cerebral arteriovenous malformations and brain tumors.  Dr. Radovanovic is married to Irene and have two children, Dushan (6) and Adrian (3). 

Current Appointments

  • Scientist, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network
  • Assistant Professor of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Past Appointments

  • Group Leader, Brain Tumor Biology Laboratory, Geneva University Hospitals, 2007-2012.
  • Staff/Consultant Neurosurgeon, Geneva University Hospitals, 2010-12.

Recent Selected Peer-Reviewed Funding

  • Swiss Confederation Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI), 2011-2012 (18 mth).
    Design, optimization and validation of compounds against cancer-initiating cells.
    PI: Carreira E; Co-I's: Radovanovic I, Clement V.
    CHF 614,000
  • Fondation Schmidheiny, 2010-2011.
    Revisiting the role of HIF-VHL pathway in GICs.
    Co-I's: Radovanovic I, Clement V.
    CHF 10,000
  • Geneva Cancer Ligue, 2009-2010.
    Identification and characterization of biomarkers in brain tumors and brain tumors initiating cells.
    Co-I's:  Clement V, Schatlo B, Radovanovic I.
    CHF 86,146
  • Fondation Schmidheiny, 2008-2009.
    Identification and characterization of glioma initating cells in human brain tumors.
    Co-I's: Radovanovic I, Clement V.
    CHF 20,000

Selected Distinctions and Awards

  • 1st Prize, Federation of Swiss Clinical Neurosciences Societies, 2010
  • 1st Prize, Bio-Innovation Day, Geneva University Hospitals, 2009
  • Best Poster Award, 2nd place, 100th Anniversary Meeting of the Swiss Neurology and Neurosurgery Societies, 2008

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • Janiszewska M, Suvà ML, Riggi N, Houtkooper RH, Auwerx J, Clément-Schatlo V, Radovanovic I, Rheinbay E, Provero P, Stamenkovic I. Imp2 controls oxidative phosphorylation and is crucial for preserving glioblastoma cancer stem cells. Genes Dev. 2012 Sep 1;26(17):1926-44.
  • Clément-Schatlo V, Marino D, Burkhardt K, Teta P, Leyvraz F, Schatlo B, Frank S, Schaller K, Castella V, Radovanovic I. Quantification, self-renewal, and genetic tracing of FL1⁺ tumor-initiating cells in a large cohort of human gliomas. Neuro Oncol. 2012 Jun;14(6):720-35.
  • Mlynárik V, Cudalbu C, Clément V, Marino D, Radovanovic I, Gruetter R. In vivo metabolic profiling of glioma-initiating cells using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 14.1 Tesla. NMR Biomed. 2012 Apr;25(4):506-13.
  • Witiw CD, Fallah A, Radovanovic I, Wallace MC. Sacral intradural arteriovenous fistula treated indirectly by transection of the filum terminale: technical case report. Neurosurgery. 2011 Sep;69(3):E780-4; discussion E784.
  • Terzic A, Burkhardt K, Giger R, Dojcinovic I, Radovanovic I, Harder Y, Richter M. Large squamous cell carcinoma of the face and paranoid schizophrenia: a calamitous combination. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2010 Aug;35(6):683-4.
  • Clément V, Marino D, Cudalbu C, Hamou MF, Mlynarik V, de Tribolet N, Dietrich PY, Gruetter R, Hegi ME, Radovanovic I. Marker-independent identification of glioma-initiating cells. Nat Methods. 2010 Mar;7(3):224-8.
  • Radovanovic I, Dizdarevic K, de Tribolet N, Masic T, Muminagic S. Pineal region tumors--neurosurgical review. Med Arh. 2009;63(3):171-3. Review.
  • Suvà ML, Riggi N, Janiszewska M, Radovanovic I, Provero P, Stehle JC, Baumer K, Le Bitoux MA, Marino D, Cironi L, Marquez VE, Clément V, Stamenkovic I. EZH2 is essential for glioblastoma cancer stem cell maintenance. Cancer Res. 2009 Dec 15;69(24):9211-8.
  • Baumann F, Pahnke J, Radovanovic I, Rülicke T, Bremer J, Tolnay M, Aguzzi A. Functionally relevant domains of the prion protein identified in vivo. PLoS One. 2009 Sep 7;4(9):e6707.