Croatia at the frontier of personalized medicine

St. Catherine Specialty Hospital and the International Center for Applied Biological Research in Personalized Medicine, in collaboration with US partners, are shaping the future of medicine in Europe and beyond.

St. Catherine Specialty Hospital in Zagreb, Croatia—recognized as a European Center of Excellence—is at the forefront of advancing personalized healthcare. This JCI-accredited hospital is not only elevating the quality of patient care nationally but also contributing significantly to the global evolution of personalized medicine. Its founder, Dragan Primorac, is internationally recognized as one of the leading figures in the field of personalized medicine. According to Elsevier BV, one of the world’s leading academic publishers, Primorac ranks among the top 2% of scientists globally for both career-long and single-year impact.

Together with Parth Shah of Dartmouth Health, Primorac co-founded the International Center for Applied Biological Research. In partnership with St. Catherine Hospital, this institution was among the first globally to implement whole genome sequencing (WGS) in routine clinical practice.

As healthcare systems worldwide grapple with aging populations, chronic disease burdens, and rising treatment costs, personalized medicine offers a transformative solution. By tailoring diagnostics, prevention, and treatment to each individual’s unique biomolecular profile, this approach enables earlier disease detection, more precise therapies, and reduced risk of adverse drug reactions—ultimately improving outcomes while optimizing healthcare resources. It marks a shift from standardized care to evidence-based, individualized treatment.

St. Catherine Hospital is recognized for its excellence in delivering personalized care through cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Its clinical use of WGS spans precision oncology, pharmacogenomics, and nutrigenomics—setting new standards for translational medicine in Europe. Strategic partnerships with institutions such as Dartmouth Health and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) have further amplified the hospital’s global impact.

A European leader in translational and genomic medicine

St. Catherine Specialty Hospital has long championed a patient-centered approach. In recent years, it has evolved into a leader in personalized medicine by integrating genomic technologies into everyday clinical practice. This transformation reflects a broader shift in healthcare: the recognition that effective disease management increasingly depends on understanding each patient’s biological uniqueness.

Through close collaboration with the International Center for Applied Biological Research, the hospital has developed a robust infrastructure that bridges research and clinical application. This includes genome analysis, bioinformatics interpretation, clinical reporting, and direct patient care. Its translational medicine initiatives integrate genomic data across multiple specialties—from early diagnostics to personalized therapeutics—supported by interdisciplinary teams of clinicians and molecular biologists.

St. Catherine and the International Center also serve as national and regional hubs for education, regularly training healthcare professionals in the clinical application of genomics. Their work is deeply embedded in daily patient care, demonstrating how personalized medicine can be seamlessly integrated into healthcare systems.

Whole genome sequencing in clinical practice

At the heart of this transformation is the hospital’s real-world application of whole genome sequencing (WGS). Far from being confined to research, WGS is used to solve complex diagnostic challenges in cardiology, neurology, rare diseases, and other specialties.

For instance, in cardiovascular care, the hospital employs the Genome4All panel, which analyzes 563 genes associated with cardiometabolic and endocrine disorders. This tool identifies asymptomatic individuals at elevated risk for sudden cardiac death and long-term cardiovascular disease, enabling preventive interventions. In December 2018, the Croatian Football Federation announced a groundbreaking initiative with St. Catherine Hospital—its official medical partner—to systematically screen football players for genetic mutations linked to sudden cardiac death. This was the first project of its kind in Europe.

Additionally, the hospital has demonstrated that WGS can facilitate early detection of inherited metabolic disorders, rare cancer syndromes, and pharmacogenetic risks. For both clinicians and patients, this translates into shorter diagnostic journeys and more targeted, effective care.

OncoOrigin: Revolutionizing cancer treatment through AI

For patients with cancers of unknown primary (CUP) origin, conventional diagnostics often fall short. To address this gap, researchers at St. Catherine Specialty Hospital developed OncoOrigin—an AI-powered, genomics-based software trained on over 20,000 tumor genomes. Leveraging machine learning and a clinician-friendly graphical interface, OncoOrigin predicts the most likely origin of a cancer with 91% top-2 accuracy and a ROC-AUC of 0.97.

This innovation has already demonstrated clinical utility. In CUP cases, where traditional pathology fails to identify the tumor origin, OncoOrigin provides the missing link, guiding oncologists toward appropriate, targeted therapies. Beyond CUP, the tool supports advanced molecular and genomic-based tumor classification—a rapidly growing field. By integrating AI into the diagnostic workflow, OncoOrigin exemplifies the future of oncology: fast, data-driven, and deeply personalized.

Liquid biopsy: Real-time tumor monitoring

St. Catherine Specialty Hospital is also pioneering the use of liquid biopsy—the extraction and analysis of circulating tumor DNA (cfDNA) from blood samples. This non-invasive approach enables real-time cancer monitoring and offers several key advantages: dynamic response assessment, early detection of recurrence, and identification of resistance mutations.

Unlike static tissue biopsies, cfDNA allows for repeated sampling throughout treatment, offering insights into the tumor’s genetic evolution. This technology is especially valuable for patients for whom surgical biopsy is not feasible or poses significant risk. The adoption of cfDNA testing marks a shift from reactive to proactive cancer care, and St. Catherine is at the forefront of this transformation.

Pharmacogenomics: Precision prescribing for safer care

Medications affect individuals differently due to variations in genetic makeup, which influence how drugs are absorbed, metabolized, and utilized. At St. Catherine Specialty Hospital, pharmacogenomics has become a powerful tool to optimize therapy, reduce side effects, and improve outcomes—enabled by insights from whole genome sequencing (WGS).

By analyzing genes involved in drug metabolism, transport, and receptor function, clinicians can tailor pharmacological interventions to each patient’s genetic profile. This ensures the right drug, at the right dose, for the right patient, at the right time. The impact is especially significant in oncology, cardiology, psychiatry, and pain management, where standard treatments often yield varied responses.

The integration of WGS-based pharmacogenomic screening into routine clinical workflows represents a paradigm shift in prescribing—moving from population averages to individualized care. As this practice expands, it promises to reduce healthcare costs, prevent drug-related hospitalizations, and elevate the standard of care.

Several months ago, Dragan Primorac, together with Wolfgang Höppner and Lidija Bach-Rojecky, edited the book Pharmacogenomics in Clinical Practice. More than twenty authors contributed to this volume, which was published by Springer Nature—one of the world’s leading academic publishers. The book is regarded as one of the most comprehensive resources in the field, offering in-depth insights into the application of pharmacogenomics in everyday medical practice.

Nutrigenomics and proprietary nutrition software

Beyond treatment, St. Catherine Specialty Hospital is advancing preventive care and lifestyle optimization through nutrigenomics—the study of how genes interact with nutrients. By analyzing genetic variants that influence metabolism, stress response, and inflammation, the hospital provides personalized nutritional guidance.

This program is powered by a patent-protected, in-house-developed software platform that translates complex genetic data into actionable dietary recommendations. The platform integrates genomic insights with clinical context to generate personalized plans for macronutrient balance, micronutrient needs, and dietary adjustments to mitigate individual risk factors.

Applications range from improving metabolic health in patients with obesity or insulin resistance, to enhancing athletic performance and supporting healthy aging. This genomics-guided nutrition model is gaining popularity among both clinical patients and health-conscious individuals, signaling a shift toward personalized wellness in healthcare.

Global collaborations: A European hub with global reach

What makes this center of innovation even more impactful is its international dimension. For over 20 years, St. Catherine Hospital has collaborated with the Mayo Clinic and the International Society for Applied Biological Sciences (ISABS) to organize leading global events in personalized medicine, clinical genetics, and forensic science. Since inception, these conferences have hosted 6,500 attendees and 860 speakers from 85 countries, including 10 Nobel laureates. The next conference will be held in Dubrovnik, June 15–19, 2026, focusing on Advances in the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.

St. Catherine Specialty Hospital and the International Center for Applied Biological Research also maintain active collaborations with Dartmouth Health and UPMC. However, with the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine St. Catherine Hospital promote joint research, faculty and student exchanges and professional training programs.

Such collaborations position St. Catherine as one of a key node in a global health network, enabling accelerated knowledge transfer, validation of diagnostic tools across diverse populations, and benchmarking against world-class standards.

Croatia at the frontier of personalized medicine

St. Catherine Specialty Hospital and the International Center for Applied Biological Research embody the promise of 21st-century medicine: individualized, evidence-based, and globally interconnected. Their work demonstrates that Croatia is not only keeping pace with the genomic revolution but actively shaping it.

With a proven track record in clinical genomics, partnerships with elite institutions, and a scalable model of care, St. Catherine Specialty Hospital is poised to join the ranks of Europe’s leading precision medicine centers, ushering in the next era of personalized healthcare.

Share this article: