Dr Amanda Croft

Amanda is an early-career researcher at the Newcastle Cardio-Oncology Centre of Excellence (Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle), where she is completing her PhD in 2026. Her research journey spans more than 20 years across both cancer and cardiovascular science.

Her work aims to uncover how cancer can affect the heart, even before treatment begins, and how factors like metabolism and body fat (adipose tissue) influence both cancer progression and heart health. Recently, her research has shown that improving the health of fat tissue may help slow cancer growth while also protecting the heart, opening new possibilities for treatment. She has also made important contributions to understanding how men and women may experience heart disease differently.

Passionate about improving outcomes for people living with cancer, Amanda is now moving into the next stage of her career as a postdoctoral researcher, continuing her work to better understand and reduce the impact of cancer on heart health.

Highlights

Nearly 30 published scientific papers
Presented at conferences across Australia and internationally
Recognised with several awards, including national early-career and investigator prizes

Past 5 years:

Butel-Simoes LE, Bennetts J, Croft A , Williams TD, Janowski W, Martin J, Lynam J, Ngo DTN, Sverdlov AL, Integrated Cardio-oncology Service, Cardiac Failure Review 2026; 12:e 09.

https://doi.org/10.15420/cfr.2025.44

Chen D, Croft AJ, Haw TJ, Kelly C, Balachandran L, Sverdlov AL, Ngo DTM. Anti-cancer agent Olaparib ameliorates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2025 Sep;206:114 -126.

Kelly C, Kiltschewskij DJ, Leong AJH, Haw TJ, Croft AJ, Balachandran L, Chen D, Bond DR, Lee HJ, Cairns MJ, Sverdlov AL & Ngo DTM. Identifying common pathways for doxorubicin and carfilzomib-induced cardiotoxicities: transcriptomic and epigenetic profiling. Sci Rep 15, 4395 (2025).

Gomez HM, Haw TJ, Ilic D, Robinson P, Donovan C, Croft AJ , Vanka KS, Small E, Carroll OR, Kim RY, Mayall JR, Beyene T, Palanisami T, Ngo DTM, Zosky GR, Holliday EG, Jensen ME, McDonald VM, Murphy VE, Gibson PG, Horvat JC. Landscape fire smoke airway exposure impairs respiratory and cardiac function and worsens experimental asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024 Jul;154(1):209-221.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.02.022. Epub 2024 Mar 19. PMID: 38513838.

Croft AJ, Kelly C, Chen D, Haw TJ, Balachandran L, Murtha LA, Boyle AJ, Sverdlov AL, Ngo DTM. Sex-based differences in short- and longer-term diet-induced metabolic heart disease. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2024 May 1;326(5):H1219-H1251. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00467.2023. Epub 2024 Feb 16. PMID: 38363215; PMCID: PMC11381029.

Balachandran L, Haw TJ, Leong AJW, Croft AJ , Chen D, Kelly C, Sverdlov AL, Ngo DTM. Cancer Therapies and Cardiomyocyte Viability: Which Drugs are Directly Cardiotoxic? Heart Lung Circ. 2024 Feb 15:S 1443-9506(24)00043-X. doi: 10.1016/j.hlc.2024.01.013. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38365500.

Kelly CJ, Chu M, Untaru R, Assadi-Khansari B, Chen D, Croft AJ , Horowitz JD, Boyle AJ, Sverdlov AL, Ngo DTM. Association of Circulating Plasma Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 5 (Sfrp5) Levels with Cardiac Function. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis. 2023 Jun 28;10(7):274. doi: 10.3390/jcdd10070274. PMID: 37504530;PMCID : PMC10380407.

Croft AJ , Kelly C, Chen D, Haw TJ, Sverdlov AL, Ngo DTM. Overexpression of Mitochondrial Catalase within Adipose Tissue Does Not Confer Systemic Metabolic Protection against Diet-Induced Obesity. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 May 22;12(5):1137. doi: 10.3390/antiox12051137. PMID: 37238003; PMCID: PMC10215245.

Chen D, Untaru R, Stavropoulou G, Assadi-Khansari B, Kelly C, Croft AJ , Sugito S, Collins NJ, Sverdlov AL, Ngo DTM. Elevated Soluble Suppressor of Tumorigenicity 2 Predict Hospital Admissions Due to Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE). J Clin Med. 2023 Apr 9;12(8):2790. doi: 10.3390/jcm12082790. PMID: 37109127; PMCID: PMC10142832.

Chen D, Kelly C, Haw TJ, Lombard JM, Nordman IIC, Croft AJ , Ngo DTM, Sverdlov AL. Heart Failure in Breast Cancer Survivors: Focus on Early Detection and Novel Biomarkers. Curr Heart Fail Rep. 2021 Dec;18(6):362-377. doi:10.1007/s11897-021-00535-w. Epub 2021 Nov 3. PMID: 34731413.

Croft AJ , Ngo DTM, Sverdlov AL. Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity: Time to Focus on Cardioprotection Again. Heart Lung Circ. 2019 Oct;28(10):1454-1456. Doi: 0.1016/j.hlc.2019.08.002. PMID: 31495502.

Wang YF, Liu F, Sherwin S, Farrelly M, Yan XG, Croft A , Liu T, Jin L, Zhang XD, Jiang CC. Cooperativity of HOXA5 and STAT3 Is Critical for HDAC8 Inhibition-Mediated Transcriptional Activation of PD-L1 in Human Melanoma Cells. J Invest Dermatol. 2018 Apr;138(4):922-932. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2017.11.009. Epub 2017 Nov 22. PMID: 29174371.

Wang CY, Guo ST, Croft A , Yan XG, Jin L, Zhang XD, Jiang CC. BAG3-dependent

expression of Mcl-1 confers resistance of mutant KRAS colon cancer cells to the HSP90 inhibitor AUY922. Mol Carcinog. 2018 Feb;57(2):284-294. doi: 10.1002/mc.22755. Epub 2017 Nov 14. PMID: 29068469.

Previous years:

Croft A, Guo ST, Sherwin S, Farrelly M, Yan XG, Zhang XD, Jiang CC.

Functional identification of a novel transcript variant of INPP4B in human colon

and breast cancer cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2017 Mar 25;485(1):47-53.

doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.02.012. Epub 2017 Feb 8. PMID: 28189677.

Wang JY, Jin L, Yan XG, Sherwin S, Farrelly M, Zhang YY, Liu F, Wang CY, Guo

ST, Yari H, La T, McFarlane J, Lei FX, Tabatabaee H, Chen JZ, Croft A , Jiang CC,

Zhang XD. Reactive Oxygen Species Dictate the Apoptotic Response of Melanoma

Cells to TH588. J Invest Dermatol. 2016 Nov;136(11):2277-2286. doi:

10.1016/j.jid.2016.06.625. Epub 2016 Jul 15. PMID: 27427486.

Guo ST, Chi MN, Yang RH, Guo XY, Zan LK, Wang CY, Xi YF, Jin L, Croft A,

Tseng HY, Yan XG, Farrelly M, Wang FH, Lai F, Wang JF, Li YP, Ackland S, Scott

R, Agoulnik IU, Hondermarck H, Thorne RF, Liu T, Zhang XD, Jiang CC. INPP4B is

an oncogenic regulator in human colon cancer. Oncogene. 2016 Jun

9;35(23):3049-61. doi: 10.1038/onc.2015.361. Epub 2015 Sep 28. PMID: 26411369;

PMCID: PMC4908438.

Chi MN, Guo ST, Wilmott JS, Guo XY, Yan XG, Wang CY, Liu XY, Jin L, Tseng HY,

Liu T, Croft A, Hondermarck H, Scolyer RA, Jiang CC, Zhang XD. INPP4B is

upregulated and functions as an oncogenic driver through SGK3 in a subset of

melanomas. Oncotarget. 2015 Nov 24;6(37):39891-907. doi:

10.18632/oncotarget.5359. PMID: 26573229; PMCID: PMC4741868.

Liu XY, Lai F, Yan XG, Jiang CC, Guo ST, Wang CY, Croft A, Tseng HY, Wilmott

JS, Scolyer RA, Jin L, Zhang XD. RIP1 Kinase Is an Oncogenic Driver in Melanoma.

Cancer Res. 2015 Apr 15;75(8):1736-48. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-2199. Epub

2015 Feb 27. PMID: 25724678.

Jiang CC, Croft A, Tseng HY, Guo ST, Jin L, Hersey P, Zhang XD. Repression

of microRNA-768-3p by MEK/ERK signalling contributes to enhanced mRNA

translation in human melanoma. Oncogene. 2014 May 15;33(20):2577-88. doi:

10.1038/onc.2013.237. Epub 2013 Jun 17. Erratum in: Oncogene. 2016 Nov

17;35(46):6044. PMID: 23770856.

Croft A, Tay KH, Boyd SC, Guo ST, Jiang CC, Lai F, Tseng HY, Jin L, Rizos H,

Hersey P, Zhang XD. Oncogenic activation of MEK/ERK primes melanoma cells for

adaptation to endoplasmic reticulum stress. J Invest Dermatol. 2014

Feb;134(2):488-497. doi: 10.1038/jid.2013.325. Epub 2013 Aug 6. PMID: 23921951.

Tay KH, Luan Q, Croft A, Jiang CC, Jin L, Zhang XD, Tseng HY. Sustained IRE1

and ATF6 signaling is important for survival of melanoma cells undergoing ER

stress. Cell Signal. 2014 Feb;26(2):287-94. doi: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2013.11.008.

Epub 2013 Nov 12. PMID: 24240056.

Wroblewski D, Jiang CC, Croft A , Farrelly ML, Zhang XD, Hersey P. OBATOCLAX

and ABT-737 induce ER stress responses in human melanoma cells that limit

induction of apoptosis. PLoS One. 2013 Dec 19;8(12 ):e 84073. doi:

10.1371/journal.pone.0084073. PMID: 24367627; PMCID: PMC3868604.

Lai F, Guo ST, Jin L, Jiang CC, Wang CY, Croft A, Chi MN, Tseng HY, Farrelly

M, Atmadibrata B, Norman J, Liu T, Hersey P, Zhang XD. Cotargeting histone

deacetylases and oncogenic BRAF synergistically kills human melanoma cells by

necrosis independently of RIPK1 and RIPK3. Cell Death Dis. 2013 Jun 6;4(6 ):e 655.

doi: 10.1038/cddis.2013.192. PMID: 23744355; PMCID: PMC3702278.

Dong L, Jiang CC, Thorne RF, Croft A , Yang F, Liu H, de Bock CE, Hersey P,

Zhang XD. Ets-1 mediates upregulation of Mcl-1 downstream of XBP-1 in human

melanoma cells upon ER stress. Oncogene. 2011 Aug 25;30(34):3716-26. doi:

10.1038/onc.2011.87. Epub 2011 Mar 21. PMID: 21423203; PMCID: PMC3163261.

Avery-Kiejda KA, Bowden NA, Croft AJ , Scurr LL, Kairupan CF, Ashton KA,

Talseth-Palmer BA, Rizos H, Zhang XD, Scott RJ, Hersey P. P53 in human melanoma

fails to regulate target genes associated with apoptosis and the cell cycle and

may contribute to proliferation. BMC Cancer. 2011 May 27;11:203 . doi:

10.1186/1471-2407-11-203. PMID: 21615965; PMCID: PMC3120805.

Tseng HY, Jiang CC, Croft A, Tay KH, Thorne RF, Yang F, Liu H, Hersey P,

Zhang XD. Contrasting effects of nutlin-3 on TRAIL- and docetaxel-induced

apoptosis due to upregulation of TRAIL-R2 and Mcl-1 in human melanoma cells. Mol

Cancer Ther. 2010 Dec;9(12):3363-74. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-10-0646. PMID:

21159614.

Jiang CC, Lai F, Tay KH, Croft A, Rizos H, Becker TM, Yang F, Liu H, Thorne

RF, Hersey P, Zhang XD. Apoptosis of human melanoma cells induced by inhibition

of B-RAFV600E involves preferential splicing of bimS. Cell Death Dis. 2010 Sep

2;1(9 ):e 69. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2010.48. PMID: 21364673; PMCID: PMC3032346.

Liu H, Jiang CC, Lavis CJ, Croft A, Dong L, Tseng HY, Yang F, Tay KH, Hersey

P, Zhang XD. 2-Deoxy-D-glucose enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis in human

melanoma cells through XBP-1-mediated up-regulation of TRAIL-R2. Mol Cancer.

2009 Dec 14;8:122 . doi: 10.1186/1476-4598-8-122. PMID: 20003459; PMCID:

PMC2803449.

Graham JD, Hanson AR, Croft AJ, Fox AH, Clarke CL. Nuclear matrix binding is

critical for progesterone receptor movement into nuclear foci. FASEB J. 2009

Feb;23(2):546-56. doi: 10.1096/fj.08-113639. Epub 2008 Oct 17. PMID: 18931262.

Bowden NA, Croft A, Scott RJ. Gene expression profiling in familial adenomatous polyposis adenomas and desmoid disease. Hered Cancer Clin Pract. 2007 Jun 15;5(2):79-96. doi: 10.1186/1897-4287-5-2-79. PMID: 19725988; PMCID: PMC2736996.