Understanding the link between molecular and microenvironmental influence on immunity in colorectal cancer

Lead Researcher:

Dr Elizabeth Ryan

Award Date:

1 January 2013

Host Institution:

University College Dublin

Scheme:

Health Research Award

Summary:

Colorectal cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths in Ireland. Approximately 2000 people are diagnosed in Ireland each year and the frequency of this cancer is increasing due to increasing numbers of aging people in our population. New and more effective drugs are being developed but we urgently need to develop better ways to classify these cancers so that patients receive the most appropriate and effective treatment for their tumour. Without this, patients may receive futile expensive treatments. These treatments have severe side-effects thus needlessly compromising the quality of life of the patients. Over the last 20-30 years detailed molecular analyses of tumours have documented the genetic mutations associated with the development of colorectal cancer. These are actually limited to a few key genes that regulate very important events controlling growth of cells. However, this is only half of the picture – a tumour is composed not only of cancer cells but also infiltrating immune cells. Unfortunately as tumours grow these immune cells fail to kill the tumour. Instead the inflammation they cause fuels tumour growth by aiding the development of blood vessels that further sustain tumour expansion. The goal of this project is to document the type of inflammatory environment that is associated with key genetic mutations in tumours. We have developed a method of culturing tumours in the lab that allows us to characterise their inflammatory environment. We will characterise both the genetic mutations underlying cancer pathogenesis and the inflammation that fuels tumour growth. Ultimately, this will allow us to design treatment protocols that are 100 % specific for a patient’s tumour – taking both cancer cells and their environment into account.