Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Canada. Altered expression of the protein named RET receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), which regulates cell function, has been identified in 10-20% of patients diagnosed with the most common type of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) and is associated with metastasis and reduced patient survival. However, the roles of RET in LADC progression or metastasis are not known and there are currently no RET-specific drugs for the treatment of lung cancer. Current drugs target multiple RTKs and those that also target RET have not improved overall patient survival and are associated with harmful side effects. Recent advances in molecular technologies have produced promising RET-specific drugs. Our lab has identified a novel drug, SW-01 that blocks RET activity and reduces cancer cell growth. And in partnership with Cancer Research UK's Drug Discovery Unit, we have obtained a panel of drugs designed to target RET. Our lab has developed innovative live-cell methods to assess the ability of drugs to specifically target RET, effectively block RET activity and reduce growth and metastasis in LADC cells. We will also analyze RET expression in LADC tumour samples with patient data, such as age, sex, stage and treatment, from the National Cancer Institute and the Canadian Cancer Trials Group to identify key patient traits linked to RET expression in lung cancer. Evaluation of novel drugs in lung cancer cells will elucidate RET's role in LADC tumour growth and metastasis and facilitate development of RET-targeting drugs. Integration of RET expression with LADC patient data will help physicians to create more effective personalized treatment strategies for lung cancer patients.