Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Lung cancer is the deadliest type of cancer in Canada, claiming the lives of ~21,000 Canadians every year. While current treatments kill cancer cells, they also damage healthy cells. This emphasizes the need for new therapies that specifically target cancer cells. When cells divide, two cellular machines called centrosomes distribute the DNA equally into daughter cells. Centrosome amplification (CA) is the cancer-specific phenomenon of having extra centrosomes in the cell. This can cause chromosome imbalances during cell division and the loss of DNA, resulting in cell death. Despite its consequences, many cancers including lung cancer have CA, making them reliant on coping mechanisms to survive. One mechanism called centrosome clustering involves grouping extra centrosomes into two clusters so that DNA is evenly distributed during cell division. KIFC1 is a protein involved in the clustering process that is upregulated in cancer cells, but its potential as a therapeutic target in lung cancer has not been explored. My project aims to address this knowledge gap and to identify other targets in lung cancer cells with CA. I will measure CA and KIFC1 expression in lung tumours from patients and determine whether they are linked to factors like disease stage, sex, mutation status, or patient survival. This will identify patient populations that could benefit from CA- and KIFC1-targeted therapies. I will also inactivate KIFC1 in non-cancer cells and lung cancer with CA to determine if this causes cancer-specific cell death. Finally, I will screen cancer cells with and without CA to identify additional targets in lung cancers with CA. Ultimately, my research will determine whether CA and KIFC1 represent promising therapeutic targets in lung cancer. My findings could inform the future development of therapies to target CA that could be used in the clinic to improve lung cancer survival rates.