Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Tumours progression is usually caused by mutations in the genetic code. These mutations can vary spatially throughout the tumour , forming populations of cells that have distinct genetic properties (tumoural heterogeneity). Genetic diversity within tumours allows them to evolve as they grow and respond to treatment, which can impact patient outcomes and obstructs personalized medicine. My doctoral work seeks to better understand the biology of tumoural heterogeneity in prostate cancer and its impact disease severity, outcome, and treatment. As prostate tumours are often driven by large-scale structural mutations, I will use a large prostate cancer patient cohort to develop a method that characterizes heterogeneity in DNA rearragements, which existing methods currently neglect. As heterogeneity can also confound genetic tests that predict outcome based on a single biopsy, I will develop a test that integrates information from multiple spatially distinct biopsy samples to predict recurrence-free survival in a prostate cancer cohort. Finally, I will use a 4000 patient prostate cancer cohort to investigate patterns in tumour evolution and investigate their impact on disease severity and progression. This work will produce clinically applicable tools and insights on tumoural heterogenety leading to improved disease management for prostate cancer patients.