Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Each human cell contains instructions, called the genome, that direct its growth, function, and death. The genome is made up of 3 billion molecules, called nucleotides. Nucleotides are joined in a specific sequence, but sometimes that sequence becomes mutated and causes cancer and metastasis. Metastasis is the spread of cancer to other parts of the body; it is the main cause of death from cancer. A new technology, called next-generation sequencing, allows researchers to rapidly 'read' the 3 billion nucleotide sequence of a cancer genome. With this technology, we will discover new cancer-specific mutations that drive the progression of noncancerous tissue, to primary tumor tissue, to metastatic tissue. Our aim is to identify genes that when mutated predict or promote metastasis.