Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, causing one-third of all deaths. Cancer is normally treated with chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. However, these treatments are unsafe and often ineffective, causing a variety of other long-term health problems. A newer, safer treatment option is immunotherapy, which uses the patient's own immune system to kill their cancer cells. Unfortunately, cancer cells can still avoid the immune system. New ways of improving immunotherapy are therefore urgently needed to improve patient care and outcomes. Previous research has shown that a protein found in immune cells called Fes, which normally prevents the immune system from attacking the body's own cells, may actually help cancer cells avoid the immune system. Therefore, by reducing the level or activity of Fes expressed in immune cells, we expect to be able to improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy. To test this hypothesis, this study will 1) identify the specific cell types and immune system pathways that are regulated by Fes; 2) assess how well cells from mice with or without Fes are able to activate the immune system against cancer cells; and 3) determine the effect of Fes on the ability of tumours to grow and survive in mice with breast and skin cancer. The number of Canadians receiving a diagnosis of cancer continues to rise. We therefore urgently need safer and more effective treatments for these patients. By improving the ability of the body's own immune system to kill cancer cells, we can improve outcomes for patients with cancer.