Grant: Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

One of the key processes in the body is the ability to renew and repair tissue. The intestine is particularly good at repairing, as it has a remarkable turnover rate. In healthy individuals, it only takes less than a week to renew all the cells that line the gut. This process is driven by just a few intestinal stem cells that replenish the rest of the tissue. However, this superior healing capacity is a double-edged sword, as the gut is highly vulnerable to unregulated growth, which can result in cancer. Cancers of the intestines, such as colon cancer, account for over 5% of all cancer deaths worldwide. Many studies have now shown that intestinal stem cells are often the origins of these cancers. The stem cells acquire mutations in key pathways that regulate cell growth, and become overactive in cell division, resulting in the development of cancer. I have recently identified a new way to regulate one of these important cell growth pathways. Using models of intestinal cancer development, I have shown that an enzyme called Set7 is required for colon cancer to develop. The studies that are outlined in this research proposal will examine how Set7 controls colon cancer development, while the long-term goals are to determine whether Set7 is a good drug target to treat colon cancer. The results of my research have the potential to dramatically affect the way that colon cancer is treated and may have huge implications for cancer patients in Canada and throughout the world.