Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common diagnosed malignancy in men however the diagnostic process often arises in inaccurate Gleason Scores due to tumor heterogeneity and subjective interpretation which can lead to overtreatment. Thus, current research has emphasized the identification of biomarkers to more effectively differentiate low and high grade PCa. It is well characterized that there are multiple metabolic changes in cancer cells due to alterations in the genome and tumor microenvironment affecting the composition of lipids involved in bioenergetics, membrane synthesis and signaling pathways. A global metabolomics approach involving Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (DESI-MS), has shown promise in differentiating malignant vs. non-neoplastic tissue based on characteristic metabolite profiles. My proposed metabolomics based study of PCa aims to; developed DESI methods to study metabolite profiles in frozen sections, compare metabolite profiles associated with pathologically validated prostate biopsies containing metastatic and benign tissue, and create and test a predictive statistical model for distinguishing high-grade from low-grade PCa based on metabolite profiles. This work will contribute to the identification of novel small molecule biomarkers to differentiation aggressive from non-aggressive PCa. This will ultimately contribute to improved patient outcome through more objective clinical decision making and PCa management.