Grant: Project Grant

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Canada and worldwide. While smoking is the main risk factor for lung cancer, in the Western world, ~15% of lung cancers, and in Asia, >50% of lung cancers, occur in people who have never smoked. Exposure to air pollution is an emerging risk factor for lung cancer development, as 99% of people in the world live in areas where air pollution levels are above the WHO guidelines. However, it is unclear how most air pollutants promote cancer. My research has shown that black deposits from air pollution can promote cancer by making damaged lung cells grow and divide faster. We aim to build on these findings by studying how these pollution-associated deposits change the function of different types of lung cells. My ultimate goal is to find ways to prevent lung cancer. We will zoom into individual lung cells from tumours and normal lung tissue to examine how their association and distance from pigments influences their function. We expect that immune cells close to pigments will display characteristics associated with inflammation. This research will help find ways to prevent changes in our cells caused by pollution. Climate change and its impact on human health cannot be ignored. Wildfires are of increasing concern, and the emitted smoke continues to degrade our air quality. Thus, we urgently need to understand how air pollution promotes cancer development to reduce our risk of developing cancer.