Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

There are two types of colorectal cancer that cause different outcomes in patients. The more aggressive type is known as CIN (chromosome instable) and the less aggressive type is known as MSI (microsatellite instable). Patients with MSI colorectal cancer survive longer because of a stronger natural defense from the body. There are genetic differences between the MSI and CIN types that lead to damage in different parts of the cell. A key part of the cell called the mitochondria, which generates energy, is more damaged in patients with MSI colorectal cancer. Damaged mitochondria can trigger a defence response similar to what is seen in MSI colorectal cancer patients. Damaged mitochondria act as an alarm to tell immune cells, which are the defence cells in our body, to kill cancer cells. Therefore, our goal is to learn more about the mitochondria damage in MSI colorectal cancer and investigate how it effects the body's natural defence. Mouse colorectal cancer cells are used as a model for the two types found in patients. We damaged mitochondria in both types of colorectal cancer to see how this will change the mitochondria's function and the cell's natural defence. Mitochondria structure and function will be measured. The defence response activated by the cancer cells will also be measured to see how mitochondria damage changes the strength of the defence response. This will be done by measuring signals made by the cancer cells which act as an alarm to alert the immune cells. Immune cells will be grown together with the cancer cells on a dish to see how much cancer killing happens when there is mitochondria damage and when there is not mitochondria damage. The amount of killing will also be compared between the two types of colorectal cancers. From these experiments, we hope to use this to find new ways we can boost the defence response in CIN types of colorectal cancers or to identify new ways to strengthen treatments against MSI types.