Project 467145

Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. When it spreads to nearby lymph nodes (LNs), the five-year survival rate halves and the risk for metastasis to distant sites increases. However, little is known about how NSCLC migrates to, and evolves in, the LNs. Sequencing the DNA and RNA in patient tumours reveals drivers of cancers that can be treated using targeted therapies. Yet, these therapies often fail over time, suggesting the need for new approaches in finding druggable mechanisms. Sequencing each individual cell separately has been proven to be useful for comprehensively examining heterogeneous NSCLC tumours. This technology enables the identification and characterization of subpopulations of cells, but it has never been used to comprehensively profile NSCLC tumours in the LNs. Using single-cell sequencing to analyze the composition of LN metastases is expected to yield new characterizations of metastatic processes, and new information relevant to patient prognoses. The samples for this work will be obtained from patients enrolled in the Personalized Oncogenomics (POG) program at BC Cancer. The DNA and RNA of tissues taken from LNs will be profiled at the single-cell level. The data will be compared with results from sequencing whole tissues (bulk sequencing) and clinical outcomes. By creating a comprehensive map of the cellular subpopulations present in this previously underexplored context, my work will pioneer the usage of this novel technology in the context of LN metastasis.