Atlantic Canada has the highest rate of CRC in Canada and NL has the highest incidence of familial CRC worldwide. This study is being undertaken primarily to reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with the high rate of CRC in Atlantic Canada, particularly the well-documented familial CRC in NL. We expect to define novel genetic and epigenetic lesions in tumors that may help inform treatment for patients in the Atlantic region and elsewhere.

Accurate and sensitive analysis of lipids is a challenge for the medical and nutritional fields. In this proposal, we describe a new method for their analysis using a technique seldom applied to these problems. We propose to make a number of modifications to existing instrumentation to facilitate this; in partnership with Dalhousie and the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute, an MASc student will lead the evaluation of several prototypes to optimize the analysis of complex lipid mixtures.

Despite the improvements in cancer diagnostic and treatment, cancer is still a leading cause of death in Canada with 30% of all deaths. Some cancers, like pancreatic cancer (PC), still have poor survival rates due to the lack of early diagnosis and good prognostics markers. The Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (ACRI) has developed a proprietary technology to capture extracellular vesicles (EVs) from various biofluids with the goal to deliver precision medicine solutions through liquid biopsy technologies.