Dakota Rogers is analyzing how the time of day impacts immune cell function in lung cancer treatment and the chance of the cancer spreading to improve treatments and outcomes.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in Canada and despite recent treatment advances that prolong life in some people with lung cancer, therapies still fail to work for a significant number of people. People with a greater number of immune cells called neutrophils in their tumours tend to have worse prognoses. These neutrophils may be contributing to poor treatment responses.
With funding from the Canadian Cancer Society and the Terry Fox Research Institute, Dakota is investigating how lung cancer cells can influence neutrophils to function differently and allow the tumour cells to spread to other organs. The research team will use preclinical models of lung cancer to evaluate whether the neutrophils alter their functions at different times of the day and night, which could influence when people with lung cancer should receive therapies. Using advanced computing, the researchers will also test new therapeutic strategies that target neutrophils to evaluate their potential for use in people with lung cancer.
If successful, this project may play an important role in informing when treatment strategies could be given and how disruptions in people’s internal sleep-wake cycle (such as shift work, psychological stress, parental responsibilities, financial stress, etc.) impact treatment of lung cancer.