The project aims to use a new state-of-the-art approach, digital spatial profiling (DSP), to characterize the molecular evolution of cancer sub-clones in tumours and metastatic sites. The highly detailed data will advance our understanding of the metastatic process and make it possible to identify and validate new biomarkers and drug targets and ultimately pave the way for new treatments with fewer side effects for patients diagnosed with colon cancer.

Due to an aging population and better screening programmes, more and more cancer patients are diagnosed at an earlier disease stage. In the attempt to remove the cancer, the primary tumour is usually surgically removed, optionally with adjuvant (post-operative) treatment such as chemotherapy to remove potentially occult (hidden) micrometastases. Although adjuvant chemotherapy does significantly reduce recurrence in patients post-surgery, overall in approximately 30% of patients the cancer still recurs. Furthermore, it is difficult to identify patients who will benefit from such treatment, because it is not possible to find the rare metastasis-activated sub-clones within primary tumours using existing techniques. Therefore, a relatively large proportion of colon cancer patients experience a relapse and die despite intensive treatment.

Participants:

• Associate Professor Lasse Sommer Kristensen, Department of Biomedicine
• Associate Professor Thomas Mailund, Bioinformatics Research Centre (BiRC)
• Ultan McDermott, AstraZeneca PLC
• Morten Venø, Omiics ApS,
• Mogens Kruhøffer, BioXpedia A/S
• Rudy Van Eijsden, NanoString Technologies, Inc.