Supervisor:
Program of Study:
MSc, Microbiology and Immunology
Project Title:
The Relationship Between Blood and Tumour Microbiomes in Patients with Cancer
Scholarships and/or Awards:
- Kilpatrick Trust; FoM Graduate Studentship, $15,000/yr for 2 years, September 2023
- Dr. Jack L. McLachlan Scholarship $2300, June 2020
- Dean’s List 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
- StFX In-Course Scholarship $1000, 27 July 2018
- StFX Alumni Award $500/yr for 4 yrs, 22 November 2017
- Westbury Family Award $2500, 25 October 2017
- StFX Merit Scholarship $12,000, April 2017
Lay Research Summary:
Microbes are tiny organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye. There are many microbes living on and inside of our bodies. While some of these microbes are helpful to a healthy body, others can be harmful. Sometimes, cancer develops in people without any known risk factors. Our microbes have been linked with some different types of cancer. And, we know that there are differences between the microbes of a healthy person and an individual with cancer. Further, the communities of microbes that are inside of tumours are unique to different types of cancer. Research has shown that microbes living in the blood may be useful for predicting or detecting cancer. This is a relatively new discovery, and more work is needed to make a screening tool that could identify cancers early on. I will research the relationship between blood and tumour microbes of Canadians with cancer using powerful computational tools. This project will provide new basic knowledge of the blood microbial community, its relationship to cancer, and its therapeutic potential.
Career Aspirations:
The expertise and inclusivity in my lab environment have motivated me to continue pursuing cancer research, both with my current project and future research directions. I plan to conduct further cancer microbe research, with the goal of facilitating its application in novel screening and treatment protocols. While we still do not fully grasp the causal relationship between disease pathogenesis and microbiome shifts, I see great potential for this research to facilitate better diagnoses and novel therapies. Moreover, I am very excited and motivated by the opportunity to contribute to a rapidly expanding field of study.
Location:
Dalhousie University