Supervisor:
Dr. Tobias Karakach
Program of Study:
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pharmacology
Research Summary:
Wilms Tumor (WT) is the most common kidney cancer type among children. Although survival rates are high, children develop long-term side effects due to aggressive treatments, which place increased strain on their quality of life. Early diagnosis and severity indicators are pivotal to choosing tailored treatment regimens and reducing long-term effects. Preliminary results identified the Rap1GAP as an indicator of WT relapse. Rap1GAP is a negative regulator of Rap1, a key controller of signalling pathways that regulate cell proliferation, growth and migration. Based on these preliminary findings, I will characterize Rap1GAP expression in WT cell lines and assess WT propensity for relapse using high-throughput sequencing and proteomic techniques. This research will validate members of the Rap1 signalling pathway as indicators to predict the aggressiveness of WT providing a “map” of possible markers of severity contributing to drug design or re-purpose of lifesaving treatments in a personalized way.
Location:
Dalhousie University