Thoracic Surgery & Upper Gastrointestinal
Cancer Research Laboratories

Master’s student

research Project

The development of peritoneal metastasis (PM) is the most common progression of gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) and leads to an exceptionally poor prognosis with a median survival rate of less than four months. This poor prognosis results from the late presentation of the disease, the inability to surgically resect the cancerous lesions and the absence of therapeutic options. The lack of actionable target genes involved in the progression of GEA has made it difficult to understand and treat its progression. Through deep whole exome sequencing of patient-matched primary GEA tumors, peritoneal metastases and adjacent normal we aim to identify potential causal gene variations promoting the transition from GEA to PM. We are further functionally characterizing significant candidate variants, through in-vivo and in-vitro assays, to elucidate and target the mechanisms of progression to PM, ultimately aiming to improve the survival of GEA patients.

Ansley Gnanapragasam