Exploring constraints and contingencies in cancer genome evolution

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related-deaths worldwide. One primary obstacle to effective management of lung cancer is intra-tumour heterogeneity (McGranahan and Swanton, 2015), characterized by genomic differences between cancer cells within a single tumour mass. Intra-tumour heterogeneity is a requisite for selection and thereby can fuel the ability of a tumour to adapt and spread from to new parts of the body and also increase the likelihood of drug-resistance.

While heterogeneity represents a significant obstacle to treatment success, it can also serve to illuminate the evolutionary history of a tumour, potentially shedding light on novel therapeutic avenues. The work undertaken for this project will involve mining next-generation sequencing data to explore contingencies and constraints in tumour evolution in order to decipher how a lung tumour changes during its development and what are the key factors that influence this. This computational project will make use of data from the CRUK-funded TRACERx study, which represents the largest longitudinal cohort study of lung cancer evolution to date.

For informal inquires about the project, please email Dr Nicholas McGranahan [Email Address Removed]