Monyse de Nobrega, a postdoctoral fellow in Julia Burnier's group, was awarded prestigious competitive research funding ($139,666 for 2024-2027) from the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) to carry out a project entitled, "Using liquid biopsies to monitor treatment responses".
The text below was published by the CCS in their award recipients announcement:
Monyse de Nobrega is analyzing blood and urine samples donated by people with colorectal cancer to find a better way of monitoring their responses to treatment. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in Canada and is normally treated with a combination of surgery and drugs. Treatment response is monitored with scans that expose patients to radiation. But repeated scans are timeconsuming and expensive and do not always give a comprehensive picture of how a person with colorectal cancer is responding to treatment, because scans can only detect big changes in the disease. With funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, Monyse de Nobrega is analyzing a new test called liquid biopsy to measure the response to treatment in people with colorectal cancer. Using blood and urine samples donated by 400 people with colorectal cancer, the research team can look for tiny fragments of genetic material shed by tumours into the bloodstream. Analyzing the amount and precise composition of these fragments of genetic material and correlating this with their medical records will allow the researchers to monitor how people with colorectal cancer are responding to treatment in real time, providing a dynamic platform for personalized and adaptable treatments. If successful, this project could lead to a new way of monitoring treatment response using a minimally invasive technique in people with colorectal cancer, which spares them repeated doses of radiation from scans. In doing so, this approach would reduce side effects and potentially provide more precise treatments that increase quality of life.
Only 13 of these postdoc awards were given out across Canada following the review of 52 applications by 3 expert panels. We are certainly proud of you and your meaningful research impact, Monyse!
To learn more about the funding program and award recipients, please visit the .