DR-408 Integrative discovery of genomic and transcriptomic drivers of pan-cancer metastatic phenotypes

Cancer is driven by mutations in DNA that activate cancer-causing genes and disable protective genes, causing cells to grow infinitely. Metastasis occurs when cancer cells detach from the primary tumor and invade other parts of the body. However, we don’t know the genes that enable metastasis. We aim to discover such genes in multiple types of cancer. We will jointly analyse cancer genomes, gene expression in cancer samples, and clinical information using statistical and AI tools we developed. Our findings will help us better understand cancer at a molecular level and develop new biomarkers and cancer drugs in the future.

Jüri Reimand, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Canada