Anna Shen
RESEARCH PROJECT
The Role of Immature Low-Density Neutrophils in Breast Cancer Liver Metastasis
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women. The most advanced stage, where the primary tumor cells metastasize to the bone, lung, liver, or brain, is largely incurable. In order for the primary tumor cells to disseminate to distal sites, the cells need to invade into the surrounding microenvironment, intravasate into circulation, survive in circulation during the transit to distal sites, extravasate into distal tissues, adapt and proliferate in the distal microenvironment. Neutrophils can promote many steps of this metastasis cascade. Two distinct subsets of neutrophils were identified and can be isolated via density centrifugation. Under normal conditions, the majority of the circulating neutrophils are mature high-density neutrophils (HDNs). However, during inflammation or in cancer settings, a population of low-density neutrophils (LDNs) can also be isolated. A large proportion of these low-density neutrophils are phenotypically immature. The immature low-density neutrophils (iLDNs) have been shown to preferentially promote breast cancer metastasis to the liver. Our group have shown that tumor cells can secrete granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), which is a key cytokine that regulates the maturation and release of neutrophils from the bone marrow, to mobilize immature low-density neutrophils to promote breast cancer liver metastasis.
BACKGROUND
I completed my bachelor’s in Biochemistry at the University of British Columbia and joined the Siegel lab as a master’s student. I am currently working on finding biomarkers to identify the pro-metastatic iLDNs from the normal mature high-density neutrophils. Preliminary cell surface proteomics data from our lab suggested several differentially expressed markers. These biomarkers may provide therapeutic opportunities to target the pro-metastatic iLDNs directly.
CONTACT INFO
Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre - McGill University
1160 Pine Ave. West (Room 508)
Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
H3A 1A3
T. 514.398.8889
F. 514.398.6769