Dunedin Colorectal Cohort

Dunedin Colorectal Cohort-supported researchers from the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Otago, presented at the New Zealand Society for Oncology (NZSO) Conference held in Napier last week.

Did you know cancer talks to, and can trick, your immune system?
Rory Costello, PhD Candidate (Kemp Laboratory), shared his work investigating how cancer-associated cell types influence the immune system of patients with colorectal cancer.

The immune response to cancer can differ largely between people, so there is a need to consider this when looking at new ways to treat cancer. Dr. Kirsten Ward-Hartstonge (Kemp Laboratory) presented her work which proposes a way to incorporate complex and patient-specific immune responses in patients with cancer participating in clinical trials.

It is truly rewarding to see the amazing mahi UoO researchers can do with gifted patient tissue and data through their collaboration with the DNCRC.

Health Sciences at Otago

Identifying biologically meaningful immune cell populations. Dr. Kirsten Ward-Hartstonge (Kemp Lab, Dept. Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago) presenting some awesome patient-derived immunology data at the New Zealand Society for Oncology conference in Napier. The DNCRC supports a lot of research investigating the role of the immune system in cancer. Thanks for sharing your mahi, Kirsten

At the end of May, some of the Dunedin Colorectal Cohort presented at the Gut Health Network Patient Forum. The GHN Patient Forum was an awesome opportunity to share our work with the community and thank the patients who have made this work possible.

Rory Costello explained how the use of powerful microscopic imaging technologies can reveal the importance of complex cell types present in colorectal cancer.
Holly Pinkney shared the complexities of spatial transcriptomics and how this technique may aid the detection of novel colorectal cancer biomarkers in patient tissue.

Thanks to the Gut Health Network for hosting!

Image 1: Associate Professor Sharon Pattison (Chair, DNCRC), Holly Pinkney (PhD candidate supervised by Dr Sarah Diermeier, Dept. of Biochemistry), Sonya Fenton (Assistant Research Fellow, DNCRC), Rory Costello (PhD candidate, supervised by Professor Roslyn Kemp, Dept. Microbiology and Immunology).

Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Otago
Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago
Health Sciences at Otago
Gut Health Network

The Dunedin Colorectal Cohort (DNCRC) would like to thank the University of Otago, Cancer Research Trust NZ and the Centre for Translational Cancer Research for their ongoing support. Of course, thank you to our nearly 2000 patients who have participated in DNCRC-supported research, over the years. Our work would not be possible otherwise!

The DNCRC have been operating since 1995 to research the spread and development of cancer, by facilitating access to patient's gifted tissue and clinical data. Currently, we are working with several groups across the University of Otago to answer questions about colorectal cancer. DNCRC-supported research aims to improve patient outcomes in the future, which could mean improving the way we diagnose, treat or even prevent cancer.

Picture: Sonya Fenton, Assistant Research Fellow of the DNCRC, presenting at the Gut Health Network's Patient Forum.