Co-led by Dr. David Huntsman, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at UBC and distinguished scientist at the BC Cancer Research Institute, and Dr. Torsten Nielsen, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at UBC and clinician-scientist at Vancouver General Hospital, the team will focus on six specific sarcomas: synovial sarcoma, DICER1-associated sarcomas, desmoplastic small round cell tumour, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and tenosynovial giant cell tumour.
Though distinct, many of these sarcomas share a unique feature: they’re caused by a single, traceable genetic mutation. This clarity offers researchers a rare opportunity.
“In most adult cancers, the genome is so complex that it’s hard to pinpoint what’s driving the disease,” says Dr. Huntsman. “But in the sarcomas we’re studying, especially in younger patients, a single mutation often plays a major role, and that gives us a much clearer place to start.”
That starting point could unlock insights not only into these cancers, but also other rare and understudied forms of cancer.
