How are Gut bacteria involved in causing Bowel Cancer?

What we aim to do

We plan to identify bacterial communities that are specific to certain types of polyps and, importantly, identify the functions of these bacteria that may play a role in initiating Bowel Cancer.

Then, we will test the mechanisms by which these bacteria interact with cells in the colon to cause cancerous changes.

How we plan to do it

We will use polyps that have been collected by the Cancer Tissue Bank and extract DNA and RNA from them. Using cutting-edge DNA and RNA sequencing technology, we will identify differences in bacterial communities and functions between different types of polyps, and compare them to colon tumour tissue and healthy bowel tissue. This will allow us to identify bacterial functions and components that are only present in pre-cancerous lesions.

We will then test how these bacterial components may initiate cancer in colon cells in the laboratory and investigating changes at the molecular levels in the cells.

How your donation will help

Dr Purcell who is undertaking this research is looking for funds to pay for a Research Assistant’s salary to assist with the completion of this research.

We will be having events for World Microbiome day which you can contribute to. You may even want to run your own Gut Biome event and set up your own page.