Comparative Oncogenomics and "One Medicine"
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in companion animals, yet the genetic changes that drive tumours in cats and dogs remain far less understood than in humans. My research aims to close that gap.
My PhD project uses targeted capture sequencing to study the canine and feline versions of genes linked to human cancer, across a broad range of tumour types in both species.
Key questions
- Which genetic alterations drive each tumour type in cats and dogs?
- How do these compare with the equivalent human cancers?
- Can we find alterations that point to existing targeted therapies?
My approach
I build and apply computational pipelines to detect somatic and germline variants, copy number changes, mutational signatures, and other cancer-associated variation from sequencing data. I interpret these findings in both a clinical and comparative context, working across genomics, veterinary medicine and human oncology. This reflects a One Medicine approach: cancer in companion animals can offer insights into human disease, while advances in human oncology can improve patient outcomes for cats and dogs.