Intravital imaging as a platform for screening checkpoint and focal adhesion kinase inhibitors as potential treatment for cancer metastasis

One in six lives are cut short by cancer, with approximately 90% of mortality caused by spreading of the tumour, also called metastasis. I propose to investigate whether cells from our immune system found in secondary tumours contribute to the efficacy of drugs used in breast cancer patients. I will utilise newly developed techniques to visualise how immune cells function in living animal models of breast cancer, and will compare the efficacy of drugs in primary and secondary tumours. I will measure the anti-tumour activity of immune cells as well as how well they bind to tumour cells. Further, I will investigate how therapies that use more than one drug simultaneously act to eradicate metastatic tumours, studying how clinical treatments enter the metastatic site and fulfil their role. My studies will provide insight into the limitations of current therapies to support the design of new, more effective therapies.