The Wyatt laboratory studies the genomics of lethal prostate cancer. We are located at the Vancouver Prostate Centre, part of the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Our overall objective is to use our extensive experience in personalized prostate cancer genomics to enable real-time precision oncology in the clinic. To achieve this we perform a variety of innovative next-generation sequencing techniques on clinical specimens including tissue and liquid biopsies from men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

Our research is closely integrated with the clinic through several ongoing clinical trials with heavy correlative components and via collaborations with highly-experienced clinicians Drs. Kim Chi and Martin Gleave. As a result of two years of concerted efforts we are banking hundreds of liquid biopsies per year from men with metastatic CRPC at first-, second- and third-line of therapy, and in the context of different therapies and clinical prognoses. Furthermore, due to recent grant funding from agencies including Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC), Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (CCSRI), NIH SPORE, Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network (CCCTN) and others, we are now carrying out detailed genomic analyses of distinct cohorts from our trials and biobank. Ultimately, this will facilitate development of a suite of predictive biomarkers to allow selection of the best standard therapy for each patient. It will also reveal resistance mechanisms for existing treatments, and allow prioritization of patients at third-line for treatment with novel investigative agents.

Through collaborations with highly experienced clinician-scientists Dr. Kim Chi and Dr. Martin Gleave, we will shortly commence Canada’s first major umbrella clinical trial for prostate cancer, where we will use the genomic biomarkers emerging from our present work to prospectively enroll patients for precision oncology. This will have huge impact on patients and families by dramatically improving their management and treatment. The Wyatt lab is committed to improving the lives of men with prostate cancer, and we are passionate about scientific research. In the long-term we hope that this will translate to paradigm-shifting results.