GBC “Project One”
Gallbladder cancer is an aggressive and understudied cancer in South Africa, often diagnosed at advanced stages and associated with limited treatment options and poor survival. Recent research in South African patients has begun to reveal unique molecular features of this disease, but little is known about spatial molecular changes within tumour tissue. This project will use mass spectrometry imaging to study molecular changes in gallbladder tissue samples from patients with confirmed gall bladder cancer treated at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH).
By mapping the location of molecules such as proteins, lipids, and metabolites directly within the tissue, the study aims to better understand how tumours develop, how inflammation contributes to disease, and how the tumour microenvironment varies across different tissue regions. The research will generate the first spatial molecular map of gallbladder cancer in South Africa, providing insights that could support earlier diagnosis, improved prediction of disease outcomes, and more effective treatment approaches for patients in Africa.
Image: Mass spectrometry imaging showing the distribution of small molecular metabolites in a gall bladder core needle biopsy.
Project team:
- Prof John Devar (Dept of Surgery & CHBAH)
- Prof Ekene (Emmanuel) Nweke (Dept of Surgery)
- Prof Rob Breiman (IDORI)
- Prof Bruce Bassett and Dr Amy Roulliard (MIND)
- Profs Aletta Millen and Sooraj Baijnath (IMPRI)
