Shuwen Wen
University of Melbourne, VIC
Rotary Districts 9640 & 9650 Bowelscan - Bowel Cancer
Shuwen Wen graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science in 2007. She completed a Bachelor of Science (Hons) at the Department of Surgery, Austin Health, in 2008.
In 2009 Shuwen Wen continued her association at the Department of Surgery, starting her PhD there after securing an Australian Rotary Health Funding Partner Scholarship. Shuwen’s research investigates how the interaction between the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS) and Kupffer cells (immune cells of the liver) may contribute to the regulation of tumour growth and progression in the liver.
Shuwen aspires to continue with medical research in the fields of cancer and infectious disease.
SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT:
The Renin-Angiotensin System and Kupffer Cells in Colorectal Liver Metastases
Anti-hypertensive agents targeting the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) are commonly used to treat cardiovascular disease. Recent studies show that patients treated with RAS inhibitors for hypertension have lower rates of certain malignancies or reduced tumour aggressiveness.
Metastasis to the liver is the leading cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer. The Dept of Surgery’s studies have shown that RAS blockade with anti-hypertensive agents that block the effects of the key RAS peptide Angiotensin (ANG II), can reduce tumour growth in a mouse model of colorectal liver metastases.
However, the mechanisms by which RAS blockade inhibits tumour development are poorly understood. Latest evidence suggests that Kupffer cells, immune cells of the liver, may have a role in both tumour progression and in mediating the effects of the RAS in liver disease.
Shu Wen Wen’s project will investigate the interaction between the RAS and Kupffer cells during the development of colorectal cancer liver metastases. By establishing how the RAS and Kupffer cells contribute to tumour growth this research will provide the knowledge to identify how best to manipulate these systems to inhibit the progression of cancer.
The aim of this project is to further understand the mechanisms by which the RAS and Kupffer cells interact to influence tumour growth. It will:
1. establish the effects of Kupffer cells on tumour growth and their interaction with the RAS. Kupffer cells will be depleted at various time points with or without concurrent RAS blockade. Effects on tumour growth and growth factor expression will be assessed
2. determine the effects of ACE inhibition, Ang II infusion, or Ang-(1-7) infusion on the infiltration of tumours by non-macrophage immune cells
3. establish the effects of key RAS peptides on KC function in vitro. Kupffer cells will be isolated and grown in culture with either Ang II or Ang-(1-7) and the effects of these peptides on KC phenotype assessed by examining production of growth and angiogenic factors