Single-cell proteomics applied to the study of blood cells from head and neck cancer patients

• Grant number: 23/12076-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Adriana Franco Paes Leme
• Grantee: Heloísa Monteiro do Amaral Prado
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/18496-6 - The role of alcohol treated-extracellular vesicles in oral cells transformation, AP.TEM

Abstract

Head and neck cancers (HNC) are considered the seventh most common cancer type worldwide. Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are the most prevalent and are highly associated with lymph node metastasis, which leads to poor prognosis for patients. In a previous study (Busso-Lopes, 2022), our group identified nodal metastasis signatures in bulk blood and saliva samples of HNC patients, especially in the bulk lymphocytes and neutrophils. However, it is not known the heterogeneity and the interactions of these two subpopulations. In this context, the present study proposes to investigate the protein profile of lymphocytes and neutrophils at single-cell level in patients with HNSCC and with presence (pN+) or absence (pN0) of lymph node metastasis, and according to the alcohol consumption, seeking to identify significative differences in protein abundances that can reveal molecular signatures with clinical relevance for cancer-metastasis. Buffy coat samples will be collected from patients and prepared for single-cell proteomics analysis by Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Each step of sample preparation and LC-MS/MC will be optimized, aiming to simplify and miniaturize the processes for the reduction of the sample losses. In summary, it is expected in this project to characterize the protein profile of individual immune cells of blood samples, primarily lymphocytes and neutrophils, from HNSCC patients, as well as to establish the single-cell proteomics mass spectrometry technique in our group. The outcomes of this project will allow us to understand the heterogeneity of lymphocytes and neutrophils and to identify potential metastasis-associated signatures.