Cameron Herberts received his PhD in Genome Science and Technology in March 2024. During his doctoral training with Dr. Alexander Wyatt (Associate Professor, UBC Department of Urologic
Sciences), he helped spearhead new noninvasive circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) testing technology to better understand the biology of lethal disseminated prostate cancer. This includes establishing bespoke ctDNA bioinformatic methods for predictive and prognostic (epi)genomic biomarker characterization, and leveraging serial ctDNA to discover treatment resistance mechanisms to standard-of-care and emerging therapies. In close collaboration with prostate cancer clinical leaders in BC and abroad, he was also fortunate to have helped steer several clinical correlative studies leveraging ctDNA specimens from international practice-informing trials,
generating novel insight into biomarker selection/stratification strategies that could potentially influence future practice (pending prospective validation).
A selection of his PhD awards and recognition include:
1. CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Doctoral Award (2021-2024)
2. UBC Four Year Fellowship (4YF)—Doctoral Award (2021-2024)
3. VCHRI Top Graduating Doctoral Award (2024)
4. BC Cancer Dr. Lloyd Skarsgard Graduate Student Research Excellence Award (2023)
5. BC Cancer Outstanding Trainee Publication (Second Prize), Basic Research (2023)
6. American Society of Clinical Oncology Conquer Cancer Merit Award (2023)
7. American Association for Cancer Research Scholar-In-Training Award (2022)
The first-author publications during his PhD studies include:
- Herberts C, et al (2022), Deep whole-genome ctDNA chronology of treatment-resistant prostate cancer. Nature. PMID: 35859180
- Herberts C, Wyatt AW. (2021) Technical and biological constraints on ctDNA-based genotyping . Trends in Cancer. PMID: 34219051