Dr. Nicolette Fonseca is an Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria and a Scientist at the BC Cancer Research Institute, with an affiliation to the Vancouver Prostate Centre. She earned her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of British Columbia and completed postdoctoral training in prostate cancer clinical genomics in Dr. Alexander Wyatt’s laboratory.
During her postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Fonseca collaborated closely with Dr. Kim N. Chi’s clinical team and the Genitourinary (GU) Biobank, contributing to several prostate cancer research initiatives focused on clinical translation and biomarker development.
Dr. Fonseca’s laboratory is focused on defining the immune microenvironment of prostate tumors with specific genetic dependencies. Her research aims to uncover why prostate cancer remains largely unresponsive to immunotherapy. By integrating genomics with advanced spatial imaging technologies, her team investigates how aggressive prostate tumors evade immune detection and response, with the ultimate goal of identifying new therapeutic strategies to overcome immune resistance.
Dr. Fonseca holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Systems Approaches to Cancer Biology. Her research is supported by leading funding agencies, including the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the UBC Immunotherapeutics Cluster. In recognition of her contributions to prostate cancer research, she was awarded the prestigious Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award.