The Auer Lab is a translational cancer research laboratory supervised by Dr. Rebecca Ann C. Auer, a Surgical Oncologist and Scientist. Along with Dr. Auer, the lab is home to 10 different employees and trainees of various levels.

The Auer Lab is working towards bridging the gap between the bench and bedside with the goal of improving outcomes for cancer patients and their families. 

The lab is situated inside the Centre for Innovative Cancer Research - Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Ottawa, ON) and is affiliated with the Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa.

Most patients with solid tumours, like colon cancer, have an operation to remove the tumour, a critical component of curative cancer treatment. However, for many patients, despite the removal of the solid tumour, the cancer will come back after surgery, often spreading to distant organs. This occurs as a result of the physiological stress the body experiences during surgery, and is recognized as a critical time for cancer to spread. Many patients get toxic treatments, such as chemotherapy, many weeks after surgery to try and prevent this. Dr. Auer's research is focused on trying to understand why tumour cells spread after surgery and develop new approaches to prevent this.