Breast Cancer Research Highlights

Grantee: Nicolas Navin, PhD
Institution: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston
Type of Research: Preclinical and Discovery
Term: 7/1/2016 to 6/30/2020

The Challenge: About 12% of breast cancers are triple-negative. This type of breast cancer can be tougher to treat.  Until now, triple-negative breast cancers have also been hard to study. But Navin developed a new way to sequence genes to find mutations that may be the most aggressive in triple negative tumors. 

The Research: With his American Cancer Society grant, Navin and his team will use their method to learn if these mutations provide resistance to treatment. They’ll do that by analyzing tumor samples before and after chemotherapy.

The Goal and Long-term Possibilities: The hope is that this study and process will allow doctors to predict how a patient’s tumor will respond to treatment. That would allow them to better personalize treatment plans. The researchers expect that their work could start improving the quality of life and survival in those with triple-negative breast cancer within the next 5 years. 

Grantee: Darren Roblyer, PhD
Institution: Boston University
Type of Research: Preclinical and Translational
Term: 7/1/2014 to 6/30/2018

The Challenge: Fiber optic communication sends information using pulses of light through an optical fiber. You’re likely most familiar with this technology’s use in telephone systems, cable TV, and internet. Spectroscopy is a technique that uses light to learn about the physical properties of something, such as its temperature and composition. Roblyer and his research team use fiber optics and spectroscopy together to see inside breast tumors. Their technology is called Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy (DOS). 

The Research: Using his grant from the American Cancer Society, Roblyer is creating a small DOS for patients to wear during chemotherapy. He plans to test it in breast cancer patients in a clinical study. Roblyer’s goal it to use the device to monitor a patient’s response to chemotherapy and adapt the treatment in real time.

The Goal and Long-term Possibilities: If DOS becomes part of the standard of care, many cancer patients could benefit by receiving only drugs and dosages that effectively treat their tumors. And doctors may be able to make timely changes in treatments and perhaps avoid drug resistance and side effects. 

Grantee: Sonia de Assis, PhD
Institution: Georgetown University in Washington, DC
Research Phase: Discovery and Preclinical
Term: 7/1/2014 to 6/30/2018

The Challenge: Some breast cancers run in families. Researchers know that mutations in certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, increase the risk of breast cancer. But they're still looking for other causes of breast cancers that run in families. 

The Research: This study could uncover a new mechanism of inheritance for breast cancer. De Assis is leading the first studies in mice on familial breast cancers and their link to specific epigenetic factors – specifically whether there is a link between obese fathers and their daughters. Epigenetic changes are changes to the way your genes work that can be caused by lifestyle matters, such as diet and weight gain. 

With her American Cancer Society grant, de Assis will compare results in humans to the ones she had in mice. She’s especially interested in studying whether the increase in breast cancer risk in daughters can be transmitted to granddaughters and great-granddaughters. 

The Goal and Long-term Possibilities: Epigenetic mutations are potentially reversible. That means this study has the potential to revolutionize the prevention and treatment for a sub-set of familial breast cancers.

Grantee: Hayley Thompson, PhD
Institution: Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan 
Type of Research: Population Study
Term: 7/1/2012 to 6/30/2017

The Challenge: Guidelines from The American Society of Clinical Oncology advise that all breast cancer survivors have a mammogram once a year. Studies show that Latina survivors are less likely to follow through on these guidelines than white survivors. A main reason seems to be communication difficulties with healthcare systems.  

The Research: Thompson’s focus is to understand and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in cancer prevention and control. With support from a grant from the American Cancer Society, Thompson and her research team will develop and test 2 bilingual DVDs. Women will have the choice of listening in English or Spanish. Both DVDs will review the screening guidelines, but only one will have key points explained by Latina breast cancer survivors. 

Researchers expect that the women who watch either DVD will be more likely to get the yearly mammograms than those who don’t see one. And they expect the DVD with Latina breast cancer survivors will improve follow-up even more.

The Goal and Long-term Potential: The study has the potential to both reduce deaths of Latina women from breast cancer and provide more resources to doctor’s office and clinics.