October 01, 2024 – Announcements
Newly released: HCC Breast Cancer Program Retreat Recording
HCC Breast Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE)
Principal Investigators
KORNELIA POLYAK, MD, MPH 
LEIF ELLISON, MD 
NANCY LIN, MD 
GEOFFREY SHAPIRO, MD, PHD
The Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) is a highly competitive, federal grant from the National Cancer Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. The purpose of SPOREs is to reduce cancer incidence and mortality, improve survival and quality of life for patients, and translate scientific discoveries into clinical testing, while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and actively engaging patient advocates in their efforts.
There are about 20 SPOREs in the U.S. states and each one is focused on a specific organ site, a group of highly related cancers, or a common pathway or theme that ties together the cancers under study.
The HCC SPORE in Breast Cancer was originally funded in 2020 and seeks to improve the understanding and treatment of breast cancer, using innovative and highly translational approaches, while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and actively engaging patient advocates in these efforts.
The HCC SPORE in Breast cancer consists of four projects, three cores, two award programs and a patient advisory committee. Each project brings together laboratory scientists and clinicians to address a fundamental challenge that results in premature mortality or substantial morbidity.
- Project 1 will address mechanisms of resistance to antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with topoisomerase I inhibitor payloads. Strategies will be developed to overcome resistance in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) through mechanism-based combination therapy approaches, including those targeting PARP1 and the proteasome. Preclinical modeling of concomitant and sequential sequencing of ADCs with targeted agents will be translated to clinical trial.
- Project 2 will focus on the biology and treatment of breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) in HER2-amplified, HER2-low and TN subtypes, and will leverage our unique collection of xenografts derived from resected human brain metastases, novel genetically engineered mouse models, as well as our experience conducting brain metastasis-specific trials. Clinical work will define the activity of ADCs in patients with central nervous system disease. The project will also exploit the recent finding that PTEN loss is a critical event enabling seeding of breast cancer cells to the brain that can be targeted by PI3Kb inhibition.
- Project 3 will build on prior work demonstrating that BET bromodomain (BBD) inhibition is synergistic with chemo-immunotherapy in TNBC, promoting enhanced immunomodulation and efficacy in preclinical models. A clinical trial combining BBD inhibition, nab-paclitaxel and pembrolizumab will be conducted in patients with TNBC, with particular focus on the PD-L1-negative population. The project will also explore BBD inhibition as a strategy to reverse CDK4/6 inhibitor resistance in ER+ breast cancer, using recently developed rat models that faithfully recapitulate the ER+ tumor microenvironment (TME).
- Project 4 will address BRCA-associated breast cancer, and the relatively short progression-free survival achieved by PARP inhibition that has not been improved by addition of anti-PD-(L)1, by targeting immunosuppressive macrophages in the TME with CSF-1R blockade. A Phase 1 trial of CSF-1R blockade and PARP inhibition will be conducted, with further work to augment this strategy with the addition of anti-TIM-3 to reverse a dendritic cell checkpoint in breast cancer, and with inhibition of polymerase theta, an emerging DNA repair target in BRCA-mutant disease.
The Administrative Core is the epicenter of scientific, fiscal and administrative oversight. It will lead efforts in planning and communication, ensure that existing HCC structures support SPORE clinical research efforts, and will house the Patient Advocacy Committee. Core A, the Biospecimen and Pathology Core, will provide critical pathology services for the projects, perform cutting edge assays with advanced technologies, house the Immuno-Oncology Sub Core and will maintain tissue and blood repositories. Core B, the Biostatistics and Computational Biology Core, will provide specialized expertise in biostatistics and management of genomic data. The Developmental Research Program and the Career Enhancing Program will identify novel approaches to translational questions in breast cancer, and support early career investigators, respectively.
With our projects, cores and research environment, the HCC SPORE in Breast Cancer is poised to make substantial contributions over the next five years and beyond.
If you are interested in becoming involved in the HCC SPORE in Breast Cancer program, please contact Kate Bak, kate_bak@dfci.harvard.edu
Projects
PROJECT 1 — Overcoming ADC resistance through mechanistic combinations
This SPORE project aims to find new treatments for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) that are more effective and cause fewer side effects. Our team of HCC researchers have led the development of several antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for advanced breast cancer, including the drug Sacituzumab govitecan (SG). These treatments have shown better response rates, longer progression-free survival, and longer overall survival compared to standard chemotherapy.
Project Co-Leaders:
Cancer can be difficult to treat when it shows resistance to therapy, either by not responding to the treatment from the beginning (initial resistance) or by becoming less responsive over time (acquired resistance). Our clinical and translational research program focuses on finding treatment combinations with ADCs that can overcome both initial and acquired resistance to therapy. We recently completed a phase 1b/2 clinical trial of SG and the PARP inhibitor talazoparib for mTNBC. The drugs were given in a sequential dosing schedule, meaning one after the other, based on our hypothesis that this schedule might reduce side effects and improve effectiveness. While giving the drugs sequentially lowered the risk of severe bone marrow suppression, compared to giving the drugs at the same time, the sequential combination still caused significant blood-related (hematologic) side effects. In this project, our team will explore the best ways to use newer ADC/PARP inhibitor combinations and test new combination treatments with ADCs.
- In Aim 1 we will carry out pre-clinical studies leading to the design and launch of a phase 1b/2 clinical trial combining a TROP-2 targeted, TOP1 inhibitor-based ADC with a new PARP1-selective inhibitor, since PARP1 inhibition is known to have a hematopoietic stem/progenitor-(blood-related) sparing effect. We will also study how treatment response relates to biomarkers of DNA damage and repair by analyzing samples from the trial and other patients, comparing the ADC/PARP1i combination to ADC alone.
- In Aim 2, we will test a new combination of an ADC with a targeted therapy, identified through CRISPR screens, that may improve effectiveness by both impacting the repair of TOP1-related damage and increasing TROP2 expression.
Together, these studies will support innovative, mechanism-based clinical trials using ADC combination therapies for patients with mTNBC.
PROJECT 2 — Rational approaches to improve treatment outcomes of patients with breast cancer brain metastases
Brain metastases occur when cancer spreads to the brain, a serious and often life-threatening development for people with advanced cancer. These tumors are especially challenging to treat because many therapies can't reach the brain due to the protective blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, when cancer spreads, this barrier can become disrupted, creating what's called a blood-tumor barrier (BTB). Brain metastases are a devastating complication, and treatment options remain limited.
Project Co-Leaders:
Recently, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), a type of targeted cancer therapy, have significantly improved outcomes for patients with metastatic breast cancer. However, most ADC trials have excluded patients with active brain metastases. Encouragingly, both laboratory and early clinical studies suggest that ADCs may be effective in treating brain metastases, likely because they can cross the BTB and reach the tumor.
Our research team recently discovered that blocking a protein called PI3Kβ can boost the immune system’s ability to fight tumors that are missing another protein called PTEN. Since PTEN loss is common in BCBM, we aim to explore whether combining PI3Kβ inhibitors with immunotherapy can help overcome immune resistance in these tumors. To test this, we’ll use advanced research models, including patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), to develop and evaluate ADC-based combination therapies that could lead to better outcomes for patients with BCBM.
- Aim 1: Improve the effectiveness of the HER2-targeted therapy trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in BCBM that are HER2-positive or HER2-low. We will test combination treatments, including adding PI3Kβ inhibitors to help the immune system fight the cancer. These strategies will be studied both in the lab and through clinical trials in patients.
- Aim 2: Study the TROP2-targeted ADC therapy, datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), in triple-negative breast cancer brain metastases, especially in cases where PTEN is lost. We will test whether combining Dato-DXd with PI3Kβ inhibitors improves treatment response and will also begin translating these findings into clinical trials for patients.
Our overall goal is to develop and advance new ADC-based therapies that work in the brain, helping address a critical treatment gap for patients with BCBM.
PROJECT 3 — BET bromodomain inhibitor combinations in breast cancer
Current treatments for advanced breast cancer, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and CDK4/6 inhibitors for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, have shown some success however many patients still don’t respond or eventually develop resistance to these treatments. This project explores whether a newer class of drugs, called BET bromodomain inhibitors (BBDIs), can improve outcomes when used in combination with existing therapies.
Project Co-Leaders:
Our lab data show that BBDIs can make chemotherapy and CDK4/6 inhibitors work better, even in resistant tumors, and may also enhance the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. We plan to test these promising combinations in both lab models and clinical trials.
- Aim 1: Test whether combining a BBDI with paclitaxel (a chemotherapy drug) and anti-PD-1 (an immune therapy) improves treatment response in models of metastatic and drug-resistant TNBC. We will look at how the tumor environment changes, including the role of immune cells like B cells and signs of tumor cell aging (senescence). A Phase 1 trial will test this combination in patients, using tumor biopsies to look for immune activity and PD-L1 expression.
- Aim 2: Test the combination of a BBDI with CDK4/6 inhibitors in ER+ breast cancer models that have developed resistance. We’ll also study this in a rat model of ER+ tumors. A Phase 2 clinical trial will assess how well this combination works and how safe it is in patients with ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer that no longer responds to hormonal therapy or CDK4/6 inhibitors.
Our goal is to find better combination therapies for advanced breast cancer and identify biomarkers that can help match patients to the treatments most likely to work for them.
PROJECT 4 — Combined targeting of DNA repair and macrophage-mediated immunosuppression in BRCA-associated breast cancer
PARP inhibitors are standard treatment for breast cancers with BRCA mutations. They work by targeting a specific DNA repair weakness in these tumors and can also help activate the immune system. However, studies show that adding immune checkpoint inhibitors (like PD-1/PD-L1 blockers) hasn’t made PARP inhibitors more effective.
Project Co-Leaders:
Our recent research suggests that this may be because PARP inhibitors also attract immune-suppressing cells called tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), especially those with a marker called CSF-1R. Blocking CSF-1R reduces these TAMs and makes PARP inhibitors work better, especially when CD8+ T-cells are active. This project will explore this new strategy.
- Aim 1: Study tumor samples from patients with BRCA-associated breast cancer who were treated in clinical trials with PARP inhibitors, alone or in combination with immune therapies. We will use RNA sequencing and advanced imaging (CyCIF) to examine immune cells in the tumor, especially T-cells and TAMs, to understand how they interact and change during treatment.
- Aim 2: Run a Phase 1 clinical trial combining the CSF-1R-blocking drug axatilimab with the PARP inhibitor olaparib in patients with BRCA-related metastatic breast cancer who have not yet received PARP inhibitors or responded well to them. Tumor biopsies will help determine whether the treatment depletes harmful TAMs and improves immune activity.
- Aim 3: Use lab models of BRCA1-deficient breast cancer that have become resistant to PARP inhibitors to test whether adding CSF-1R blockers can overcome resistance. Since resistant tumors often have more TAMs and immune checkpoint activity, we will also test combinations with immune therapies (anti-PD-1 and anti-TIM-3).
Our goal is to understand how the tumor immune environment changes during PARP inhibitor treatment and to develop more effective combination strategies, especially for patients whose tumors are resistant to current therapies.
Patient Advisory Committee
The Breast Cancer Advocacy Group (BCAG) consists of breast cancer advocates, co-led by Susan Koegel and Paula Steeves, who focus on influencing breast cancer research to reflect patient concerns. The group collaborates with HCC researchers in the development and oversight of research to improve patient outcomes.
Advocates come from diverse backgrounds but share their interest in science, the research process, and desire to improve outcomes for future patients. Most of the advocates are breast cancer survivors or are living with breast cancer. Advocates come from both science and non-science backgrounds, are both retired and working and have a varied level of experience with research. Many of the advocates have attended one or more of NBCC’s Project LEAD courses. In addition to their activities with the BCAG, advocates are affiliated with different breast cancer organizations including Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, the National Breast Cancer Coalition, Stand Up to Cancer, The Metastatic Breast Cancer Network and The Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium.
BCAG members provide an informed patient perspective to HCC investigators involved in all areas of translational and clinical research. In the Breast SPORE, each project has an advocate team consisting of 2-3 advocates who attend meetings, weigh in on decisions, and provide a patient perspective to their respective projects. In addition, the group focuses on topics directly affecting the patient experience, such as tissue banking, consenting for clinical trials, and the sharing of research results with patient participants. The group has substantial experience in partnering with clinicians and researchers to generate ideas for new directions in research and has co-developed and jointly led projects.
The BCAG members participate in a spectrum of research activities including:
- Membership on the HCC Breast SPORE Project teams and Committees
- Working sessions with investigators to develop new research ideas for grant funding
- Reviewing new concepts for clinical trials within the HCC Clinical Trials Core
- Reviewing informed consent documents and protocols for clinical trials
- Reviewing grants for HCC Women’s Cancer Center and SPORE funded awards
- Participating in ongoing research projects funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), The Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ), Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (DoD BCRP) and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
To keep our knowledge as current as possible, BCAG members pursue local and national educational opportunities. We meet monthly or more as needed and often invite local investigators to present their research for discussion. Advocates have a standing invitation to HCC Breast and GYN Cancer Center educational seminars and research programs and to the annual Harvard Medical School Continuing Education Course in Breast Oncology. In addition, advocates are encouraged to attend national programs for advocates such as the NBCC.
Cores
ADMINISTRATIVE CORE:
Core Directors:
KORNELIA POLYAK, MD, PHD 
LEIF ELLISEN, MD, PHD 
NANCY LIN, MD 
GEOFFREY SHAPIRO, MD, PHD
The Administration, Advocacy, Planning, and Communication Core (Admin Core) coordinates and integrates all components of the HCC SPORE in Breast Cancer, providing scientific, administrative, and fiscal oversight. Key functions include:
- Aim 1: Administrative Management
This aim provides fiscal and administrative oversight for the HCC SPORE in Breast Cancer, facilitates interactions with the HCC Breast Cancer Program and the larger HCC community, and ensures compliance with NIH policies - Aim 2: Clinical Research Management
The Core will support the conduct of clinical trials by promoting collaboration with the HCC Breast Cancer Program and enabling access to patients, clinical data, and biospecimens for translational research - Aim 3: Integration of the SPORE within HCC
This aim focuses on coordinating shared resources, promoting communication, supporting clinical trial development and access to biospecimens, and disseminating research advances beyond HCC to foster collaboration
- Aim 4: Patient Advocacy
The Core will integrate patient advocates into SPORE activities, expand the role of advocacy, and provide mentorship and training for the next generation of patient advocates
- Aim 5: Planning and Evaluation
This aim evaluates the progress of SPORE components, brings in new research directions, retires nonproductive efforts, leverages findings to secure additional funding.
SPORE Administrators:
Kate Bak, Program Manager, kate_bak@dfci.harvard.edu
Shaun Russell, Senior Research Administrator, shaun_russell@dfci.harvard.edu
Alexis Bevilacqua, Department Grants Manager, Alexis_Bevilacqua@DFCI.HARVARD.EDU
CORE A – BIOSPECIMEN AND PATHOLOGY
Core Directors:
DEBORAH DILLON, MD (DFCI) Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
DENNIS SGROI, MD (MGH) Mass General Hospital
ELIZABETH MITTENDORF, MD, PHD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The Biospecimen and Pathology Core (BPC) supports breast cancer research in Harvard Cancer Consortium (HCC) SPORE in Breast by collecting, processing, storing, distributing and analyzing biological samples, such as blood and tissue, from patients who have taken part in research studies.
The BPC works with four major hospitals and additional research sites to carefully track every sample from the moment it’s collected to when it’s used in a study. The team partners with clinical trial leaders and research committees, such as the HCC Breast Clinical Data and Biospecimens Users Committee, to make sure the studies done using the collected samples are novel, scientifically sound and practical.
The BPC provides many laboratory services, including histology, dissection, immunohistochemistry, FISH, DNA/RNA extraction, library prep, tissue microarrays, digital scanning, flow cytometry, and extraction of circulating free DNA. The BPC helps create models that mimic patient tumors in the lab (like organoids and PDX models). It also has a specialized team, the Immuno-Oncology Sub Core, that focuses on understanding the immune system’s role in cancer.
Clinical and specimen data are housed in the Breast Oncology Data Warehouse and the team includes pathologists, data scientists, lab techs, and research staff, supporting over 35,000 consented patients to date.
CORE B – BIOSTATISTICS AND COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY CORE
Core Directors:
MEREDITH REGAN, SCD 
NABIHAH TAYOB, PHD
The Harvard Cancer Consortium Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Breast Cancer (HCC SPORE in Breast Cancer) Biostatistics and Computational Biology Core (Core B) supports all SPORE activities, including research projects and other cores. It ensures studies are scientifically sound by helping with study design, data management, and data analysis. Since the SPORE’s goal is to turn lab discoveries into clinical advances, Core B plays a key role in supporting this work.
Core B is made up of experienced biostatisticians and provides access to powerful computing tools, including commercial, public, and custom-built software. It also brings together expertise in computational biology and bioinformatics from both SPORE Projects and HCC, encouraging smooth collaboration and data sharing. This shared resource model helps provide high-quality, cost-effective support for research.
Having biostatistics and computational biology expertise organized as a shared core is an efficient way to make sure SPORE investigators have the support they need. The projects have interrelated analytic goals and needs and a Biostatistics and Computational Biology Core as a shared resource is an effective strategy to guarantee a high degree of integration among projects.
Career Enhancement Program
The Career Enhancement Program (CEP) supports early-career investigators focused on translational breast cancer research by providing funding, mentorship, and integration into the SPORE program. CEP helps grow the field’s talent pool and develop future research leaders. Projects may evolve into full SPORE Projects within the HCC SPORE in Breast Cancer.
CEP uses a transparent, peer-reviewed selection process, evaluating applicants based on leadership potential, scientific quality, and mentoring plans. The DRP/CEP Selection Committee, which includes SPORE investigators, HCC faculty, and patient advocates, makes funding recommendations. Broad calls for proposals are made to attract a competitive pool from across HCC and its affiliates, with a focus on supporting early-career investigators.
The CEP aims to: 1) Fund and mentor emerging translational researchers; 2) Build the next generation of leaders in breast cancer research; 3) Promote a strong mentoring culture; and 4) Generate preliminary data for future grants or SPORE projects.
CEP-supported research has led to high-impact publications, new grants, clinical trials, and career advancement.
Breast SPORE CEP Award Recipients
Laura Spring, MD | Massachusetts General Hospital | Leveraging the neoadjuvant setting as a translational model for drug development in TNBC |
Jaymin Patel, MD | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | Identifying drivers of disease recurrence in HR+ breast cancer |
Seth Wander, MD | Massachusetts General Hospital | Genomic and Molecular Predictors of Response to Abemaciclib after Progression on a CDK4/6 |
Ada Waks, MD | Dana-Farber Cancer Center | Integrative computational biology of large scale molecular datasets to tackle immunotherapy resistance in breast cancer |
Evanna Mills, PhD | Harvard Medical School | Metabolic rewiring of tumor associated macrophages for the treatment of breast cancer |
Needa Brown, PhD | Northeastern University | STING agonist drug delivery formulations synergize with PARPi to treat resistant, metastatic advanced breast cancer |
Publications
*Bolded names are CEP recipients
**Underlined names are HCC SPORE in Breast Cancer Collaborators
Baker GM, Guzman-Arocho YD**, Bret-Mounet VC, Torous VF, Schnitt SJ, Tobias AM, Bartlett RA, Fein-Zachary VJ, Collins LC, Wulf GM and Heng YJ. Testosterone therapy and breast histopathological features in transgender individuals. (2021) Mod Path, 34, 85-94.
Baker GM, Bret-Mounet VC, Xu J, Fein-Zachary VJ, Tobias AM, Bartlett RA, Clohessy JG, Vlachos IS, Massicott ES, Wulf GM, Schnitt SJ and Heng YJ. Toker cell hyperplasia in the nipple-areolar complex of transmasculine individuals. (2023) Mod Pathol, 36, 100121.
Heng YJ, Zhang KJ, Valero MG, Baker GM, Fein-Zachary VJ, Irwig MS and Wulf GM. Invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast in a transgender man: a case report. (2023). Case Rep Oncol. In Press.
Heng YJ, Baker GM, Fein-Zachary VJ, Guzman-Arocho Y, Bret-Mounet VC, Massicott ES, Gitin S, Russo P, Tobias AM, Bartlett RA, Varma G, Kontos D, Yaghjyan L, Irwig MS, Potter J, and Wulf GM. Effect of testosterone therapy on breast tissue composition and density in trans masculine individuals. Under Review at JAMA Open.
ASCO Abstract: Laura Spring, Sara M. Tolaney, Neelam Vijay Desai, Geoffrey Fell, Lorenzo Trippa, Amy H. Comander, Therese Marie Mulvey, Shannon McLaughlin, Phoebe Ryan, Aron S. Rosenstock, Ana Christina Garrido-Castro, Filipa Lynce, Beverly Moy, Steven J. Isakoff, Nadine M. Tung, Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia. Phase 2 study of response-guided neoadjuvant sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) in patients with localized triple-negative breast cancer: Results from the NeoSTAR trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2022 40:16_suppl, 512-512.
AACR Abstract: AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Abstract (Platform presentation to be delivered 10/2023) Laura M. Spring, Bogang Wu, Ting Liu, Jacob Geisberg, Simona Cristea, Veerle Bossuyt, Rachel Occhiogrosso Abelman, Nicole Peiris, James Coates, Siang-Boon Koh, Mengran Zhang, Lianne Ryan, Beverly Moy, Steven J. Isakoff, Sara M. Tolaney, Franziska Michor, Aditya Bardia, and Leif W. Ellisen. Intratumoral heterogeneity drives resistance to Antibody Drug Conjugate therapy: Analysis of the NeoSTAR trial of neoadjuvant Sacituzumab govitecan for localized TNBC.
Brett JO, Dubash TD, Johnson GN, Niemierko A, Mariotti V, Kim LSL, Xi J, Pandey A, Dunne S, Nasrazadani A, Lloyd MR, Kambadakone A, Spring LM, Micalizzi DS, Onozato ML, Che D, Nayar U, Brufsky A, Kalinsky K, Ma CX, O'Shaughnessy J, Han HS, Iafrate AJ, Ryan LY, Juric D, Moy B,Ellisen LW, Maheswaran S, Wagle N, Haber DA, Bardia A, Wander SA. A Gene Panel Associated With Abemaciclib Utility in ESR1-Mutated Breast Cancer After Prior Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6-Inhibitor Progression. JCO Precis Oncol. 2023 May;7:e2200532. doi: 10.1200/PO.22.00532.
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Developmental Research Program
MYLES BROWN, MD 
GERBURG WULF, MD, PHD
The HCC SPORE in Breast Cancer’s Developmental Research Program (DRP) supports innovative, investigator-initiated translational research projects across HCC institutions. Backed by federal, institutional, and philanthropic funding, the DRP has a strong track record of success, including high-impact publications, new grants, and clinical trials.
Proposals are solicited broadly and selected through a rigorous peer-review process led by SPORE leadership, faculty, and patient advocates, based on criteria such as novelty, feasibility, and clinical relevance. Funded investigators are expected to engage actively with the SPORE, report progress, and utilize shared resources.
The DRP aims to advance high-quality, high-risk, novel, early-stage research, to foster new ideas in the breast cancer research field, and to move research projects from a pilot stage to a level where external funding for more mature project is possible. A secondary goal of the DRP is to create opportunities for early-career faculty or established investigators working on other fields who are interested in transitioning into breast cancer research.
Breast SPORE DRP Award Recipients
| Jennifer Ligibel, MD (DFCI) | Pilot study of the impact of a physical activity intervention on proliferation and immune markers in normal breast tissue in women with high mammographic breast density |
| Geoffrey Shapiro, MD, PhD (DFCI) | Modulation of the cGAS/STING pathway to augment PARP inhibitor efficacy and reverse resistance in triple negative breast cancer |
| Sara Tolaney, MD (DFCI) | Immune effects of sacituzumab govitecan combined with pembroluzimab in PDL1 negative metastatic triple negative breast cancer |
| Aditya Bardia, MD, PhD (MGH) | Targeting DNA damage and repair pathways with sequential therapy in metastatic triple negative breast cancer: Focus on biomarkers |
Elizabeth Mittendorf, MD, PhD and Sandra McAllister, PhD (BWH) | Immunologic Weathering: A novel mechanism of poor outcomes in non-hispanic Black breast cancer patients |
Shailja Pathania, PhD (UMass) | BRCA1 heterozygosity driven breast cancer mouse model to design new preventative strategies |
Dominik Glodzik, PhD (HMS) | Sensitive detection of mutational signatures for early detection of breast cancer in patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations |
Publication
Pantelidou C, Jadhav H, Kothari A, Liu R, Wulf GM , Guerriero J L, Shapiro GI. STING agonism enhances anti-tumor immune responses and therapeutic efficacy of PARP inhibition in BRCA-associated breast cancer. Npj Breast Cancer. 2022 Sep 6;8(1):102. doi: 10.1038/s41523 – 022 - 00471- 5
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
October 01, 2024 – Announcements
Newly released: HCC Breast Cancer Program Retreat Recording