October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. At the Center for Precision Medicine, our members are doing incredible research on breast cancer diagnostics and treatment.
Center affiliate Dr. Anna Beck and her team were awarded funding to further their research on estimating a patient’s risk of developing breast cancer from “lobular carcinoma in situ” (LCIS). They are looking to improve existing risk prediction models that measure factors such as genetic predisposition and chronic stress exposure to assess a patient’s likelihood of developing breast cancer and apply them to patients with LCIS.
Dr. Wei Xu, another affiliate member, and her lab focus on the transcriptional regulation of estrogen receptor (ER) signaling pathways by nuclearreceptor co-factors. The Xu Lab identified a plant compound that breaks down a mutated form of ERα found in about 1 in 4 patients with advanced breast cancer. This compound has the potential to be used in treating metastatic, endocrine-resistant breast cancers caused by ERα mutations.
Dr. Muhammed Murtaza is focused on early detection in various cancers in order to develop a precise treatment plan for each patient. Last year his lab was awarded an NIH grant to continue improving the detection of residual disease through Structural Variant Enrichment and Normalization (SVEN) tests in patients with breast cancer.
These groundbreaking efforts are paving the way for more accurate diagnoses, personalized treatments, and better outcomes for patients facing breast cancer.