Is a particular mutation driving treatment resistance?
Cancer types:
Breast cancer
Project period:
–
Research institute:
Monash University
Award amount:
£202,139
Location:
Australia
Dr Papa is investigating why a particular gene mutation can cause breast cancer and how it prevents current treatments from working. She hopes to discover new, better treatments that would improve outcomes for patients with cancer caused by this mutation.
Why is this research needed?
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and, although survival rates have improved in recent years, more research is needed to find ways to stop so many lives being cut short. One challenge is that breast cancer can become resistant to treatments, meaning that therapies stop working.
Dr Papa wants to find a new way to treat breast cancer, that could work in combination with current treatments and prevent the problem of treatment resistance. By looking at one of the genes most commonly mutated in breast cancer, she will better understand how this drives tumour development and therapy resistance, and discover new ways to treat patients with this mutation.
I strongly believe that the support provided by supporters to Worldwide Cancer Research not only helps to generate new knowledge and inspire future medical breakthroughs but also contributes to the training and education of new students and the next generation of scientists, something my lab is very thankful for.
What is the science behind this project?
The cells in your body are always dividing and replenishing, as part of keeping you healthy. A gene found in most cells in your body called PTEN helps to keep this process of cell division in check. PTEN is called a “tumour suppressor gene” because it stops cells dividing uncontrollably, a process which can lead to cancer.
Unfortunately, sometimes PTEN is mutated so it can’t do its job, and tumours are able to develop. Patients with PTEN mutations have worse outcomes than patients without these mutations, and their cancers are more likely to become resistant to existing treatments.
Dr Papa and her team in Australia want to better understand how PTEN functions to make strides towards new cures for cancers caused by PTEN mutations.
Thanks to Curestarters like you, the researchers will be able to use cutting edge microscopy to study the cellular mechanisms through which PTEN acts in incredible detail. New mouse models with PTEN mutations will also allow them to investigate how these mutations drive cancer development.
What difference could this project make to patients in the future?
Dr Papa hopes this project will lead to innovative ways to treat breast cancers which become resistant to other therapies. Delivering this new treatment with chemotherapy will mean cancers are less likely to become chemo-resistant.
By finding new effective combination treatments for patients with PTEN mutations, they want to help more people survive a breast cancer diagnosis for longer.
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