Mammary Cell News Volume 2.05 | Feb 11 2010

TOP STORY

Popular Antidepressant Blocks the Life-Saving Benefits of Tamoxifen in Breast Cancer Patients
In women with breast cancer, tamoxifen significantly reduces the likelihood of recurrence and death due to breast cancer. But a study has found using a popular antidepressant at the same time can stop the benefits of tamoxifen, leaving women at increased risk of death. [Press release from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences discussing online prepublication in British Medical Journal]

SCIENCE NEWS

Tufts Researchers Discover Breast Cancer Cell Origins
Researchers have recently discovered the cell of origin for a common type of breast cancer. [Press release from Tufts University School of Medicine discussing online prepublication in Cancer Cell]

Low Forms of Cyclin E Reduce Breast Cancer Drug’s Effectiveness
Overexpression of low-molecular-weight forms of the protein cyclin E renders the aromatase inhibitor letrozole ineffective among women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers. [Press release from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discussing online prepublication in Clinical Cancer Research]

Loyola Study Points to Possible Novel Approach to Treating Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Enlarged Hearts and Carney Complex
In a new approach to developing treatments for breast cancer, prostate cancer and enlarged hearts, researchers are zeroing in on a workhorse protein called RSK.  [Press release from Loyola Medicine discussing the online prepublication in Journal of Biological Chemistry] 

New Paper Describes Important Advance in Imaging of Cell Death
A new paper describes important progress in using a synthetic probe to target dead and dying cells in mammary and prostate tumors in living animals. [Press release from The University of Notre Dame discussing online prepublication in Journal of the American Chemical Society]

Lower Overall Dosage of Radiotherapy in Fewer Larger Doses as Safe for Breast Cancer Patients
The chronic side-effects of radiotherapy for early breast cancer are not any worse when treatment is given in a lower overall dose in fewer but larger treatments. [The Institute of Cancer Research Press Release]

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Defining the ATM-Mediated Barrier to Tumorigenesis in Somatic Mammary Cells Following ErbB2 Activation
This in vivo study uncovers an unexpected effect of ErbB2 activation previously known for its prosurvival roles, and suggests that protection of the ATM-mediated DDR-p53 signaling pathway may be important in breast cancer prevention. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

Interaction of Developmental Transcription Factor HOX11 with Steroid Receptor Coactivator SRC-1 Mediates Resistance to Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer
Findings define a biomolecular interaction network that drives an adaptive response to endocrine therapy with negative consequences for survival in breast cancer. [Cancer Res]

Common Genetic Variants Associated with Breast Cancer and Mammographic Density Measures That Predict Disease
Findings could help elucidate how common breast cancer susceptibility variants and mammographic density measures are associated with breast cancer susceptibility.  [Cancer Res]

Estrogen Suppresses Mixed Lineage Kinase 3-Mediated Apoptosis Sensitivity in ER+ Breast Cancer Cells
Results indicate that 17(beta)-estradiol inhibits the proapoptotic function of mixed lineage kinase 3 as a mechanism to limit cytotoxic drug-induced death of ER+ breast cancer cells. [Cancer Res]

Antiestrogens Induce Transforming Growth Factor (Beta)-Mediated Immunosuppression in Breast Cancer
Evidence illustrates that antiestrogen induces immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment, through a TGF(beta)-dependent mechanism that may contribute to the development of antiestrogen resistance in breast cancer. [Cancer Res]

Resistance to ErbB2 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Breast Cancer Is Mediated by Calcium-Dependent Activation of RelA
Elucidating the regulation of RelA by lapatinib in ErbB2+ breast cancers, and showing its role in the development of therapeutic resistance to lapatinib, identifies another therapeutic target to overcome or prevent the onset of resistance to lapatinib in some women with ErbB2+ breast cancers. [Mol Cancer Ther]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Phase I/II Trial of Metronomic Chemotherapy With Daily Dalteparin and Cyclophosphamide, Twice-Weekly Methotrexate, and Daily Prednisone As Therapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer Using Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Soluble Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Levels As Markers of Response
Metronomic daily dalteparin and oral cyclophosphamide, twice-weekly methotrexate, and daily prednisone are safe, well tolerated, and clinically active in metastatic breast cancer. [J Clin Oncol]

The Predictive Value of HLA Class I Tumor Cell Expression and Presence of Intratumoral Regulatory T Cell for Chemotherapy in Patients with Early Breast Cancer
HLA class I and regulatory T cell can predict response to chemotherapy with high discriminative power and these markers could be applied in response prediction to chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. [Clin Cancer Res]

Low-Molecular-Weight Cyclin E Can Bypass Letrozole-Induced G1 Arrest in Human Breast Cancer Cells and Tumors
Data support the clinical investigation of CDK2 inhibitor therapy for postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive, low-molecular-weight cyclin E-expressing breast cancer.  [Clin Cancer Res]

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Can Anyone Hold a Patent over Human Genes?
A judge weighed whether a lawsuit should proceed that seeks to invalidate a company’s patents on two genes linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. [CBS News]

Stem Cells: Science, Economy Edge Religion at the Polls
When it comes to stem cell research as a political issue, Wisconsin voters are more likely to be motivated by ideas of economic benefit and scientific progress than by religious objections, according to a new report. [University of Wisconsin-Madison Press Release]

Roche Allies with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard to Develop Stem Cell-Derived Cell Lines for Drug Discovery
Roche is teaming up with the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University to develop new stem cell-based cell lines as disease models for early drug candidate testing. [Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News]

‘Clique’ of Scientists Skewing Stem Cell Research by Influencing High-Profile Journals
A small clique of scientists are skewing stem cell research by unduly influencing which breakthroughs get published in high-profile journals, experts have warned. [Telegraph]

Private, Public Research Under One Roof at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
When it opens in December, the $205 million Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery will be a showcase of high-tech design and model of collaboration. [Journal Sentinel]

University of Colorado Applies for Federal Grants to Help Finish Biotechnology Hub
The University of Colorado has applied for multi-million dollar federal grants to help finish the construction of its biotechnology building since the cash-strapped state is rejecting the school’s funding requests. [Daily Camera]

OHRI awarded $7.8M from Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Fifteen scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute have been awarded grants worth a total of $7.8 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. [Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Press Release]

Power3 Medical Announces Execution of Definitive Agreement to Acquire StemTroniX
Power3 plans to effectuate the acquisition of StemTroniX by merging a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company with and into StemTroniX. [Power 3 Medical Press Release]

POLICY NEWS

Senate Rejects Stem Cell Legislation
By a vote of 21 to 12, the South Dakota Senate shot down a bill that could have repealed South Dakota’s ban on embryonic stem cell treatments. [South Dakota Senate, United States]

Parsing National Institutes of Health’s 2011 Budget: Is Big Science Up, Small Science Down?
Is National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins planning to steer his ocean liner of an institute toward "big biology" at the expense of single-investigator grants? [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Medvedev Talks Science in Moscow
Russian science has been getting some bad press recently, what with a recent report on its declining productivity in scientific papers and a letter from expatriate scientists to the Russian president and prime minister warning of the parlous state of basic research. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia]

Impersonation of MHRA Staff [Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, United Kingdom]

Waivers for Conflicts of Interest for the February 22, 2010 Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting [Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States]

Recovery Act Limited Competition: Program to Enhance National Institutes of Health-Supported Global Health Research Involving Human Subjects (S07) (RFA-OD-10-006) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (U54) (RFA-RM-10-001) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

IACUC 101 Workshop and PRIM&R 2010 IACUC Conference: March 21-23, 2010 in Baltimore, MD (NOT-OD-10-059) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Delays in Grant Application Submission Due to Blizzard (NOT-OD-10-060) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Notice of Intent to Establish a New National Institutes of Health Common Fund Program: Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signatures (LINCS) (NOT-RM-10-002) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Investigator Initiated Multi-Site Clinical Trials (Collaborative R01) (PAR-10-096) [National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, United States]

EVENTS

27th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference
March 3-6, 2010
Miami, United States

7th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC)
March 24-27, 2010
Barcelona, Spain

34th Annual Symposium of the American Society of Breast Disease (ASBD)
April 16-17, 2010,
New York City, United States

American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 101st Annual Meeting 2010
April 17-21, 2010
Washington, DC, United States

BIT’s 3rd Annual World Cancer Congress 2010 – Breast Cancer Conference
April 25-27, 2010
Shanghai, China

IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference
May 6-8, 2010
Brussels, Belgium

Breast Cancer Research 2010 Conference
May 18, 2010
London, United Kingdom

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2010
June 4-8, 2010
Chicago, United States

Gordon Research Conference: Mammary Gland Biology
June 6-11, 2010
Lucca (Barga), Italy

12th Milan Breast Cancer Conference
June 16-18, 2010
Milan, Italy

The 21st Meeting of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)
June 26-29, 2010
Oslo, Norway

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