Mammary Cell News Volume 2.10 | Mar 18 2010

University of Maryland Cancer Researchers Study Role of ‘Microtentacles’ on Breast Tumor Cells in Spread of Cancer
A protein called “tau” promotes the formation of microtentacles on breast tumor cells which break away from primary cancers and circulate in the bloodstream. [Press release from University of Maryland discussing online prepublication in Oncogene]

Berkeley Scientists Find New Way to Get Physical in the Fight Against Cancer
A team of researchers has shown that the biochemical activity of a cellular protein system, which plays a key role in cancer metastasis, can be altered by the application of a direct physical force. [Press release from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory discussing online prepublication in Science]

Palpable Breast Cancers are More Common in Women Not Undergoing Annual Mammography
New research findings indicate that some breast cancers continue to be detected as a palpable lump rather than being found through mammographic screening. [Press release from EurekAlert! discussing online prepublication in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons]

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LABORATORY RESEARCH

Restriction of Receptor Movement Alters Cellular Response: Physical Force Sensing by EphA2
The observations reveal a mechanism for spatio-mechanical regulation of EphA2 signaling pathways. [Science]

BRD7 is a Candidate Tumour Suppressor Gene Required for p53 Function
Here researchers identify BRD7 (bromodomain-containing 7) as a protein whose inhibition allows full neoplastic transformation in the presence of wild-type p53. [Nat Cell Biol ]

DNA Methylome of Familial Breast Cancer Identifies Distinct Profiles Defined by Mutation Status
This data shows that methylation profiles for familial breast cancers are defined by the mutation status and are distinct from the intrinsic subtypes. [Am J Hum Genet]

Metastatic Breast Tumors Express Increased Tau, Which Promotes Microtentacle Formation and the Reattachment of Detached Breast Tumor Cells
Researchers aimed to investigate how tubulin microtentacle formation is affected by the microtubule-associated protein, tau, which is expressed in a subset of chemotherapy-resistant breast cancers. [Oncogene]

Inhibition of EGFR Pathway Signaling and the Metastatic Potential of Breast Cancer Cells by PA-MSHA Mediated by Type 1 Fimbriae Via a Mannose-Dependent Manner
The purpose of this study was to identify more therapeutic targets and clarify the detailed mechanisms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (PA-MSHA) on breast cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. [ Oncogene]

Enrichment for Breast Cancer Cells with Stem/Progenitor Properties by Differential Adhesion
For relatively differentiated epithelial cell types, differential adhesion may serve as an enrichment strategy to increase the stem cell pool for subsequent manipulations. [Stem Cells Dev]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Predictors of Tumor Progression During Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer
Factors predictive of progressive disease include race, advanced tumor stage, high nuclear grade, high Ki-67 score, and estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor negativity. Because many of these variables are also associated with response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT), novel molecular predictors are needed to identify patients at risk for progression on standard NCT. [J Clin Oncol]

Identification of Subtypes in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Breast Cancer Reveals a Gene Signature Prognostic of Outcome
The HER2-derived prognostic predictor provides further insight into the heterogeneous biology of HER2-positive tumors and may become useful for improved selection of patients who need additional treatment with new drugs targeting the HER2 pathway. [J Clin Oncol]

Palpable Presentation of Breast Cancer Persists in the Era of Screening Mammography
Despite the frequent use of screening mammography, 43% of breast cancers presented as a palpable mass or otherwise symptomatic presentation. [J Am Coll Surg]

Pfizer Halts Trial, Two Others Miss Primary Endpoint
Pfizer has halted another phase-III trial of its monoclonal antibody figitumumab and two trials of sunitinib after breast cancer patients failed to show significant improvement in survival. [MedPage Today]

Effort Aims to Spike Breast Cancer With New Approach
Many women live with breast cancer that does not respond to standard medical treatment, a condition that researchers want to change by aggressively targeting specific genes. [Translational Genomics Research Institute Press Release]

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Allocates $50 Million for Stem Cell Therapy Development, a Boost for the State’s Growing Stem Cell Industry
In a move that will speed the path of bringing stem cell-based therapies to the people of California, the Governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state stem cell agency created by Proposition 71, approved a concept proposal for funding the development of new stem cell therapies. [California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, United States]

Government to Pour 5 Billion Yen into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Research
A government panel on science and technology picked 30 projects recently to be funded by a budget designed to support potentially world-leading studies, including research on induced pluripotent stem cells for regenerative medicine. [Science and Technology Panel, Japan]

Spain Turns to Science for Stimulus
Spain’s ministers recently approved the text of a new research law that aims to reward scientific talent and encourage entrepreneurship. [Science and Innovation Ministry, Spain]

Technical Assistance for RFA-RM-10-006: Advancing Regulatory Science through Novel Research and Science-Based Technologies (U01) (NOT-RM-10-003) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Modification: This Notice Modifies RFA-RM-09-019 (NOT-RM-10-004) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Notice of a Change in the Next Receipt Date for the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence Program Announcement (PAR-09-079) (NOT-RR-10-005) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity for the Reissue of RFA-TW-08-002 the International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Award (R25) (NOT-TW-10-326) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Collaborative Research for Molecular and Genomic Studies of Behavior in Animal Models (R01) (PA-10-125) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

EVENTS

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

United Kingdom National Stem Cell Network (UKNSCN) Third Annual Scientific Conference
July 12-14, 2010
Nottingham, United Kingdom

2010 World Cancer Congress
August 18-21, 2010
Beijing, China

15th Congress of the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO)
September 15-17, 2010
Bordeaux, France

35th European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress
October 8-12, 2010
Milan, Italy

6th National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Conference
November 7-10, 2010
Liverpool, United Kingdom

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